Remote computer system monitoring and diagnostic board

• US 6,697,962 B1
• Filed: 10/20/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: McCrory, Duane J., Sanderson, Andrew, Gold, Anthony P.
• Primary Examiner(s): BADERMAN, SCOTT T
• Application Number:
  US09/692,815
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 714/27, 714/31, 714/46, 714/57, 714/43, 714/4, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 714/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A remote monitoring system providing diagnostic and remedial functions to a computer system. The remote monitoring system comprises a service center and a diagnostic agent. The diagnostic agent is located proximate to the monitored computer system and electronically coupled to the monitored computer system such that the diagnostic agent can retrieve information about the various states of the monitored computer system. The diagnostic agent stores the retrieved information and further processes it for future use. Such information includes fault monitor information, accounting information, system performance information, and system management information. In addition, the diagnostic agent has control over the monitored computer system allowing it to perform diagnostic and remedial functions. Further, the diagnostic agent is electronically coupled to a service center located remotely to the monitored computer system. In the context of fault monitoring operations, the diagnostic agent interrogates the monitored computer system for information related to malfunctions. Moreover, the diagnostic agent interacts with the service center through a communication interface to retrieve various diagnostic and remedial information related to discovered computer system operability problems. The diagnostic agent uses the retrieved information to overcome the discovered problems. Alternatively, the remote monitoring system used as an information tool for a business model to provide remedial services for computer systems.

Claims

1. A system for remotely monitoring a computer system, comprising:

a diagnostic agent resident in said computer system performing diagnostic and remedial functions on said computer system;

a communications interface electronically coupled to the diagnostic agent;

and a service center with a database of diagnostic and remedial information about computer systems running various operating environments on different hardware configurations, electronically coupled to the communications interface, for electronically communicating with the diagnostic agent to perform functions on and control said computer system.

2. The remote monitoring system recited in claim 1, wherein said diagnostic and remedial functions comprise:

interrogating said computer system to obtain computer system specific information;

storing said computer system specific information, said computer system specific information comprising at least one of fault monitor information, accounting information, performance information, and system management information;

processing said system computer specific information for errors; and

providing information specific to said computer system to correct said errors.

3. The remote monitoring system recited in claim 1, wherein said computer system comprises a computer server as part of a computer network, said computer network being electronically coupled to said service center such that if and when said communication interface fails, said service center is still able to communicate with said diagnostic agent through said computer network.

4. The remote monitoring system recited in claim 2, wherein said computer system is a World Wide Web computer server.

5. The remote monitoring system recited in claim 1, wherein said diagnostic agent is placed in the boot path of said computer system, said diagnostic agent communicating with the computer system through a communications bus interrogating said computer system for operations state and upon the detection of a non-operating state, determining a diagnostic and remedial course of action, communicating the operations state of said computer system with said service center and retrieving specific diagnostic and remedial tools from said service center to apply to said computer system.

6. The remote monitoring system recited in claim 4, wherein said diagnostic agent and said service center have the ability to reboot said computer system.

7. The remote monitoring system recited in claim 1, wherein said diagnostic agent comprises an add-on peripheral computer board placed in said computer system.

8. The remote monitoring system recited in claim 1, wherein said communication interface comprises at least one of a wireless or fixed wire or wireless modem, local area network, wide area network, intranet, and the Internet.

9. The remote monitoring system recited in claim 1, wherein said service center comprises a communication means to indicate states of the monitored computer system to a human operator.

10. The remote monitoring-system recited in claim 1, wherein said diagnostic agent and said service center are adaptable and updateable to maintain new and different diagnostic and remedial information.

11. A system for remote monitoring of computer systems, comprising:

a service center having diagnostic and remedial capabilities; and

a diagnostic agent residing in a remote computer system electronically coupled to said service center, wherein said diagnostic agent has diagnostic and remedial capabilities including the ability to interrogate said computer system to determine its operability, the ability to communicate to said service center the state of said computer system, the ability to retrieve diagnostic and remedial information from said service center, and the ability to process and communicate system specific diagnostic information to the computer system.

12. The remote monitor system recited in claim 11, wherein said diagnostic agent polls said computer system for operability information, stores and communicates operability information to said service center such that the service center can reconstruct the operability states of said computer system in the event of complete computer system failure.

13. A method for remotely monitoring a computer system comprising the acts of:

(a) gathering system status information local to a computer system with a diagnostic agent, the diagnostic agent being resident on said computer system;

(b) processing the system status information by said diagnostic agent to determine the diagnostic strategy to be implemented on said computer system;

(c) communicating said system status information and interacting with a service center by said diagnostic agent, said service center transferring system specific diagnostic information to the computer system through said diagnostic agent; and

(d) processing and communicating system specific diagnostic information to the computer system by said diagnostic agent.

14. A method for remotely monitoring a computer system comprising the acts of:

(a) placing a diagnostic agent in a targeted computer system, said diagnostic agent communicating with said computer system to obtain information about the computer system'"'"'s operability;

(b) electronically coupling said diagnostic agent to a service center remotely located to said computer system, wherein said diagnostic agent and said service center communicate to determine the solution for a computer system operability problem;

(c) providing diagnostic and remedial information to said diagnostic agent by said service center directed towards monitoring and overcoming computer system operability problems; and

(d) storing information about computer system operability states used to reconstruct computer system operability.

15. A business process comprising:

(a) providing diagnostic boards to be inserted into boot paths of a plurality of remotely located server computers; and

(b) providing a service center that is accessible to said diagnostic boards;

wherein each diagnostic board is operative to detect a failure of the server with which it is associated and to initiate communications with said service center, and wherein the service center, which maintains a database of diagnostic and remedial information about computer systems running various operating environments on different hardware configurations, is operative to provide diagnostic software to the diagnostic boards upon request, whereby said diagnostic boards are able to diagnose and remedy detected failures with the diagnostic software and to initiate further remedial action via said service center.