Management of extensibility servers and applications

• US 20070233831A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tremblay, Edward K., Watson, Eric B., Bukovec, Mai-Ian Tomsen
• Granted Patent: US 7,899,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

Extensibility computer servers and extensibility applications can be managed. Extensibility computer servers and extensibility applications can be discovered using a management application on a management computer server. An extensibility agent can be installed on an extensibility computer server, and used to provide status information. Tasks can be created for managing extensibility computer servers and extensibility applications. Entity groups representing extensibility computer servers and extensibility applications can be displayed and selected. Extensibility computer servers and extensibility applications can be displayed based on the selection of an entity group. Task templates associated with a selected entity group can be displayed.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing applications or services from a management computer server, the method comprising:

discovering an extensibility application by using a management application on the management computer server;

creating a task, on the management computer server, for managing the discovered extensibility application.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the task is created via a task template, wherein the task template is in a format defined by a schema, wherein the task template comprises a location variable, and wherein the location variable identifies a user interface of the extensibility application.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

installing an extensibility agent on an extensibility computer server from the management computer server, wherein the extensibility agent is configured to provide status information about the extensibility computer server, wherein the extensibility agent is also configured to allow a different computer server to backup the extensibility computer server, and wherein the extensibility application is located on the extensibility computer server.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying, in a user interface of the management application, a user interface element for invoking the task;

receiving, from a user of the user interface, a selection of the user interface element for invoking the task; and

as a result of the selection, displaying, at the management computer server, a user interface of the extensibility application, wherein the user interface of the extensibility application is identified by a task template associated with the task.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

before discovering the extensibility application, displaying, in a user interface of the management application, a user interface element for discovering extensibility applications; and

receiving a selection, by a user via the user interface, of the user interface element for discovering extensibility applications.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

after discovering the extensibility application, downloading a task template from a remote task update server, wherein the downloaded task template is operable to cause display of a user interface of the extensibility application at the management computer server, and wherein the downloaded task template is downloaded in a format defined by a schema.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the extensibility application is located on an extensibility computer server, wherein the management computer server is one of a plurality of integrated computer servers, and wherein the extensibility computer server is a different computer server from the plurality of integrated computer servers.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the management application originates from a software manufacturer, and wherein the extensibility application originates from a different software manufacturer.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the management application is one of a plurality of applications comprising an integrated suite of server applications, and wherein the extensibility application is one of a plurality of server applications different from the plurality of applications comprising the integrated suite of server applications.

10. A computer implemented method for managing an extensibility computer server from a management computer server, the method comprising

discovering the extensibility computer server by using a management application on the management computer server;

and

installing an extensibility agent on the extensibility computer server from the management computer server, wherein the extensibility agent is configured to provide status information about the extensibility computer server.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving, by the management computer server from the extensibility computer server via the extensibility agent, status information about the extensibility computer server.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the status information comprises information regarding software updates.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

displaying, in a user interface of the management application, a user interface element representing extensibility applications;

receiving, via the user interface, a selection of the user interface element representing the extensibility applications; and

displaying, in the user interface, help information related to the extensibility applications.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

displaying, in a user interface of the management application, a user interface element for invoking a task template, wherein the task template is selectable, via the user interface element, to cause display of a user interface of an extensibility application located on the extensibility computer server, and wherein the user interface of the extensibility application is displayed at the management computer server.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the management application originates from a first software manufacturer, and the extensibility application originates from a different second software manufacturer.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the extensibility agent is also configured to allow a different computer server to backup the extensibility computer server, and wherein the method further comprises:

backing up the extensibility computer server via the extensibility agent on the extensibility computer server.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

obtaining, from a remote task update server, a task template operable to cause display of a user interface of an extensibility application on the extensibility computer server, wherein the user interface is displayed at the management computer server; and

after obtaining the task template, displaying a user interface element for invoking the task template in a user interface of the management application.

18. A computer implemented method for managing extensibility applications on extensibility computer servers from a management computer server, the method comprising:

displaying, in a user interface of a management application on the management computer server, an entity group representing a plurality of extensibility computer servers;

receiving, from a user via the user interface, a selection of the entity group representing the plurality of extensibility computer servers;

responsive to receiving the selection, displaying, in the user interface, the plurality of extensibility computer servers;

responsive to receiving the selection, displaying, in the user interface, a plurality of task templates associated with the selected plurality of extensibility computer servers.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

receiving, from the user via the user interface, a selection of an extensibility computer server from the displayed plurality of extensibility computer servers;

responsive to receiving the selection, displaying a plurality of task templates associated with the selected extensibility computer server.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

receiving, from the user via the user interface, a selection of a task template from the plurality of task templates associated with the plurality of extensibility computer servers comprising the selected entity group;

displaying, in the user interface of the management application, status information of one or more of the plurality of extensibility computer servers.