THIN/ZERO CLIENT PROVISIONING AND MANAGEMENT USING CENTRALIZED MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

• US 20150188992A1
• Filed: 01/02/2014
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AmZetta Technologies, LLC (American Megatrends International, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Inventors: AYANAM, VARADACHARI SUDAN, CHRISTOPHER, SAMVINESH, HU, TOMMY, YANG, BLAKE
• Granted Patent: US 9,979,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/04 Network management architectures or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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

Present disclosure relates to a desktop cloud manager configured to manage thin client computers. The desktop cloud manager includes: XMS server processor, XMS communication interface for communicating between desktop cloud manager and thin client computers, thin client computer database for storing thin client computers and peripherals information; and non-volatile memory storing an XMS server operating system, and firmware having thin client management software. When executed by XMS server processor, thin client management software firmware performs one or more of following operations: (a) connecting to thin client computers through a cloud, (b) discovering thin client computers using UPnP protocol, (c) registering thin client computers at thin client computer database, (d) detecting management modes of thin client computers, (e) provisioning functionalities of thin client computers according to management modes, (f) configuring device settings of the peripherals attached to thin client computers, and (g) managing and controlling thin client computers connected through cloud.

Claims

1. A desktop cloud manager configured to manage and control a plurality of thin client computers, comprising:

an eXtensible Management System (XMS) server processor;

an XMS communication interface configured to communicate with a thin client agent for each of the plurality of thin client computers through a network;

a thin client computer database; and

a non-volatile memory storing an XMS server operating system, firmware of the desktop cloud manager, and thin client management software, wherein the thin client management software, when executed at the XMS server processor, is configured to;

connect to the plurality of thin client computers through the network,

discover the plurality of thin client computers,

register the plurality of thin client computers at the thin client computer database,

detect a management mode of each of the plurality of thin client computers,

provision functionalities of each of the plurality of thin client computers according to the management mode,

configure device settings of peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers, and

manage and control the plurality of thin client computers.

2. The desktop cloud manager of claim 1, wherein the thin client computer database comprises detail information of the plurality of thin client computers, including network passcode, connection parameters, unique device ID, MAC addresses, peripheral devices, functions provisioned, privileges, remote resources, and event logs of the thin client computers.

3. The desktop cloud manager of claim 2, wherein the thin client computer database further comprises user information, privilege information and inventory information of the plurality of thin client computers.

4. The desktop cloud manager of claim 1, wherein the network is a cloud network, an internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless communication network, or a Wi-Fi network.

5. The desktop cloud manager of claim 1, wherein

the management mode of each of the plurality of thin client computers is a local managed mode or a remote managed mode,

the thin client computer in the local managed mode is not managed by the desktop cloud manager and a user of the thin client computer will be asked to change factory default password, and to configure device settings of the peripherals attached to the thin client computer, and

the thin client computer in the remote managed mode is managed by the desktop cloud manager, and password, list of authorized users, and all device settings of the peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers are received by a thin client agent of the thin client computer from the desktop cloud manager.

6. The desktop cloud manager of claim 1, wherein the thin client management software, when executed at the XMS server processor, is configured to discover the plurality of thin client computers using proprietary protocols or universal plug and play (UPnP) protocol.

7. The desktop cloud manager of claim 1, wherein the peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers comprise one or more of:

an audio recording device, an audio playback device, an audio storage device, a video recording device, a video display device, a video storage device, an image recording device, an image display device, an image storage device, a CD/DVD-read device, a CD/DVD-read and write device, a printer device, a webcam device, a Voice over IP (VOIP) device, a scanner device, a network controller device, a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, an external hard drive, a network hub and switch, a touchscreen, a video projector, a serial port, a parallel port, and a USB port.

8. The desktop cloud manager of claim 7, wherein the desktop cloud manager is configured to provision the peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers and their related functions, and to store information of the peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers and their related functions in the thin client computer database.

9. The desktop cloud manager of claim 1, wherein the thin client management software is configured to manage and control the plurality of thin client computers by:

managing and controlling operations of the plurality of thin client computers; and

managing and controlling operations of the peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers.

10. The desktop cloud manager of claim 9, wherein the managing and controlling the operations of the plurality of thin client computers operation comprises:

monitoring the operation of the plurality of thin client computers;

checking the authorized users against the thin client computer database;

checking the authorized thin client computers against the thin client computer database;

locking out any unauthorized thin client computers; and

disallowing any unauthorized users to use the plurality of thin client computers.

11. The desktop cloud manager of claim 9, wherein the managing and controlling the operations of the peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers operation comprises:

enabling each of authorized peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers;

making each of authorized peripherals functions available to the user of a thin client computer to use;

disabling each of unauthorized peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers; and

disallowing any unauthorized peripheral functions to be performed by the user of the thin client computer.

