Method and system to manage services for multiple managed computer systems

• US 7,779,092 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2008
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dell Marketing LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Marketing USA LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Rive, Russell S., Rive, Peter Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/193,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20090094350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/203
• 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 comprising:

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

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

at the management system, receiving inventory information pertaining to the managed system from the inventory component of the agent application;

storing the inventory information in a database associated with the management system, the database including inventory information pertaining to a plurality of managed systems;

at the management system, using the inventory information, determining whether the managed system is qualified to receive the provision of the respective service facilitated by the service application; and

at the management system, upon qualification of the managed system, providing the respective service facilitated by the service application to the managed system.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising, upon qualification of the managed system, communicating a subscription identifier to the agent application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent application comprises an install component, the method further comprising:

after the managed system is qualified to receive the provision of the respective service facilitated by the service application, distributing the service application to the install component of the agent application, the install component to install the service application on the managed system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the managed system is qualified to receive the provision of the respective service comprises:

receiving a user activation code from the managed system; and

executing a qualification algorithm using the user activation code to identify the respective service that the managed system is qualified to receive.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory information comprises 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.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

presenting the inventory information regarding the managed system to an administrator.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

retrieving the inventory information directly from the plurality of managed systems responsive to a request from the administrator;

aggregating the inventory information to provide aggregated inventory information; and

generating and presenting to the administrator an aggregate report based on the aggregated inventory information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a group input from an administrator identifying a plurality of managed systems on which the service application is to be installed, and distributing the service application to each of the plurality of managed systems for installation by a respective agent application on each of the plurality of managed systems.

9. The method of claim 8, 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 service applications to the plurality of managed systems in accordance with the service and group inputs.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of managed systems is identified by the control application utilizing a respective subscription identifier.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating an account associated with the managed system to reflect the distribution of the service application to the managed system, wherein the account is associated with a plurality of managed systems managed by an administrator.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective service comprises 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, or a software distribution service.

13. A management system to facilitate provision of services to a managed system, the management system comprising:

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;

a distribution engine to cause installation, on the managed system, of an agent application including an inventory component;

a control component to receive a service input identifying a service application to be installed on the managed system, the service application to facilitate a provision of a respective service provided by a service provider to the managed system;

an inventory engine to receive inventory information, pertaining to the managed system, from the inventory component of the agent application and to store the inventory information in a database associated with the management system, the database including inventory information pertaining to a plurality of managed systems; and

a qualification component configured to use the inventory information to determine whether the managed system is qualified to receive the provision of the respective service facilitated by the service application, wherein, upon qualification, the service facilitated by the service application is provided to the managed system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein, upon qualification, a subscription identifier is communicated to the agent application.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the agent application further includes an install component and, after the managed system is determined to be qualified to receive the provision of the respective service facilitated by the service application, the service application is distributed to the install component of the agent application, the install component being configured to install the service application on the managed system.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the qualification component is configured to receive a user activation code from the managed system, and execute a qualification algorithm using the user activation code to identify the respective service that the managed system is qualified to receive.

17. The system of claim 13, comprising a control center to present the inventory information to an administrator.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the control component is to:

retrieve the inventory information directly from the plurality of managed systems responsive to a request from the administrator;

aggregate the inventory information to provide aggregated inventory information; and

generate and present to the administrator an aggregate report based on the aggregated inventory information.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the control component is to receive a group input from an administrator identifying a plurality of managed systems on which the service application is to be installed, and the distribution engine is to distribute the service application to at least one of the plurality of managed systems for installation by a respective agent application on the at least one of the plurality of managed systems.

20. The system of claim 19, comprising a subscription component to update an account associated with the managed system to reflect the distribution of the service application to the managed system, wherein the account is associated with a plurality of managed systems managed by an administrator.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform following operations:

installing an agent application on a managed system, the agent application including an inventory component;

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

receiving, at the management system, inventory information pertaining to the managed system from the inventory component of the agent application;

using, at the management system, the inventory information to determine whether the managed system is qualified to receive the provision of the respective service facilitated by the service application;

storing, at the management system, the inventory information in a database associated with the management system, the database including inventory information pertaining to a plurality of managed systems; and

providing upon qualification, at the management system, the service facilitated by the service application.