Network administration tool

• US 20080052384A1
• Filed: 09/15/2006
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aaron Averbuch, Brett Marl, Joshua Lang, Myk O'Leary
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lang, Joshua, O'leary, Myk, Marl, Brett, Averbuch, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0273 using web services for network management, e.g. simple object access protocol [SOAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/26 using dedicated tools for LAN [Local Area Network] management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A tool for managing a network of interconnected devices. The tool may provide a user with an interface that allows the user to view the type and status of each network device (that is, each device connected to the network), and even the status of the network itself. The tool may alternately or additionally provide a user with services related to the network, such as allowing a user to perform one or more tasks associated with devices in the network.

Claims

1. A network tool, comprising:

a network management services module that obtains information regarding one or more devices in a network; and

a network management application module that provides access through a Web site to a user interface displaying the information relating to the one or more devices in the network obtained by the network management services module.

2. The network tool recited in claim 1, wherein the user interface is capable of receiving input commands through the Web site.

3. A network tool, comprising:

a gateway service module that obtains information regarding at least one gateway device in a network; and

a network management application module that provides access through a Web site to a user interface displaying the information relating to the at least one gateway device in the network obtained by the gateway service module.

4. The network tool recited in claim 3, wherein the user interface is capable of receiving input commands through the Web site.

6. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the user interface is capable of receiving input commands through the Web site.

7. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the at least one device is a gateway device.

5. A method of managing a network, comprising:

obtaining information regarding at least one device in a network; and

providing access through a Web site to a user interface displaying the information relating to the at least one network device.

8. A network tool, comprising:

a remote installation module hosted on a first computing device in a local network that is capable of

communicating with a network management tool hosted on a second computing device in a local network to detect the absence of a software program or software program update on the second computing device; and

causing the second computing device to install the software program or software program update.

9. The network tool recited in claim 8, wherein the remote installation module is further capable of providing the software program or software program update to the second computing device.

10. A method of installing a software program or software program update on a computing device in a local network, comprising:

from a first computing device in the local network, communicating with a network management tool hosted on a second computing device in the local network to detect the absence of a software program or software program update on the second computing device; and

causing the second computing device to install the software program or software program update.

11. The method recited in claim 10, further comprising providing the software program or software program update to the second computing device from the first computing device.