12. The desktop cloud manager of claim 1, wherein each of the thin client computers comprises (a) a thin client agent, (b) a thin client user interface, and (c) a thin client database, and wherein the thin client agent of each of the thin client computers is configured to:

discover one or more desktop cloud managers,

communicate with one or more desktop cloud managers,

allow the desktop cloud manager to discover the thin client computer,

select by the user of thin client computer a desktop cloud manager from a list of discovered desktop cloud managers,

register the thin client computer to the selected desktop cloud managers,

provide thin client computer information to the selected desktop cloud manager, and

provide remote control ability to the selected desktop cloud manager.

13. A computer-implemented method for a desktop cloud manager configured to manage a plurality of thin client computers, comprising:

connecting to the plurality of thin client computers through a network;

discovering the plurality of thin client computers using proprietary protocols or universal plug and play (UPnP) protocol;

registering the plurality of thin client computers at a thin client computer database;

detecting a management mode of each of the plurality of thin client computers;

provisioning functionalities of each of the plurality of thin client computers according to the management mode;

configuring device settings of peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers; and

managing and controlling the plurality of thin client computers.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the desktop cloud manager comprises:

an eXtensible Management System (XMS) server processor;

an XMS communication interface configured to communicate with a thin client agent for each of the plurality of thin client computers through the network;

the thin client computer database; and

a non-volatile memory storing an XMS server operating system, firmware of the desktop cloud manager, and thin client management software.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein each of the thin client computers comprises (a) a thin client agent, (b) a thin client user interface, and (c) a thin client database, wherein the thin client agent of each of the thin client computers is configured to:

discover one or more desktop cloud managers,

communicate with one or more desktop cloud managers,

allow the desktop cloud manager to discover the thin client computer,

select a desktop cloud manager from a list of discovered desktop cloud managers,

register the thin client computer to the selected desktop cloud managers,

provide thin client computer information to the selected desktop cloud manager, and

provide remote control ability to the selected desktop cloud manager.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the thin client computer database comprises detail information of the plurality of thin client computers, including network passcode, connection parameters, unique device ID, MAC addresses, peripheral devices, functions provisioned, privileges, remote resources, and event logs.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the network is a cloud network, an internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless communication network, or a Wi-Fi network.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the management mode of each of the plurality of thin client computers is a local managed mode or a remote managed mode, wherein the thin client computer in local managed mode is not managed by the desktop cloud manager and a user of the thin client computer will be asked to change factory default password, and to configure device settings, and the thin client computer in remote managed mode is managed by the desktop cloud manager and password, the authorized users, and all device settings are received by the thin client agent from the desktop cloud manager.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the desktop cloud manager is configured to provision the peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers and their related functions, and to store information of the peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers and their related functions in the thin client computer database.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the managing and controlling the plurality of thin client computers comprises:

managing and controlling the operations of the plurality of thin client computers; and

managing and controlling the operation of the peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the managing and controlling the operations of the plurality of thin client computers operation comprises:

monitoring the operation of the plurality of thin client computers;

checking the authorized users against the thin client computer database;

checking the authorized thin client computers against the thin client computer database;

locking out any unauthorized thin client computers; and

disallowing any unauthorized users to use the plurality of thin client computers.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the managing and controlling the operation of the peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers operation comprises:

enabling each of authorized peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers;

making each of authorized peripherals functions available to the user of a thin client computer to use;

disabling each of unauthorized peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers; and

disallowing any unauthorized peripheral functions to be performed by the user of the thin client computer.

23. A non-transitory computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by an XMS server processor of a desktop cloud manager, cause the XMS server processor to:

connect the desktop cloud manager to the plurality of thin client computers through a cloud,

discover the plurality of thin client computers using proprietary protocols or universal plug and play (UPnP) protocol,

register the plurality of thin client computers at a thin client computer database,

detect a management mode of each of the plurality of thin client computers,

provision functionalities of each of the plurality of thin client computers according to the management mode,

configure the device settings of peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers, and

manage and control the plurality of thin client computers.

24. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 23, wherein each of the thin client computers comprises (a) a thin client agent, (b) a thin client user interface, and (c) a thin client database, wherein the thin client agent of each of the thin client computers is configured to:

discover one or more desktop cloud managers,

communicate with one or more desktop cloud managers,

allow the desktop cloud manager to discover the thin client computer,

select a desktop cloud manager from a list of discovered desktop cloud managers,

register the thin client computer to the selected desktop cloud managers,

provide thin client computer information to the selected desktop cloud manager, and

provide remote control ability to the selected desktop cloud manager.

25. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions are configured to manage and control the plurality of thin client computers by:

monitoring the operation of the plurality of thin client computers;

checking the authorized users against the thin client computer database;

checking the authorized thin client computers against the thin client computer database;

locking out any unauthorized thin client computers;

disallowing any unauthorized users to use the plurality of thin client computers;

enabling each of authorized peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers;

making each of authorized peripherals functions available to the user of a thin client computer to use;

disabling each of unauthorized peripherals attached to the plurality of thin client computers; and

disallowing any unauthorized peripheral functions to be performed by the user of the thin client computer.