Method and system to manage services for multiple managed computer systems

• US 7,430,590 B1
• Filed: 04/17/2002
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Marketing LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Everdream Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Rive, Peter Joshua, Rive, Russell S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NEURAUTER, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US10/125,047
• Time in Patent Office: 2,358 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/220, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5074 Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method to facilitate provision of services to a managed system (e.g., a PC, PDA, cell phone) includes causing installation of an agent application on the managed system, the agent application including an install component to install at least one of a plurality of service applications on the managed system. Each of the plurality of service applications is to facilitate provision of a service provided by a respective service provider of a number of service providers to the managed system. A service input (e.g., from an IT administrator) is received at the management system. The service input identifies a subset of a number of service applications to be installed on the managed system. The subset of service applications is distributed to the managed system for installation by the agent application on the managed system.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate provision of services to a managed system, the method including:

causing installation of an agent application including an inventory component and an install component on the managed system;

at a management system, receiving service input from a control center, the service input identifying a subset of a plurality of service applications to be installed on the managed system, each of the plurality of service applications to facilitate provision of a service provided by a respective service provider of a plurality of service providers to the managed system;

at the management system, receiving inventory information from the inventory component of the agent application pertaining to the managed system, the inventory information used to determine whether the managed system is qualified to receive provision of a respective service facilitated by each service application of the subset of the plurality of service applications; and

at the management system, upon qualification, distributing the subset of the plurality of service applications to the install component of the agent application, the install component to install the subset of the plurality of service applications on the managed system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of service providers operates the management system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of service providers is external to a service provider that operates the management system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein after the managed system is qualified to receive provision of a respective service facilitated by each service application of the subset of the plurality of service applications, communicating a subscription identifier to the agent application.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining includes assessing whether the managed system includes at least one of a software, hardware and networking capability to support the provision of the first service.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the inventory information includes at least one of software inventory information, hardware inventory information and services inventory information, the software inventory information identifying software installed on the managed system, the hardware inventory information identifying hardware components of the managed system and the service inventory information identifying services provided to the managed system.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the inventory information is stored in a database associated with the management system, the database including inventory information pertaining to a plurality of managed systems.

8. The method of claim 1 including presenting the inventory information to an administrator regarding the managed system.

9. The method of claim 8 including presenting aggregate inventory information to the administrator, the aggregate inventory information including inventory information received from a plurality of managed systems associated with the administrator.

10. The method of claim 9 including retrieving the aggregate inventory information from a central inventory database responsive to a request from the administrator.

11. The method of claim 9 including retrieving the aggregate inventory information directly from the plurality of managed systems responsive to a request from the administrator.

12. The method of claim 9 including generating and presenting to the administrator an aggregate report based on the aggregate inventory information.

13. The method of claim 1 including distributing the subset of the plurality of service applications as an initial distribution, and distributing at least one further service application of the plurality of service applications as a further distribution for installation by the agent application on the managed system.

14. The method of claim 1 including receiving a group input from an administrator identifying a plurality of managed systems on which the subset of the plurality of service applications is to be installed, and distributing the subset of the plurality of service applications to each of the plurality of managed systems for installation by a respective agent application on each of the plurality of managed systems.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein a control application of the management system receives the service and group inputs and communicates the service and group inputs to a distribution engine, and wherein the distribution engine operates to distribute the subset of the plurality of service applications to the plurality of managed systems in accordance with the service and group inputs.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of managed systems is identified by the control application to the distribution engine utilizing a respective subscription identifier.

17. The method of claim 16 including updating an account associated with the managed system to reflect the distribution of the subset of the plurality of services to the managed system, wherein the account is for a plurality of managed systems managed by an administrator.

18. The method of claim 17 including updating a customer relationship management (CRM) system to reflect an entitlement of the managed system to the subset of the plurality of service applications.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of services includes at least one of a desk-side assistance service, a data backup service, a virus protection service, an asset inventory service, a network access service, a help desk service, an Internet messaging service, a personal firewall, and a software distribution service.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein an operator of the management system owns a license to a software application installed on the managed system.

