System and method for controlling and monitoring remote distributed processing system

• US 5,987,135 A
• Filed: 07/25/1997
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: PRC, Inc. (Arthur D. Little, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Christopher H., Stalcup, Bruce W., Feinberg, Jerry M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US08/900,133
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 380/9, 380/23, 380/25, 380/49, 380/50, 380/59, 380/4, 395/200.31, 395/200.32, 395/200.33, 395/800.28, 395/800.29, 395/800.3, 395/800.31, 395/183.01, 395/183.08, 395/183.09, 395/184.01 , 395/500, 395/186, 395/187.01, 395/188.01
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems

Abstract

A system and method for controlling and monitoring remote distributed processing systems from one or more control processing systems by downloading agent-application programs from the control processing systems to remote control middleware modules on the distributed processing systems, where the control processing systems have a library of available agent-application(s). The agent-application(s) are compiled by or at the direction of the remote control middleware and executed within operational parameters determined by the control processing systems.

Claims

1. A system for controlling one or more remote host processing systems comprising:

a communication medium;

a control group means comprising one or more control processing systems and at least one control storage means having a library stored thereon, wherein said library has one or more agent-applications which comprise instructions executable by one or more of said one or more remote host processing systems wherein each control processing system has

a control processor,

means for accessing at least one of said at least one control storage means,

a control transceiver operatively connected to said communication medium for transmitting and receiving information including said agent-applications, and

means for selecting one or more agent-applications from said library for transmission via said control transceiver to one or more of said one or more remote host processing systems; and

wherein each of said one or more remote host processing systems has

a remote host processor,

a remote control middleware module, and

a remote transceiver operatively connected to said communication medium for sending and receiving information;

wherein each said remote control middleware module has means for converting any of said one or more agent-applications into instructions for said remote host processor of the one of said one or more remote host processing systems on which the remote control middleware is resident.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for selecting one or more agent-applications comprises a graphical user interface.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said remote control middleware module further comprises means for authenticating information received as having been sent from said control group.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said control processing system further comprises means for modifying said agent-applications.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said control processing system further comprises means for creating said agent-applications.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said control processing system further comprises means for determining for any one of the said one or more remote host processing systems whether (a) said any one of said one or more remote host processing systems is operational, and (b) whether said remote control middleware module resident on any one of said one or more remote host processing systems is operational.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for converting comprises a platform independent compiler or translator.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for converting comprises an operating system independent compiler or translator.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said agent-applications may be converted into instructions for plural types of remote host processors.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said control processing system further comprises means for encrypting information prior to transmission.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said remote control middleware module further comprises means for decrypting said encrypted information received from said control group.

12. A method for controlling one or more remote host processing systems, each having a remote host processor, from a control group comprising one or more control processing systems and at least one library comprising one or more agent-applications, each control processing system having access to said library, the steps comprising:

activating a remote control middleware module resident on each remote host processing system;

transmitting one or more of the one or more agent-applications from said control group to one or more of the one or more remote host processing systems;

converting, as a function of the remote control middleware, said transmitted agent-applications into instructions for the remote host processor of the one or more remote host processing systems which have received the transmitted one or more agent-applications; and

providing, as a function of the remote control middleware, the instructions to the remote host processor of the one or more remote host processing systems which have received the transmitted one or more agent-applications in the absence of a disable signal, for execution by said processors.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of selecting one or more agent-applications from said at least one library for the purpose of transmitting the selected agent-applications to one or more of said one or more host processing systems.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

encrypting said one or more agent-applications prior to said transmitting step; and

decrypting said encrypted agent-applications after said transmitting step and prior to said converting step.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of verifying whether the information received from said control group is authentic and providing a disable signal if the information is not authentic.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein said system further comprises the steps of transmitting operational instructions from the control group to the remote control middleware module of one or more of said one or more remote host processing systems, and providing instructions to the remote host processor as a function of said operational instructions.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of erasing one or more of said transmitted agent-applications from a particular one of said one or more remote host processing systems upon said particular host processing system receiving a signal from said control group.

18. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer executable code recorded thereon for facilitating control by a control computer of a remote computer on which said computer program product is active, said computer executable code including

means for receiving one or more agent-applications from said control computer;

means for converting said received agent-applications into processor instructions which may be executed by said remote computer;

means for selectively executing said instructions on said remote computer; and

means for transmitting data to said control computer responsive to activities of said processor instructions which have been selectively executed.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 said computer executable code further comprising:

means for controlling the execution of said processor instructions which have been selectively executed;

means for monitoring resources of said remote computer; and

means for monitoring the status of said processor instructions which have been selectively executed.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein said control computer comprises:

means for accessing a library of agent-applications; and

local control software having

a download module for downloading agent-applications from said library to said remote computer,

a control module for providing control instructions to said remote computer to control the execution of said processor instructions which have been selectively executed thereon, and

a status module for receiving information from said remote computer regarding the status of said processor instructions which have been selectively executed thereon.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the control computer further comprises a graphical user interface for facilitating communication between a user and said local control software.