Remote administration of a system using configuration logic objects

• US 6,615,255 B1
• Filed: 12/14/1998
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intervoice Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Intervoice Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Blaszczak, Bogdan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean, Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US09/211,225
• Time in Patent Office: 1,723 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/219, 709/221, 709/203, 709/200, 709/201, 709/227, 379/34, 379/10, 379/15, 379/29
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A system and method for accessing and configuring remote systems is disclosed. A home system having a generic interface establishes a connection with a remote system. The home system determines the current configuration of the remote system, such as the installed features and software version. The remote system then provides any necessary configuration logic objects to the home system. The configuration logic objects are associated with the specific feature and software on the remote system. Using the configuration logic objects for a particular remote system, the generic interface provides a list of valid configuration options to the user. The user is thereby able to modify the configuration of the remote system without having to know the specific features and software that are installed on the remote system and without the risk of selecting an invalid configuration. Configuration logic objects may also monitor the configuration options selected by the user and verify that the selected options are valid.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a remote system from a home system comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection between said remote system and said home system;

determining a current configuration of said remote system;

selecting configuration logic objects corresponding to said remote system current configuration;

displaying a set of configuration options to a user on said home system, wherein said configuration options correspond to said remote system configuration logic objects, and wherein said set of configuration options are selected so that only valid remote system configuration options are displayed to said user on said home system; and

modifying said remote system current configuration in response to configuration selections made by said user on said home system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said current configuration comprises a particular software version.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said current configuration comprises hardware configuration information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said remote system is telephone switching equipment.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said current configuration determining step further comprises the step of:

retrieving a list of features and a software version from said remote system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said list of features and said software version are used to select said configuration logic objects.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

determining whether said configuration logic objects are available on said home system.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of:

retrieving said configuration logic objects from said remote system when said configuration logic objects are not available on said home system.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said configuration logic objects validate said configuration selections made by said user.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein said configuration logic objects corresponding to said remote system current configuration indicate configuration capabilities of the system for use by said home system in selecting configuration options to be displayed at said home system.

35. The method of claim 34 further comprising:

preventing said user on said home system from creating a remote system configuration which is in operable on said remote system, wherein said configuration capabilities indicated by said configuration logic objects are utilized in said preventing step.

10. A network in which a home system can communicate with one or more remote systems, wherein each of said remote systems has a configuration and wherein said home system is used to modify said remote system configurations, said network comprising:

means for determining a current configuration for said remote systems;

means for selecting configuration logic objects corresponding to said remote systems'"'"' configurations;

means for determining whether said remote system configuration logic objects are available on said home system;

means for displaying configuration options to a user of said home system, wherein said configuration options correspond to said configuration logic objects; and

means for changing said remote systems'"'"' configurations in response to configuration options selected by said home system user.

11. The network of claim 10 wherein said remote systems current configuration comprise particular software versions.

12. The network of claim 10 wherein said remote systems current configuration comprises hardware configuration information.

13. The network of claim 10 wherein said remote system is telephone switching equipment.

14. The network of claim 10 wherein said configuration options are selected so that only valid remote system options are displayed to said user on said home system.

15. The network of claim 10 wherein said remote system current configuration comprises:

a list of features and a software version from said remote system.

16. The network of claim 10 further comprising:

means for retrieving said remote configuration logic objects from said remote system when said configuration logic objects are not available on said home system.

17. The network of claim 10, wherein said configuration logic objects validate said configuration options selected by said home system user.

18. A home system for a network in which said home system can connect to one or more remote systems and wherein a user at said home system can configure said remote systems, said home system comprising:

means for receiving current configuration data from said remote systems;

means for autonomously determining valid configuration options from said current configuration data, wherein said valid configuration options correspond to configuration capabilities of at least one of said remote systems;

means for providing the configuration options to said user;

means for receiving configuration option selections from said user; and

means for directing said remote system to modify its configuration based upon said selected configuration options.

19. The home system of claim 18 further comprising:

a computer program for interfacing with said user, wherein said computer program comprises said providing means and said configuration options receiving means.

20. The home system of claim 19 wherein said computer program is a graphical user interface program.

21. The home system of claim 19 wherein said computer program is a shell program which utilizes said remote system current configuration data to operate.

22. The home system of claim 18 wherein said current configuration data comprises:

configuration logic objects associated with a particular remote system, wherein said configuration logic objects indicate configuration capabilities of the particular remote system for use by said home system in displaying configuration options at said home system.

23. The home system of claim 22 wherein said configuration logic objects comprise features of said remote system.

24. The home system of claim 22 wherein said configuration logic objects comprise a remote system run-time software version.

25. The home system of claim 18 further comprising:

means for storing said received current configuration data.

26. The home system of claim 25 wherein said storing means provides temporary configuration data storage.

27. The home system of claim 25 wherein said storing means provides permanent configuration data storage.

28. The home system of claim 18, wherein said means for receiving configuration option selections validates said selections.

29. A remote system for a network in which a home system is connected to one or more remote systems and wherein a user can configure said remote systems from said home system, said remote system comprising:

means for storing current configuration data;

means for transmitting said current configuration data to said home system, wherein said current configuration data transmitted to said home system includes configuration logic objects indicating configuration capabilities of the remote system for use by said home system in autonomously selecting valid configuration options corresponding to said configuration capabilities of the remote system, said configuration options to be displayed at said home system; and

means for receiving instructions from said home computer, wherein said instructions direct said remote system to modify said current configuration in a predetermined manner.

30. The remote system of claim 29 wherein said configuration logic objects comprise a run-time software version for said remote system.

31. The remote system of claim 29 further comprising:

means for storing said current configuration data.

32. The remote system of claim 29 further comprising:

means for storing archived configuration data corresponding to previously used remote system configurations.

33. The remote system of claim 29 wherein said remote system is telephone switching equipment.

36. A method for configuring a remote system from a home system comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection between said remote system and said home system;

determining a current configuration of said remote system;

selecting configuration logic objects corresponding to said remote system current configuration;

displaying a set of configuration options to a user on said home system, wherein said configuration options correspond to said remote system configuration logic objects, wherein said configuration logic objects corresponding to said remote system current configuration indicate configuration capabilities of the system for use by said home system in selecting configuration options to be displayed at said home system;

modifying said remote system current configuration in response to configuration selections made by said user on said home system; and

monitoring the configuration options selected by said user on said home system and verifying that a resulting combination of options is valid.