21. A system to facilitate provision of services to a managed system, the system including:

at least one processor; and

memory in communication with the at least one processor, the memory being configured to store instructions executable by the processor and including;

a distribution component to cause installation of an agent application including an inventory component and an install component on the managed systems;

a control component to receive service input identifying a subset of a plurality of service applications to be installed on the managed system, each of the plurality of service applications to facilitate provision of a service provided by a service provider of a plurality of service providers to the managed system, the service input being received from a source other than the managed system;

the distribution component further to receive inventory information from the inventory component of the agent application pertaining to the managed system;

and

a qualification component to use the inventory information to determine whether the managed system is qualified to receive provision of the service provided by the respective service provider of the plurality of service providers,

the distribution component upon qualification to distribute the subset of the plurality of service applications to the install component of the agent application, the install component to install the subset of the plurality of service applications on the managed system.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein at least one of the plurality of service providers operates the management system.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein at least one of the plurality of service providers is external to a service provider that operates the management system.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein after the managed system is determined to be qualified to receive provision of a respective service facilitated by each service application of the subset of the plurality of service applications, the subscription component to provide a subscription identifier to the agent application.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the qualification component is to assess whether the managed system includes at least one of a software, hardware and networking capability to support provision of the first service.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the inventory information includes at least one of software, inventory information and hardware inventory information and services inventory information, the software inventory information identifying software installed on the managed system, the hardware inventory information identifying hardware components of the managed system, and the service information identifying a service available to the managed system.

27. The system of claim 21 wherein the inventory information is stored in a database associated with the system, the database including inventory information pertaining to a plurality of managed systems.

28. The system of claim 21 wherein the control component is to present the inventory information to an administrator regarding the managed system.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the control component is to present aggregate inventory information to the administrator, the aggregate inventory information including inventory information received from a plurality of managed systems associated with the administrator.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the control component is to retrieve the aggregate inventory information from a central inventory database responsive to a request from the administrator.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein the control component is to retrieve the aggregate inventory information directly from the plurality of managed systems responsive to a request from the administrator.

32. The system of claim 29 wherein the control component is to generate and present to the administrator an aggregate report based on the aggregate inventory information.

33. The system of claim 21 wherein the distribution component is to distribute the subset of the plurality of service applications as an initial distribution, and to distribute at least one further service application of the plurality of service applications as a further distribution for installation by the agent application on the managed system.

34. The system of claim 21 wherein the control component is to receive a group input from an administrator identifying a plurality of managed systems on which the subset of the plurality of service applications is to be installed, and the distribution component is to distribute the subset of the plurality of service applications to each of the plurality of managed systems for installation by a respective agent application on each of the plurality of managed systems.

35. The system of claim 21 wherein each of the plurality of managed systems is identified by the control component to the distribution component utilizing a respective subscription identifier.

36. The system of claim 35 including a subscription component to update an account associated with the managed system to reflect the distribution of the subset of the plurality of services to the managed system, wherein the account is for a plurality of managed systems managed by an administrator.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the subscription component is to update the account associated with the managed system to reflect an entitlement of the managed system to the subset of the plurality of service applications.

38. The system of claim 21 wherein the plurality of services includes at least one of a desk-side assistance service, a data backup service, a virus protection service, an asset inventory service, a network access service, a help desk service, and an Internet messaging service, personal firewall, and software distribution service.

39. A system to facilitate provision of services to a managed system, the system including:

at least one processor;

memory in communication with the at least one processor, the memory being configured to store instructions executable by the processor and including;

first means for causing installation of an agent application including an inventory component and an install component on the managed system; and

second means for receiving service input from a service center, the service input identifying a subset of a plurality of service applications to be installed on the managed system, each of the plurality of service applications to facilitate provision of a service provided by a respective service provider of a plurality of service providers to the managed system, and for receiving inventory information from the inventory component of the agent application pertaining to the managed system, the inventory information used to determine whether the managed system is qualified to receive provision of the service facilitated by each service application of the subset of the plurality of service applications,

the first means for distributing the subset of the plurality of service applications to the install component of the agent application, the install component to install the subset of the plurality of service applications on the managed system.

40. A machine-readable medium storing a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

cause an installation of an agent application including an inventory component and an install component on the managed system;

at a management system, receive from a control center service input identifying a subset of a plurality of service applications to be installed on the managed system, each of the plurality of service applications to facilitate provision of a service provided by a respective service provider of a plurality of service providers to the managed system;

at the management system, receiving inventory information from the inventory component of the agent application pertaining to the managed system, the inventory information used to determine whether the managed system is qualified to receive provision of a respective service facilitated by each service application of the subset of the plurality of service applications; and

at the management system, upon qualification, distribute the subset of the plurality of service applications to the install component of the agent application, the install component to install the subset of the plurality of service applications on the managed system.