Methods and applets for providing and contributing to an IT network management service
First Claim
1. A method executing on hardware of providing a network management service for a user'"'"'s IT network by using a network management service provider connected to an Internet, the method performed by the service provider comprising:
- sending mobile code to the user via the Internet, said mobile code, when running at a user'"'"'s side, being such as to cause a computer at the user'"'"'s side to act as a network management gateway between the user'"'"'s network and the service provider;
sending at least one request for execution of a network management step to the network management gateway at the user'"'"'s side via the Internet, the at least one request for the execution of the network management step being such as to cause the network management step to be carried out in the user'"'"'s network; and
receiving, from the network management gateway via the Internet, result data obtained as a result of the network executing the network management step.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention is directed to methods for providing a network management service for a user'"'"'s IT network by a network management service provider over the Internet. One of these methods comprises: sending mobile code to the user via the Internet, said mobile code, when running at the user'"'"'s side, acts as a network management gateway between the user'"'"'s network and the service provider connectable to it via the Internet; sending at least one request for the execution of a network management step to the network management gateway at the user'"'"'s side via the Internet, whereupon the network management step is carried out in the user'"'"'s network; receiving result data obtained in the network management step from the network management gateway via the Internet. The invention is also directed to corresponding methods for contributing to a network management service and to applets which are loaded in the user'"'"'s browser for carrying out these contributing methods.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method executing on hardware of providing a network management service for a user'"'"'s IT network by using a network management service provider connected to an Internet, the method performed by the service provider comprising:
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sending mobile code to the user via the Internet, said mobile code, when running at a user'"'"'s side, being such as to cause a computer at the user'"'"'s side to act as a network management gateway between the user'"'"'s network and the service provider; sending at least one request for execution of a network management step to the network management gateway at the user'"'"'s side via the Internet, the at least one request for the execution of the network management step being such as to cause the network management step to be carried out in the user'"'"'s network; and receiving, from the network management gateway via the Internet, result data obtained as a result of the network executing the network management step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of providing a network management service for a user'"'"'s IT network by a network management service provider hardware, the service being performed over an Internet, the network management service provider hardware performs steps comprising:
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sending at least one network management command in an encapsulated form to the user'"'"'s side over the Internet for decapsulation into a network-management-protocol command at the user'"'"'s side and execution in the user'"'"'s IT network; and receiving result data obtained by executing the network-management-protocol command over the Internet. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of contributing to a network management service for a user'"'"'s IT network hardware at a user'"'"'s side, said management service being provided to the user'"'"'s IT network hardware by a network management service provider over an Internet, the method performed by the user'"'"'s IT network hardware comprising:
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receiving mobile code via the Internet, said mobile code, when running at the user'"'"'s side, causing a computer at the user'"'"'s IT network hardware to act as a network management gateway between the user'"'"'s network and the service provider; receiving, via the Internet, at least one request for a network management step from the service provider and executing the request by the network management gateway; and returning, to the service provider via the Internet, result data obtained as a result of the network management step.
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33. A storage device storing an applet including program code, which when executed by a computer and in a user'"'"'s Internet browser, acts as a network management gateway between a user'"'"'s network and a network-management service provider;
said applet, being arranged to respond to receipt of a request for a network management step from the service provider via an Internet by (a) executing the request in the user'"'"'s network and (b) returning result data obtained in the execution of the network management step to the service provider via the Internet.
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34. A method of contributing to a network management service for a user'"'"'s IT network system at a user'"'"'s side, said management service being provided by a network management service provider over an Internet, the method performed by a user'"'"'s IT network hardware comprising:
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receiving at least one network management command in an encapsulated form from the service provider over the Internet; decapsulating the command and thereby obtaining a corresponding network management-protocol command; executing the network-management-protocol command in the user'"'"'s IT network hardware; and returning, to the service provider over the Internet, result data obtained by executing the network-management-protocol command.
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35. A storage device storing an applet including program code, which, when executed by a computer and in a user'"'"'s Internet browser, causes the browser to perform a method of contributing to a network management service for a user'"'"'s IT network, said management service being provided by a network management service provider over an Internet, the applet causing the user'"'"'s Internet browser to perform steps including:
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receiving at least one network management command in an encapsulated form from the service provider over the Internet; decapsulating the network management command received in an encapsulated form from the service provider over the Internet and thereby obtain a corresponding network-management-protocol command; executing the network-management-protocol command in the user'"'"'s IT network; and returning result data obtained by executing the network-management-protocol command to the service provider over the Internet.
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36. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions comprising a network manager arranged to:
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send mobile code to a user via an Internet, wherein the mobile code, when executed at a user'"'"'s side, is such as to cause a computer at the user'"'"'s side to act as a network management gateway between the user'"'"'s network and the service provider; send at least one request for execution of a network management step to the network management gateway at the user'"'"'s side via the Internet, the at least one request for the execution of the network management step being such as to cause the network management step to be carried out in the user'"'"'s network; and receive, from the network management gateway via the Internet, result data obtained as a result of the network management gateway executing the network management step.
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37. A user'"'"'s IT network comprising a computer in communication with a network management service provider over an Internet and the computer arranged to:
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receive mobile code via the Internet, said mobile code, when executing at the computer, causing the computer to act as a network management gateway between the user'"'"'s IT network and the service provider; receive, via the Internet, at least one request for a network management step from the service provider and executing the request by the network management gateway; and return, to the service provider via the Internet, result data obtained as a result of the network management step executed by the network management gateway.
