Hardware component interface for desktop computer management systems

• US 6,480,903 B1
• Filed: 12/26/1995
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Information Technologies Group LP (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Melson, Jorge S., Voutaz, Kurt E., McCann, Paul H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Sue
• Application Number:
  US08/578,321
• Time in Patent Office: 2,513 Days
• Field of Search: 395/682, 395/681, 395/685, 395/603, 395/604, 370/249, 709/300, 709/302, 709/301, 709/328, 709/331, 709/202, 709/310, 709/321
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A manageable desktop computer system and an associated method for managing a plurality of manageable devices. The computer system includes a storage facility, a registry and a plurality of manageable devices coupled to a hardware component interface (HCI). The HCI includes a dynamic linked library (DLL) which contains a first data structure which describes available management information for each one of the plurality of manageable devices and a function calls area which contains locational information as to where, within the storage facility, the registry or the plurality of manageable devices, the available management information is maintained. A management application which manages the plurality of manageable devices using management information received from the computer system transmits information requests to a management agent which includes a mapper which translates information requests issued by the management application and described using a second data structure into information requests described using the first data structure. The DLL receives the translated requests for information and, using the first data structure and the locational information, retrieves the requested information from either the registry, the storage facility or the manageable device to which the requested information pertains. The retrieved information is then propagated to the mapper for translation into the second data structure and transmission to the management application.

Claims

1. A manageable computer system, comprising:

a plurality of manageable devices;

a corresponding plurality of device drivers;

a plurality of management applications operative to manage a corresponding manageable device of the plurality of manageable devices by modifying or retrieving associated management information, each management application of the plurality of management applications using a first data structure to access management information in the computer system;

a plurality of management agents, each coupled to a corresponding management application of the plurality of management applications, wherein each management agent translates management information between the first data structure and a second data structure;

a component interface, coupled to each of the management agents and to the plurality of manageable devices via corresponding device drivers, the component interface using the second data structure to access management information for each of the plurality of manageable devices in the computer system and locational information to determine the location, within the computer system, at which the management information is maintained; and

the component interface being operative to access management information from the computer system using the second data structure and the locational information and to propagate requested management information to corresponding management application via the corresponding management agent, the component interface further comprising;

a dynamic linked library (DLL); and

the DLL including the second data structure which describes available management information for each one of the plurality of manageable devices.

2. A manageable computer system according to claim 1 and further comprising:

a first storage facility coupled to the component interface; and

the management information being selectively maintained at either the first storage facility or at a manageable device to which specific management information pertains.

3. A manageable computer system according to claim 2 and further comprising:

a second storage facility coupled to the component interface;

the management information being selectively maintained at either the first storage facility, the second storage facility or at the manageable device to which specific management information pertains.

4. A manageable computer system according to claim 3 wherein the second storage facility is a registry.

5. A manageable computer system according to claim 3 the component interface further comprising:

a function calls area comprising the locational information; and

at least one pointer between the second data structure and the function calls area.

6. A manageable computer system according to claim 1 wherein the second data structure further comprises a plurality of device branches, each one of the plurality of branches describing the available management information for a corresponding one of the plurality of manageable devices.

7. A manageable computer system according to claim 6 wherein the plurality of device branches further comprises at least one of a CPU branch, a disk drive branch, a memory branch, a bus branch, an input/output port branch, a system board branch and a video branch.

8. A manageable computer system according to claim 6 wherein the second data structure further comprises a security branch which describes asset security features for the computer system.

9. A manageable computer system according to claim 6 wherein the second data structure further comprises a thermal branch which describes thermal conditions for the computer system.

10. A manageable computer system according to claim 1, wherein each management agent further comprises a mapper operative to translate management information between the first and second data structures.

11. A manageable computer system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of management applications, each operative to manage at least one of the plurality of manageable devices, and each using a corresponding one of a plurality of management application data structures to modify or retrieve management information in the computer system; and

a plurality of management agents, each coupled to the component interface and to a corresponding one of the plurality of management applications, each translating between a corresponding one of the plurality of management application data structures and the second data structure to enable access and retrieval of management information.

12. A method for managing a plurality of manageable devices of a computer system, comprising:

generating a request, by a management application of a plurality of management applications, for access to management information in accordance with a first data structure;

translating the request, by a management agent of a plurality of management agents, wherein each management agent corresponds to a management application of the plurality of management applications, to a request in accordance with a second data structure of a component interface;

accessing the management information, by the component interface, using the second data structure and locational information, said accessing the management information further comprising using a pointer between the second data structure and a function calls area; and

providing the management information, by the component interface and the management agent, to the management application.

13. A method of managing a plurality of manageable devices of a computer system according to claim 12 and further comprising:

generating a plurality of requests, each by a corresponding one of the plurality of management applications, for management information in accordance with a corresponding one of the plurality of management application data structures; and

translating each request, by a corresponding one of the plurality of corresponding management agents, to a request in accordance with the second data structure.

14. A method of managing a plurality of manageable devices of a computer system according to claim 12 wherein said accessing the management information further comprises selectively accessing the management information from a first storage facility or from a manageable device to which the management information pertains.

15. A method of managing a plurality of manageable devices of a computer system according to claim 12 wherein said accessing the management information further comprises accessing the management information from a selected one of a first storage facility, a second storage facility and a manageable device to which the management information pertains.

16. A method of managing a plurality of manageable devices of a computer system according to claim 12 wherein said translating the request further comprises mapping management information between the first and second data structures.