Method and apparatus for collecting information regarding a device or a user of a device

• US 6,236,983 B1
• Filed: 01/31/1998
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callstat Solutions LLC (Jeffrey M. Gross), Sherwood Partners Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aveo, Inc.
• Inventors: Hurley, John C., Hofmann, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US09/017,112
• Time in Patent Office: 1,207 Days
• Field of Search: 706/47, 706/52, 706/61, 706/46, 707/101, 707/2
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/043 Distributed expert systems; Blackboards
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A system is provided for collecting information regarding a device or a user of a device. Information is received from a discovery agent, which collects information when activated. The system determines a discovery rule to be applied to the information received from the discovery agent. The discovery rule is then applied to the information received from the discovery agent. The discovery agent and the discovery rule are separate code sequences or separate programs. A discovery engine receives the collected information from the discovery agent and applies the discovery rule to the collected information. The system may periodically activate the discovery agent to collect information. A typical system receives information from multiple discovery agents and applies multiple discovery rules to the received information. Each discovery agent includes a unique associated identifier. Additionally, the information collected by each discovery agent has an associated tag that identifies the data.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a method of collecting information, the method comprising:

receiving information from a discovery agent, wherein the discovery agent collects information about the computer system or a user, when the discovery agent is activated;

determining one or more of a plurality of discovery rules to be applied to the information received from the discovery agent; and

applying the one or more discovery rules to the information received from the discovery agent, wherein the discovery agent and the discovery rule are separate code sequences located in the computer system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the discovery agent and the discovery rule are separate programs.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of periodically activating the discovery agent to collect information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving information from a discovery agent further includes receiving information from a plurality of discovery agents.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein each discovery agent is a separate program.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of applying the rule to the information received from the discovery agent further includes applying the rule to the information received from the plurality of discovery agents.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein each discovery agent collects a different type of data.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein each discovery agent includes a unique associated identifier.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of determining a discovery rule further includes determining a plurality of discovery rules.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein at least one of the plurality of discovery agents is an active discovery agent.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein at least one of the plurality of discovery agents is a passive discovery agent.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining a discovery rule further includes determining multiple discovery rules to be applied to the information received from the discovery agent.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the data collected by the discovery agent has an associated tag that identifies the data.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed by a client in a client-server environment.

15. In a computer system, an information collection apparatus comprising:

a discovery agent to collect information about the computer system or a user;

a plurality of discovery rules to be selectively applied to the information collected by the discovery agent; and

a discovery engine coupled to the discovery agent and the discovery rules, wherein the discovery engine is to activate the discovery agent and apply the selected one or ones of the discovery rules to the information collected by the discovery agent.

16. The information collection apparatus of claim 15 further including a plurality of discovery agents, wherein each discovery agent is configured to collect a different type of data.

17. The information collection apparatus of claim 16 wherein each discovery agent includes a unique associated identifier.

18. The information collection apparatus of claim 15 wherein the information collected by the discovery agent is provided with a tag that identifies the data.

19. The information collection apparatus of claim 15 wherein the discovery agent is to collect information when periodically activated.

20. The information collection apparatus of claim 15 further including a plurality of discovery rules, wherein each discovery rule is configured to be applied to at least one data element collected by the discovery agent.

21. A computer software product including a medium readable by a processor, the medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

receive information from a discovery agent, wherein the discovery agent collects information about the computer system or a user, when the discovery agent is activated;

determine one or more of a plurality of discovery rules to be applied to the information received from the discovery agent; and

apply the one or more discovery rules to the information received from the discovery agent, wherein the discovery agent and the discovery rules are separate code sequences located in the computer system.

22. The computer software product of claim 21 further including a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to periodically activate the discovery agent to collect information.

23. The computer software product of claim 21 further including a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive information from a plurality of discovery agents.

24. The information collection apparatus of claim 21, wherein the discovery agent collects information when periodically activated.

25. The computer software product of claim 21 further including a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determining multiple discovery rules to be applied to the information received from the discovery agent.