Web browser remote computer management system

• US 6,289,378 B1
• Filed: 10/20/1998
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Triactive Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Triactive Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Meyer, Barry D., Lesniak, Tim O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/175,788
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/202
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00

Abstract

A computer management system capable of managing computer programs, computer files, computer settings, peripheral settings and the like is controlled through the use of agents on the computers and a remote accessing program. The remote accessing program, in a preferred embodiment, can be a commercial web browser. The user can use the remote accessing program from any computer to reach the agent on the computer. After being recognized by the agent, the user can make any adjustments to the computer through the agent.

Claims

1. A management system for remotely managing a network of computers, comprising:

a management center residing on a server computer;

at least one client computer, said client computer being networked to the server computer; and

at least one agent residing on a client computer, said agent comprising

means for obtaining information from the computer operating system;

means for organizing the obtained information; and

means for allowing viewing of the obtained information through the network

wherein the management center can be accessed by a web browser and a user of the web browser, accessed through the management center, can access the agent through the network.

2. The management system of claim 1 wherein the at least one agent further comprises a means for determining network efficiency.

3. The management system of claim 2 wherein the management center contains a means for compiling the network efficiency information from at least one agent.

4. The management system of claim 3 further comprising an enterprise resource application residing on a computer in the network, wherein the means for compiling performance information can determine the impact of the enterprise resource application on the entire network.

5. The management system in claim 1 wherein the management center comprises:

an editing function for editing computer files;

a selection menu for choosing which agents to send commands; and

a command function to send editing commands to selected agents.

6. An agent residing on a computer, wherein the agent is accessible via a web browser, said agent comprising:

means for authenticating the user of the web browser;

means for obtaining information from the computer operating system;

means for organizing the information for viewing by the web browser;

means for a first user to access a help ticket to a help desk software application to describe a problem;

means for a first user to send the help ticket to the help desk software application; and

means for a second user to access the agent to fix the problem, wherein the second user is a user of the help desk software application and has obtained information from the help ticket.

7. The agent in claim 6 wherein the means for obtaining information from the computer operating system comprises a Common Gateway Information program.

8. The agent in claim 6 wherein the means for authenticating the user of the web browser is a web server authenticating information against a Windows NT Domain.

9. The agent in claim 6 wherein the means for organizing the information for viewing by the web browser is an HTML template.

10. The agent of claim 6 further comprising:

command means for transmitting commands through the agent to the computer.

11. The agent of claim 10 further comprising:

process means for modifying the computer operating system based on the transmitted commands.

12. The agent of claim 6 further comprising:

means for editing obtained information; and

means for changing computer settings to the edited information.

13. The agent of claim 6 wherein the organized information viewed by a web browser is a web page.

14. An agent residing on a computer for managing a network of computers wherein the agent is accessible via a web browser, said agent comprising:

means for authenticating a first user of the web browser;

means for obtaining information from an operating system of the computer;

means for organizing the information from the operating system for viewing by the web browser;

means for enabling a second user to access a help ticket from a help desk software application to describe a problem;

means for enabling the second user to send the help ticket to the help desk software application; and

means for enabling the first user to access the agent for solving the problem, wherein the first user is a user of the help desk software application and has obtained information from the help ticket.

15. The agent of claim 14 wherein the means for obtaining information from the operating system comprises a Common Gateway Information program.

16. The agent of claim 14 wherein the means for authenticating the first user comprises a web server authenticating information against a Windows NT Domain.

17. The agent of claim 14 wherein the means for organizing the information from the operating system comprises an HTML template.

18. The agent of claim 14 further comprising:

command means for transmitting one or more commands through the agent to the computer.

19. The agent of claim 18 further comprising:

process means for modifying the operating system based on the one or more commands.

20. The agent of claim 14 further comprising:

means for editing the obtained information; and

means for changing one or more settings of the computer according to the edited information.

21. The agent of claim 25 wherein the means for organizing the information comprises a web page.