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38. A system for connection to an Internet, the system comprising a set of instructions comprising a network manager arranged to send mobile code to a user via an Internet, wherein the mobile code, when executed at a user'"'"'s side by computer hardware, is such as to cause the computer hardware at the user'"'"'s side to act as a network management gateway between the user'"'"'s network and the service provider;
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send at least one request for execution of a network management step to the network management gateway at the user'"'"'s side via the Internet, the at least one request for the execution of the network management step being such as to cause the network management step to be carried out in the user'"'"'s network; and receive, from the network management gateway via the Internet, result data obtained as a result of the network management gateway executing the network management step, and a user'"'"'s IT network comprising a computer in communication with a network management service provider over an Internet and the computer hardware arranged to; receive mobile code via the Internet, said mobile code, when executing at the computer hardware, causing the computer hardware to act as a network management gateway between the user'"'"'s IT network and the service provider; receive, via the Internet, at least one request for a network management step from the service provider and executing the request by the network management gateway; and return, to the service provider via the Internet, result data obtained as a result of the network management step executed by the network management gateway.
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39. A method executing on hardware of controlling a user'"'"'s IT network from a network management service provider, the network and service provider communicating with each other via an Internet, the IT network including a browser with an applet or a capability of receiving an applet, the applet being capable of being loaded with management requests by the service provider via the Internet, the service provider including a generator of the management requests and an analyzer of management results sent via the Internet to the service provider by the IT network, the method comprising:
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(v1) a user at the IT network, sending via the Internet to the service provider, a request for a network-support service start page; (v2) the service provider responding to the request for the network-support service page, by sending, via the Internet to the IT network, the requested start page, the start page including a session identifier that is sent in all subsequent communications during the particular session between the service provider and the IT network; (v3) the user responding to receipt of the start page by sending, via the Internet to the service provider, a request for a service; (v4) the service provider responding to the request of (v3) by sending, via the Internet to the IT network, an analyzer selection page; (v5) the IT network responding to receipt of the analyzer selection page by sending, via the Internet to the service provider, analyzer selection information; (v6) the service provider responding to the receipt of the analyzer selection information by sending via the Internet to IT network, an analyzer initialization page; (v7) the IT network responding to receipt of the analyzer initialization page by sending, via the Internet to the service provider, an indication of a specified device of the IT network to be subjected to management by the service provider; (v8) the service provider responding to receipt of the indication of the specified device by selecting an applet which is appropriate to the specified device and the analyzer selection information specified in step (v5), and by sending, via the Internet to the IT network, an applet page with code or a link to a URL including the code corresponding to the selected and appropriate applet; (v9) the IT network responding to receipt of the selected and appropriate applet by loading the selected and appropriate applet in the browser and sending, via the Internet the service provider an indication that the applet has been initialized, (v10) the service provider responding to the indication that the applet has been initialized by sending, via the Internet to the applet, a network management request; (v11) the applet responding to receipt of the network management request of step (v10) by sending a corresponding network-management-protocol request to the specified device; (v12) the specified device responding to the network-management-protocol request of step (v11) by sending to the applet a network-management-protocol response; (v13) the applet responding to receipt of the network-management-protocol response by (a) translating the network-management-protocol response into a response that can be transmitted to the service provider via the Internet and (b) transmitting, via the Internet to the service provider, the translated network-management-protocol response receipt of the translated network-management-protocol response; (v14) the service provider responding to receipt of the translated network management-protocol response by supplying the received, translated network management-protocol response to the analyzer in accordance with the analyzer selection information specified in step (v5), the analyzer responding to receipt of the received, translated network-management-protocol response by analyzing the received, translated network-management-protocol response and by generating a report page based on the analysis of the received translated network-management-protocol response, the service provider sending, via the Internet to the applet, the report page based on the analysis of the received, translated network-management-protocol response.
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40. A method executing on hardware of controlling a user'"'"'s IT network from a network management service provider, the network and service provider communicating with each other via an Internet, the IT network including a browser with an applet or the capability of receiving an applet, the applet being capable of being loaded with management requests by the service provider via the Internet, the service provider including a generator of the management requests and an analyzer of management results sent via the Internet to the service provider by the IT network, the method comprising:
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(a) the user sending, via the Internet to the service provider, a request for a service; (b) the service provider responding to the request of (a) by sending, via the Internet to the IT network, an analyzer selection page; (c) the IT network responding to receipt of the analyzer selection page by sending, via the Internet to the service provider, analyzer selection information; (d) the service provider responding to receipt of the analyzer selection information by sending, via the Internet, to the IT network an analyzer initialization page; (e) the IT network sending, via the Internet to the service provider, an indication of a specified device of the IT network to be subjected to management by the service provider; (f) the service provider responding to receipt of the indication of the specified device by selecting an applet which is appropriate to the specified device and the analyzer selection information specified in step (c), and by sending, via the Internet to the IT network, an applet page with code, or a link to a URL including code corresponding to the selected and appropriate applet; (g) the IT network responding to receipt of the selected and appropriate applet by loading the selected and appropriate applet in the browser and sending, via the Internet to the service provider, an indication that the applet has been initialized; (h) the service provider responding to the indication that the applet has been initialized by sending, via the Internet to the applet, a network management request; (i) the applet responding to receipt of the network management request of step (h) by sending a corresponding network-management-protocol request to the specified device; (j) the specified device responding to the network-management-protocol request of step (i) by complying with the network-management-protocol request and by sending to the applet a network-management-protocol response; (k) the applet responding to receipt of the network-management-protocol response by sending, via the Internet to the service provider, an indication of the network-management-protocol response; (l) the service provider responding to the receipt of the indication of the network-management-protocol response by supplying the indication of the network management-protocol response to the analyzer in accordance with analyzer selection information specified in step (c), the analyzer responding to receipt of the indication of the network-management-protocol response by analyzing the indication of the network management-protocol response and generating a report page based on the analysis of the received, indication of the network-management-protocol response, the service provider sending, via the Internet to the applet, the report page based on the analysis of the indication of the network-management-protocol response.
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Specification