Remote maintenance apparatus, terminal connected to the apparatus and computer readable medium for realizing the apparatus and the terminal

• US 7,343,401 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2001
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Itoh, Kazuhiko, Yoshida, Hideki, Matsushita, Kazuhiro, Ise, Hideki, Ohtsuka, Akira, Tachibana, Ikuko
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, NIKETA I
• Application Number:
  US09/813,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20010029529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,546 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-223, 709/226, 709/242, 709/249
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• 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 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A remote maintenance apparatus is provided. The remote maintenance apparatus includes: a first obtaining part which obtains configuration information of terminals sent from the terminals; a storing part which stores the configuration information while bringing the configuration information into correspondence with generation information; a second obtaining part which obtains configuration information of a failed terminal; and an extraction part which extracts difference information between configuration information obtained by the second obtaining part and configuration information stored in the storing part which has older generation.

Claims

1. A remote maintenance apparatus used for maintenance of terminals connected to a network, comprising:

a first obtaining part which obtains configuration information, of hardware and software of terminals, sent from said terminals through said network;

a storing part which stores said configuration information, of hardware and software obtained by said first obtaining part, while bringing said configuration information of hardware and software into correspondence with generation information;

a second obtaining part which obtains configuration information of hardware and software of a failed terminal, among said terminals, which is associated with failure information which is sent from said failed terminal through said network, or, which obtains configuration information of hardware and software of said failed terminal by identifying newest configuration information of hardware and software of said failed terminal which is stored in said storing part;

an extraction part which extracts difference information between configuration information obtained by said second obtaining part and configuration information stored in said storing part and displays the difference information for the purpose of performing maintenance work in said failed terminal; and

a generation part which generates evaluation information of the maintenance work performed in said failed terminal based on a dispatching time and a maintenance work time.

2. The remote maintenance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an issuing part which issues, to a terminal, an instruction for said terminal to send configuration information when a configuration information ID sent from said terminal is not the same as the newest configuration information ID which is stored in said storing part; and

wherein said first obtaining part obtains configuration information sent in response to said instruction.

3. The remote maintenance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a collection part which collects start date and time information, and, end date and time information of the maintenance work performed in said failed terminal,

wherein the evaluation information of the maintenance work is generated from said date and time information collected by said collection part.

4. A computer readable storage medium storing program code controlling a computer to perform processes of a remote maintenance apparatus used for maintenance of terminals connected to a network, by:

obtaining configuration information of hardware and software of terminals sent from said terminals through said network;

storing said obtained configuration information of hardware and software;

accessing said stored configuration information of hardware and software and bringing same into correspondence with generation information;

further obtaining configuration information of hardware and software of a failed terminal, among said terminals, which is associated with failure information which is sent from said failed terminal through said network, or further obtaining configuration information of hardware and software of said failed terminal by identifying newest, stored configuration information of hardware and software of said failed terminal;

extracting difference information between configuration information obtained by said further obtaining and displaying in the difference information for the purpose of performing maintenance work in said failed terminal; and

evaluating information of the maintenance work performed in said failed terminal based on a dispatching time and a maintenance work time;

wherein the remote maintenance apparatus can simultaneously manage configuration information of hardware and software of a plurality of said terminals.

5. A method of performing remote maintenance of an apparatus used for maintenance of terminals connected to a network, comprising:

obtaining and storing configuration information, of hardware and software of terminals, sent from said terminals through said network;

further obtaining configuration information of hardware and software of a failed terminal, among said terminals, which is associated with failure information which is sent from said failed terminal through said network, or obtaining configuration information of hardware and software of said failed terminal by identifying the stored configuration information of hardware and software of said failed terminal;

extracting difference information between the further obtained configuration information of said failed terminal and the stored configuration information of said failed terminal and displaying the difference information for the purpose of performing maintenance work in said failed terminal; and

generating evaluation information of the maintenance work performed in said failed terminal based on a dispatching time and a maintenance work time.