User interface to display and manage an entity and associated resources

• US 7,278,103 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2000
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Grant, Justin, Multerer, Boyd C., Schliiter, Kent S., Dillingham, Lara N., Sutton, Alexander M., Sprague, Roger W., Travison, Daniel T., Amiga, Ori M., Clark, Quentin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THANH T
• Application Number:
  US09/606,383
• Time in Patent Office: 2,652 Days
• Field of Search: 345/734, 345/735, 345/736, 345/969, 709/224, 715/734, 715/735, 715/736
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/88 Monitoring involving counting

Abstract

A user interface to display and manage a plurality of entities as if a single entity is provided. The user interface includes a representation of the collection of entities as a whole, and a representation of members associated with the entity. If an action is performed on the representation of the entities as a whole, then the action is propagated to the collection of entities, if the action is performed on the representation of the member associated with the entity, then the action is directed to the member.

Claims

1. A user interface stored on a computer-readable storage medium to display and manage a collection of independent servers operating as if a single entity, comprising:

a representation of the collection of the independent servers as a single entity;

an individual representation of each independent server associated with the single entity, wherein if an action is performed on the representation of the collection of members, then the action is propagated to the collection of members, if the action is performed on the representation of the member associated with the entity, then the action is directed to the member;

a new cluster wizard that creates a new server and displays at least two selectable load-balancing options for each independent server, wherein each server is given a suitable amount of work, one of the at least two selectable load-balancing options configures third-party load-balancing and the other option configures no load-balancing;

an add cluster member wizard that adds additional servers to the collection of servers; and

a new deployment wizard that deploys contents across the collection of independent servers.

2. The user interface of claim 1 depicting a plurality of resources that are at least one of sent to the collection as a whole and sent to each independent server.

3. The user interface of claim 1 depicting a plurality of resources to at least one of deploy to a different entity, deploy to a member of a different entity, deploy to a member of the same entity, and deploy from a member of the same entity to the entity itself.

4. The user interface of claim 3 wherein a user is enabled to at least one of deploy to a different entity, deploy to a member of a different entity, deploy to a member of the same entity, and deploy from a member of the same entity to the entity itself.

5. The user interface of claim 1 wherein a plurality of display objects is a representation of the collection of the independent servers as a whole.

6. The user interface of claim 5 wherein the display objects represent at least one of a machine or cluster.

7. The user interface of claim 1 wherein each independent server is depicted by individual display objects.

8. The user interface of claim 7 wherein the display objects depict at least one of machines, computers, and entities further comprising individual machines.

9. The user interface of claim 1 providing a performance view of a plurality of resources on the collection of the independent servers as a whole.

10. The user interface of claim 9 providing a performance view of the plurality of resources associated with each independent server.

11. The user interface of claim 1 providing an events view of a plurality of resources on the collection of the independent servers as a whole.

12. The user interface of claim 11 providing an events view of the plurality of resources associated with each independent server.

13. The user interface of claim 1 providing a monitor view of a plurality of resources on the collection of the independent servers as a whole.

14. The user interface of claim 13 providing a monitor view of the plurality of resources associated with each independent server.

15. The user interface of claim 1 providing a status of a plurality of resources on the collection of entities as a whole.

16. The user interface of claim 15 providing a status of the plurality of resources associated with each independent server.

17. The user interface of claim 1 operative to facilitate a user interfacing the entity from an entity not associated with the entity as a whole.

18. The user interface of claim 1, wherein display objects serve as an interface for at least one of creating the entity, adding independent servers to the entity, and deploying content across the entity.

19. The user interface of claim 1 providing an aggregated display of performance of the entity as a whole.

20. The user interface of claim 19, wherein display objects provide an aggregated status of the entity as a whole.

21. The user interface of claim 20, the status including at least one of on-line status and synchronization status.

22. The user interface of claim 20, wherein display objects provide for time adjustment of the performance display.

23. The user interface of claim 1 providing a display of performance for an independent server of the entity.

24. The user interface of claim 23, wherein display objects provide status for an independent server of the entity.

25. The user interface of claim 24, the status including at least one of on-line status and synchronization status.

26. The user interface of claim 23, wherein display objects provide for time adjustment of the performance display.

27. The user interface of claim 1 providing a display of applications for the entity.

28. The user interface of claim 27, wherein display objects enable the user to at least one of create applications, delete applications, rename applications, and synchronize applications throughout the entity.

29. The user interface of claim 27, providing a display of resources within the applications.

30. The user interface of claim 29, wherein display objects enable the user to add and remove resources from applications.

31. The user interface of claim 1 providing a display of events for the entity.

32. The user interface of claim 31 wherein the display provides at least one of a date, time, server name, source for the event, event id, and description for the event.

33. The user interface of claim 31 wherein display objects enable the user to filter an event log to at least one of select a product type, select an event type, select an event id.

34. The user interface of claim 31 providing a display of events for independent servers within the entity, wherein the events are related to at least one of applications, monitors, performance, and resources.

35. The user interface of claim 34 wherein the display provides at least one of a date, time, server name, source for the event, event id, and description for the event.

36. The user interface of claim 21 wherein display objects enable the user to at least one of select an event source, select an event type, select an event id, and filter a collection of events.

37. The user interface of claim 1 providing a display to monitor performance of the entity.

38. The user interface of claim 37 wherein display objects enable the user to at least one of edit monitors, disable monitors, and check monitor status.

39. The user interface of claim 38 wherein the display provides status of the monitors.

40. The user interface of claim 39 wherein the status is displayed with at least one of a date, name, time, threshold, and value.

41. The user interface of claim 1 providing a display to monitor performance of independent servers associated with the entity.

42. The user interface of claim 41 wherein display objects enable the user to at least one of edit monitors, disable monitors, and check monitor status.

43. The user interface of claim 42 wherein the display provides status of the monitors.

44. The user interface of claim 43 wherein the status is displayed with at least one of a date, name, time, threshold, and value.

45. The user interface of claim 1, wherein a display object is a collection of independent servers forming the entity.

46. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the display object represents an independent server within the entity.

47. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the display object represents at least one of applications, monitors, and performance for the entity.

48. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the display object represents at least one of events and monitors for independent servers associated with the entity.