NETWORK CONFIGURATION APPLIANCE, METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20160218915A1
• Filed: 01/26/2015
• Published: 07/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GD MUX Telecom Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GD MUX Telecom Incorporated
• Inventors: Draper, Ricky G, Gallipeau, Adam, King, Chris, Gagnon, David
• Application Number:
  US14/604,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20160218915A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/04 Network management architectures or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention support unobtrusive remote management of a data center. In an embodiment of the invention, an appliance can be positioned within a data center and coupled both to the individual components in the data center'"'"'s network and also to a wireless access point coupled to a cellular data modern. The appliance can provide a terminal services session to a remote client via the cellular data communications link. A network management application can execute in the appliance and can be configured to establish configuration parameters in the network'"'"'s router. Configuration directives can be received from the remote computer through the terminal services session to establish configuration parameters in the router. The client'"'"'s network can be remotely managed without requiring the manual configuration of the network internally to permit remote access through the firewall into the data center.

Claims

1. A data center remote management system comprising:

a data center comprising one or more servers communicatively linked to each other through a data communication network;

a router providing a communicative coupling between the data communications network and the global Internet;

at least one router routing data between the data communications network from selected traffic originating in and the global Internet;

a network configuration appliance, the appliance comprising at least one processor, memory, persistent storage, and a wireless networking adapter;

a wireless access point, comprising a cellular modem establishing data communications over a cellular network to the global Internet, the access point, bridging the data communications over the cellular network with a wireless communication link to the wireless adapter of the appliance;

a configuration application executing in the memory of the appliance, the configuration application comprising program code enabled to receive an instruction to configure a parameter in the router and to apply the parameter to the router, as directed;

and,

a terminal server executing in the memory of the appliance, the terminal server providing a remote desktop on the appliance to a remote computer over the cellular communications network, the desktop providing a user interface to the configuration application through which the directive is received.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration application comprises additional program code enabled to receive an instruction to configure a parameter in an email server executing in one of the servers and to apply the parameter to the email server, as directed.

2. The system of claim I, wherein the configuration application comprises additional program code enabled to receive an instruction to configure a parameter in a firewall coupled to the router and to apply the parameter to the firewall, as directed.

4. A method of data center remote management comprising the steps:

establishing a data communication network between different servers in a data center and a router communicatively linked to the global Internet;

attaching an appliance to the data communications network;

wirelessly connecting the appliance to a cellular data modem and additionally establishing a communications path between the appliance and the global Internet separate from a communications path provided by the router through the data communications network;

transmitting over the communications path provided by the cellular data modem a remote desktop from a terminal services session executing into the appliance; and

responding in the appliance to router configuration directives received through the remote desktop by configuring the router over the data communications network.

5. A computer program product for data center remote management, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a device to cause the device to perform a method comprising:

establishing a data communication network between different servers in a data center and a router communicatively linked to the global Internet;

attaching an appliance to the data communications network;

wirelessly connecting the appliance to a cellular data modem and additionally establishing a communications path between the appliance and the global Internet separate from a communications path provided by the router through the data communications network;

transmitting over the communications path provided by the cellular data modem a remote desktop from a terminal services session executing in the appliance; and

responding in the appliance to router configuration directives received through the remote desktop by configuring the router over the data communications network.