SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR UPDATING NETWORK COMPUTER SYSTEMS

• US 20090013318A1
• Filed: 05/05/2008
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gary Rietmann, Harry Aderton, John Reckeweg, Prakash Patel, Richard Aderton
• Original Assignee: Gary Rietmann, Harry Aderton, John Reckeweg, Prakash Patel, Richard Aderton
• Inventors: Patel, Prakash, Aderton, Richard, Reckeweg, John, Aderton, Harry, Rietmann, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 8,375,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0859 by keeping history of different configuration generations or by rolling back to previous configuration versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

An update system configured to provide software updates, software patches and/or other data packets to one or more computer systems via a network is disclosed. The update system may interact with a network management system, such as an enterprise management system, to distribute data packets and gather configuration information. The update system may generate and send commands to the network management system. The network management system may carry out the commands to distribute data packets and/or gather configuration information.

Claims

1-93. -93. (canceled)

94. A method of updating computer systems on a network, comprising:

sending one or more scanning applications to one or more computer systems, wherein the one or more scanning applications are configured to determine one or more data packets present on the one or more computer systems;

determining one or more data packets present on the one or more computer systems using the scanning application;

selecting one or more computer systems to send one or more additional data packets to;

identifying one or more data packets to be installed on at least one of the selected one or more computer systems; and

installing at least one of the one or more identified data packets on at least one of the selected one or more computer systems.

95. The method of claim 94, further comprising determining whether one or more sent data packets were received and loaded onto at least one of the one or more computer systems.

96. The method of claim 95, wherein determining whether one or more sent data packets were received and loaded onto one or more computer systems comprises sending one or more scanning applications to at least one of the one or more computer systems, wherein one or more scanning applications are configured to determine configuration information regarding at least one of the one or more computer systems.

97. The method of claim 96, wherein one or more scanning applications are further configured to send the configuration information to a server computer system which determines whether one or more sent data packets were received and loaded onto one or more computer systems.

98. The method of claim 96, wherein one or more scanning applications are further configured to send the configuration information to a server computer system which determines whether one or more sent data packets were received and loaded onto one or more computer system and wherein the scanning application does not persist on one or more computer systems after the configuration information has been sent.

99. The method of claim 94, wherein determining one or more data packets present on one or more computer systems comprises sending one or more commands to one or more agent programs on one or more computer systems.

100. The method of claim 94, wherein selecting one or more computer systems comprises determining configuration of one or more computer systems using one or more of the scanning applications.

101. The method of claim 94, wherein selecting one or more computer system comprises selecting one or more computer systems based on a defined grouping of one or more computer systems.

102. The method of claim 94, wherein sending one or more data packets to one or more selected computer systems comprises sending a command to a network management system, wherein the network management system is configured to send one or more data packets to one or more computer systems in response to receiving the command.

103. The method of claim 94, further comprising reporting the results of determining whether one or more sent data packets were received and loaded onto one or more computer systems.

104. The method of claim 94, wherein the determining one or more data packets present on one or more computer systems and selecting one or more computer systems to send one or more data packets to and sending one or more data packets are performed automatically.

105. The method of claim 94, wherein the determining one or more data packets present on one or more computer systems, selecting one or more computer systems to send one or more data packets to, sending one or more data packets and determining whether one or more send data packets were received and loaded onto one or more computer systems are performed based on one or more preconfigured rules.

106. The method of claim 94, wherein selecting computer systems comprises associating two or more computer systems to form one or more computer system groups and selecting one or more computer system groups to send one or more data packets to.

107. The method of claim 94, further comprising identifying one or more unauthorized software applications on one or more computer systems.

108. The method of claim 94, further comprising scanning at least one of the one or more computer systems to determine hardware configuration information regarding one or more computer systems coupled to the network.

109. The method of claim 94, further comprising canning at least one of the one or more computer systems to determine software configuration information regarding one or more computer systems.

110. The method of claim 94, wherein determining whether one or more sent data packets were received and loaded onto one or more computer systems comprises requesting information from one or more agent programs on one or more computer systems regarding the configuration of one or more computer systems.

111. The method of claim 94, wherein selecting one or more computer systems comprises selecting one or more computer systems based on one or more configuration conditions.

112. A system, comprising:

a plurality of computer systems coupled to a network;

an update system on the network, wherein the update system is configured to implement a method comprising;

sending one or more scanning applications to one or more computer systems,

wherein the one or more scanning applications are configured to determine one or

more data packets present on the one or more computer systems;

determining one or more data packets present on the one or more computer systems using the scanning application;

selecting one or more computer systems to send one or more additional data packets to;

identifying one or more data packets to be installed on at least one of the selected one or more computer systems; and

installing at least one of the one or more identified data packets on at least one of the selected one or more computer systems.

113. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable on a computer system to implement a method comprising:

sending one or more scanning applications to one or more computer systems, wherein the one or more scanning applications are configured to determine one or more data packets present on the one or more computer systems;

determining one or more data packets present on the one or more computer systems using the scanning application;

selecting one or more computer systems to send one or more additional data packets to;

identifying one or more data packets to be installed on at least one of the selected one or more computer systems; and

installing at least one of the one or more identified data packets on at least one of the selected one or more computer systems.