Plug-In for Health Monitoring System

• US 20090177646A1
• Filed: 01/09/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Leet, Simon, Ashkar, Shadi, Hilerio, Israel, Pham, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US11/971,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177646A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying

Abstract

A monitoring and management system may use a plugin mechanism to add or update an interface to a managed service or device. The plugin may have capability to interface with the managed service or device, as well as an interface to a status database that may be populated by the managed service or device as well as other services or devices. The plugin may have rules that may be used to determine a status for the monitored service or device based on the statuses of several services or devices, and may also have rules that define a multi level query into the database to determine those services and devices.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a network connection;

a plugin installer adapted to receive an install a plugin, said plugin being adapted to monitor and control a first service;

a user interface adapted to create a portion of said user interface using said plugin to generate a command for said first service;

a communications engine adapted to receive said command for said service and transmit said command to said first service, said communications engine further adapted to receive a query, send said query to a status database comprising status data from said first service, and receive a query result; and

said user interface being further adapted to display at least a portion of said query result.

2. The system of claim 1, said network connection being to a local area network.

3. The system of claim 2, said first service being provided by a server connected through said local area network.

4. The system of claim 2, said status database being a second service operable within said local area network.

5. The system of claim 1, said plugin being obtained through a plugin distribution server.

6. The system of claim 1, said portion of said user interface being accessed by a tab control within said user interface.

7. The system of claim 1, said status database having a monitoring interface having a second user interface.

8. The system of claim 1, said query comprising a status request for said first service and for at least one other service.

9. The system of claim 1, said query comprising a status request for said first service and for at least one device.

10. The system of claim 1, said communications engine adapted to perform a multilevel query with said status database.

11. The system of claim 10, said plugin comprising rules used by said communications engine to perform said multilevel query.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a plugin adapted to manage a first service;

installing said plugin into a extensible management console;

create a user interface in said extensible management console using said plugin;

receiving an input from said user interface;

creating a command for said first service based on said input;

transferring said command to said first service;

creating a query for a status database using said plugin;

transferring said query to said status database;

receiving a query result from said status database; and

displaying at least a portion of said query result in said user interface.

13. The method of claim 12, said plugin being received by a method comprising:

establishing a connection with a plugin distribution server; and

receiving said plugin from said plugin distribution server.

14. The method of claim 13, said connection being established by said plugin distribution server.

15. The method of claim 13, said connection being established by a method comprising:

contacting said plugin distribution server; and

requesting said plugin from said plugin distribution server.

16. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions adapted to perform the method of claim 12.

17. A plugin comprising:

a configuration management interface adapted to create a user interface within an extensible management console, said user interface comprising at least one mechanism adapted to receive user input and create a command for a first service;

an operational data interface adapted to generate a query for a status database comprising status data from said first service;

a communications interface adapted to establish a connection with said first service and transmit said command to said first service, said communications interface being further adapted to establish a connection with said status database, transmit said query, and receive a query result, at least a portion of said query result being displayed using said user interface.

18. The plugin of claim 17 further comprising rules defining a multilevel query for said status database, said communications interface being adapted to use said rules to perform said multilevel query.

19. The plugin of claim 17, said query comprising a query for said first service and a query for a second service.

20. The plugin of claim 17, said query comprising a query for said first service and a query for a device.