System and method for agent reporting in to server

• US 6,871,223 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2001
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Drees, Douglas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US09/835,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/217, 709/219, 709/201, 709/203, 340/3.1, 340/3.9, 718/100
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor

Abstract

A system and method for managing a multiple server computer system on a computer network. The system includes a central management server and one or more remote nodes connected to the central management server. A distributed task facility assigns and monitors system management tasks on the remote nodes. An agent running on each of the remote nodes executes system management tasks and initiates contact with the central management server to report the status of the agent and the remote node on which it is running.

Claims

1. A system for managing a multiple server computer system on a computer network, the system comprising:

a central management server;

one or more remote nodes connected to the central management server;

a distributed task facility, running on the central management server, that assigns and monitors system management tasks on one or more of the remote nodes; and

an agent, running on each remote node, that executes system management tasks and initiates contact with the central management server to report the properties of the remote node on which it is running only whenever the remote node starts or restarts.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the agent further comprises:

a task module that executes tasks assigned to the agent by the distributed task facility;

a properties module that gathers information describing properties of a remote node on which the agent is running; and

a reporting module that initiates and executes reporting of the properties of the remote node to the distributed task facility.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the reporting module reports the properties of the remote node to the distributed task facility by passing a properties object to the distributed task facility.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the properties object comprises a Java object.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the properties of the remote node includes the status of the agent and of the remote node on which it is running.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the properties of the remote node reported by the agent include hardware configuration of the remote node, network name and address of the remote node, type and version of operating system under which the agent is running, and other properties that would affect which tasks should be run on the remote node.

7. A method for managing a multiple server computer system on a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

executing an agent on a remote node;

creating a properties object, containing values for certain properties of the remote node on which the agent is executing;

an agent initiating contact with a central management server; and

the agent passing the properties of the remote node on which it is executing to the central management server only whenever the remote node starts or restarts.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the creating step comprises specifying the status of the agent and of the remote node on which it is executing.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising creating a properties file on the remote node containing data describing the certain properties of the remote node on which the agent is executing, wherein the properties object is created using the values of the data contained in the properties file.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the passing step comprises passing the properties object from the agent to the distributed task facility.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the initiating contact step comprises the agent initiating contact with a distributed task facility on the central management server.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising initiating the executing step upon restarting operation of the remote node upon which it resides.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising initiating the executing step following a hardware system upgrade to the remote node upon which it resides.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising initiating the executing step following an upgrade or patch to the operating system software on the remote node upon which it resides.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein creating a properties object creates a properties object containing values for the properties including hardware configuration of the remote node, network name and address of the remote node, type and version of operating system under which the agent is running, and other such properties as would affect which tasks should be run on the remote node.

16. A computer readable medium on which is embedded a program, the program comprising modules that execute a method for managing a multiple server computer system on a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

executing an agent on a remote node;

creating a properties object, containing values for certain properties of the remote node on which the agent is executing;

an agent initiating contact with a central management server; and

the agent passing the properties object from the agent to the central management server, whereby the agent reports the properties of the remote node on which it is executing to the central management server only whenever the remote starts or restarts.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the properties of the remote node includes the status of the agent and of the remote node on which it is executing.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the initiating contact step comprises the agent initiating contact with a distributed task facility on the central management server.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising passing the properties object from the agent to the distributed task facility.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising creating a properties file on the remote node containing data describing the certain properties of the remote node on which the agent is executing, wherein the properties object is created using the values of the data contained in the properties file.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein creating a properties object creates a properties object containing values for the properties including hardware configuration of the remote node, network name and address of the remote node, type and version of operating system under which the agent is running, and other properties that would affect which tasks should be run on the remote node.

22. A method for managing a multiple server computer system on a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

executing an agent on a remote node;

creating a properties object containing values for certain properties of the remote node on which the agent is executing;

an agent initiating contact with a distributed task facility on a central management server;

the agent passing the properties of the remote node on which it is executing to the central management server, wherein the creating step comprises specifying the status of the agent and of the remote node on which it is executing;

writing the contents of the properties object to a central properties file on the central management server;

making the central properties file available to a node manager module executing on the central management server;

logging the transaction between the distributed task facility and the agent to a log manager module; and

checking for any outstanding tasks previously assigned to the agent for which the distributed task facility is still awaiting a response from the agent.

23. A computer readable medium on which is embedded a program, the program comprising modules that execute a method for managing a multiple server computer system on a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

executing an agent on a remote node;

creating a properties object containing values for certain properties of the remote node on which the agent is executing;

an agent initiating contact with a distributed task facility on a central management server;

the agent passing the properties object from the agent to the central management server, whereby the agent reports the properties of the remote node on which it is executing to the central management server, wherein the properties of the remote node includes the status of the agent and of the remote node on which it is executing;

writing the contents of the properties object to a central properties file on the central management server;

making the central properties file available to a node manager module executing on the central management server;

logging the transaction between the distributed task facility and the agent to a log manager module; and

checking for any outstanding tasks previously assigned to the agent for which the distributed task facility is still awaiting a response from the agent.