Methods, systems and computer program products for determining installation status of SMS packages

• US 20080071885A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glenn, Richard Anthony, Entrekin, James N., Hardy, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,544,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

Methods of determining status of advertised system management server (SMS) packages at a client device include receiving a request for a determination of the status from a user at the client device. Responsive to the received request and without further input from the user a plurality of SMS packages that have been advertised to the client device may be identified, an installation status of the identified plurality of SMS packages may be determined and a graphical user interface (GUI) may be generated. The GUI lists the identified plurality of SMS packages and provides a visual indication of the determined installation status of the listed plurality of SMS packages. The generated GUI may be displayed to the user on a display of the client device.

Claims

1. A method for determining status of advertised system management server (SMS) packages at a client device, comprising:

receiving a request for a determination of the status from a user at the client device; and

performing the following responsive to the received request without further input from the user;

identifying a plurality of SMS packages that have been advertised to the client device;

determining an installation status of the identified plurality of SMS packages;

generating a graphical user interface (GUI) that lists the identified plurality of SMS packages and provides a visual indication of the determined installation status of the listed plurality of SMS packages; and

displaying the generated GUI to the user on a display of the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the plurality of SMS packages comprises identifying a plurality of SMS packages that have been advertised to the client device that are automatic and wherein the identified plurality of SMS packages are all automatic advertised SMS packages.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving the request at an interface application executing on the client device separately from an SMS client application executing on the client device and wherein identifying the plurality of SMS packages and determining the installation status of the identified plurality of SMS packages includes querying by the interface application of log files generated by the SMS client application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the graphical user interface (GUI) that lists the identified plurality of SMS packages and provides a visual indication of the determined installation status of the listed plurality of SMS packages includes:

designating ones of the listed plurality of SMS packages as successfully installed, not installed or failed installation; and

providing different colored displays and/or different associated icons for respective ones of the listed SMS packages based on their associated designations.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a green display and/or smiley face icon are associated with a successfully installed SMS package, a yellow display and/or geometric icon are associated with a not installed SMS package and a red display and/or sad face icon are associated with a failed installation SMS package.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein providing different colored displays comprises providing different colored backgrounds for rows of the GUI associated with respective ones of the listed plurality of SMS packages.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein providing different colored backgrounds comprises providing a green background for a successfully installed SMS package, a yellow background for a not installed SMS package and a red background for a failed installation SMS package.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the GUI is followed by:

detecting placement of a cursor of the client device over a selected one of the listed plurality of SMS packages; and

displaying a help box containing information associated with the selected one of the listed plurality of SMS packages on the display.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information contained in the help box comprises a textual description of the determined installation status of the selected one of the listed plurality of SMS packages.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified plurality of SMS packages comprises security patches and/or software distributions advertised by an SMS server communicatively coupled to the client device.

11. A client device configured to carry out the method of claim 1.

12. A computer program product for determining status of advertised system management server (SMS) packages at a client device, the computer program product comprising computer program code embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer program code comprising program code configured to carry out the method of claim 1.

13. A method for determining status of advertised system management server (SMS) packages at a client device, comprising:

receiving a request for a determination of the status from a user at an interface application executing on the client device separately from an SMS client application executing on the client device; and

performing the following carried out by the interface application responsive to the received request;

identifying a plurality of SMS packages that have been advertised to the client device and determining an installation status of the identified plurality of SMS packages by querying log files generated by the SMS client application; and

generating a graphical user interface (GUI) that lists the identified plurality of SMS packages and provides a visual indication of the determined installation status of the listed plurality of SMS packages.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein generating the graphical user interface (GUI) that lists the identified plurality of SMS packages and provides a visual indication of the determined installation status of the listed plurality of SMS packages includes:

designating ones of the listed plurality of SMS packages as successfully installed, not installed or failed installation; and

providing different colored displays and/or different associated icons for respective ones of the listed SMS packages based on their associated designations.

15. A client device configured to carry out the method of claim 13.

16. A computer program product for determining status of advertised system management server (SMS) packages at a client device, the computer program product comprising computer program code embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer program code comprising program code configured to carry out the method of claim 13.

17. A method for monitoring status of distribution of advertised system management server (SMS) packages to a plurality of client devices, comprising:

advertising the SMS packages to the client devices;

requesting that users of the client devices execute an interface application on the respective client devices, separately from SMS client applications executing on the client devices, to identifying the SMS packages that have been advertised to the client devices, determine an installation status of the identified SMS packages by querying log files generated by the SMS client applications and generate graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that list the respective identified SMS packages and provide a visual indication of the determined installation status of the listed SMS packages; and

receiving error reports from the users identifying problems indicated in the respective GUIs.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein advertising the SMS packages comprises advertising the SMS packages to the client devices as automatic and wherein the identified SMS packages are all automatic advertised SMS packages.

19. A server device configured to carry out the method of claim 17.

20. A computer program product for monitoring status of distribution of advertised system management server (SMS) packages to a plurality of client devices, the computer program product comprising computer program code embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer program code comprising program code configured to carry out the method of claim 17.