Management of extensibility servers and applications

• US 7,899,892 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bukovec, Mai-lan Tomsen, Tremblay, Edward K., Watson, Eric B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chankong; Dohm
• Application Number:
  US11/392,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20070233831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 717/120, 717/121, 370/256, 709/229, 709/223, 709/203, 709/219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/224, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

Extensibility computer servers and extensibility applications can be managed. Extensibility computer servers and extensibility applications can be discovered using a management application on a management computer server. An extensibility agent can be installed on an extensibility computer server, and used to provide status information. Tasks can be created for managing extensibility computer servers and extensibility applications. Entity groups representing extensibility computer servers and extensibility applications can be displayed and selected. Extensibility computer servers and extensibility applications can be displayed based on the selection of an entity group. Task templates associated with a selected entity group can be displayed.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing applications or services from a management computer server, the method comprising:

discovering an extensibility application, located on an extensibility computer server, by using a management application on the management computer server;

creating a task, on the management computer server, for managing the discovered extensibility application, wherein the task is created via a task template, wherein the task template is in a format defined by a schema, wherein the task template comprises a location variable, and wherein the location variable identifies a graphical user interface window of the extensibility application;

displaying, in a user interface of the management application, a user interface element for invoking the task;

receiving, from a user of the user interface of the management application, a selection of the user interface element for invoking the task;

as a result of the selection, displaying, at the management computer server, the graphical user interface window of the extensibility application identified by the location variable of the task template, wherein the graphical user interface window of the extensibility application is displayed remotely at the management computer server from the extensibility application running on the extensibility computer server;

tracking, by the management computer server, a pattern of task usage by the user;

associating, by the management computer server, a software manufacturer profile with the user, wherein the software manufacturer profile, selected from a plurality of software manufacturer profiles, is associated with the user based on the tracked pattern of task usage;

downloading a task template from a remote task update server, wherein the downloaded task template is recommended by the remote task update server based on the software manufacturer profile associated with the user, wherein the downloaded task template is operable to cause display of a second graphical user interface window of the extensibility application remotely at the management computer server, and wherein the downloaded task template is downloaded in the format defined by the schema; and

installing an extensibility agent on an extensibility computer server from the management computer server, wherein the extensibility agent is configured to provide status information about the extensibility computer server, wherein the status information comprises software patch update information, health information, and performance information for the extensibility computer server, wherein the extensibility agent is also configured to allow a different computer server to backup one or more computer storage devices of the extensibility computer server, and wherein the extensibility application is located on the extensibility computer server.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

before discovering the extensibility application, displaying, in a user interface of the management application, a user interface element for discovering extensibility applications; and

receiving a selection, by a user via the user interface, of the user interface element for discovering extensibility applications.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the management computer server is one of a plurality of integrated computer servers, and wherein the extensibility computer server is a different computer server from the plurality of integrated computer servers.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the management application originates from a software manufacturer, and wherein the extensibility application originates from a different software manufacturer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the management application is one of a plurality of applications comprising an integrated suite of server applications, and wherein the extensibility application is one of a plurality of server applications different from the plurality of applications comprising the integrated suite of server applications.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from the user of the user interface of the management application, a selection of a business category of a business operating the management computer server; and

receiving, from the user of the user interface of the management application, a selection of one or more characteristics of the business;

wherein the software manufacturer profile is selected and associated with the user based, at least in part, on the selection of the business category and the selection of the one or more characteristics of the business.

7. A computer implemented method for managing an extensibility computer server from a management computer server, the method comprising:

discovering the extensibility computer server by using a management application on the management computer server;

installing an extensibility agent on the extensibility computer server from the management computer server, wherein the extensibility agent is configured to provide status information about the extensibility computer server, wherein the extensibility agent is also configured to allow a different computer server to backup the extensibility computer server;

backing up one or more computer storage devices of the extensibility computer server via the extensibility agent on the extensibility computer server;

receiving, by the management computer server from the extensibility computer server via the extensibility agent, status information about the extensibility computer server, wherein the status information comprises information regarding software updates;

displaying, in a user interface of the management application, a user interface element for invoking a task template, wherein the task template is selectable, via the user interface element, to cause display of a graphical user interface window of an extensibility application located on the extensibility computer server, wherein the graphical user interface window of the extensibility application is remotely displayed at the management computer server from the extensibility application running on the extensibility computer server, wherein the task template comprises a location variable, and wherein the location variable identifies the graphical user interface window of the extensibility application;

tracking, by the management computer server, a pattern of task usage by a user of the management application;

associating, by the management computer server, a software manufacturer profile with the user, wherein the software manufacturer profile, selected from a plurality of software manufacturer profiles, is associated with the user based on the tracked pattern of task usage; and

downloading a task template from a remote task update server, wherein the downloaded task template is recommended by the remote task update server based on the software manufacturer profile associated with the user, wherein the downloaded task template is operable to cause display of a second graphical user interface window of the extensibility application remotely at the management computer server, and wherein the downloaded task template is downloaded in a format defined by a schema.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

displaying, in a user interface of the management application, a user interface element representing extensibility applications;

receiving, via the user interface, a selection of the user interface element representing the extensibility applications; and

displaying, in the user interface, help information related to the extensibility applications.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the management application originates from a first software manufacturer, and the extensibility application originates from a different second software manufacturer.

10. A computer implemented method for managing extensibility applications on extensibility computer servers from a management computer server, the method comprising:

displaying, in a user interface of a management application on the management computer server, an entity group representing a plurality of extensibility computer servers;

receiving, from a user via the user interface, a selection of the entity group representing the plurality of extensibility computer servers;

responsive to receiving the selection of the entity group, displaying, in the user interface, the plurality of extensibility computer servers;

responsive to receiving the selection of the entity group, displaying, in the user interface, a plurality of task templates associated with the selected plurality of extensibility computer servers;

receiving, from the user via the user interface, a selection of an extensibility computer server from the displayed plurality of extensibility computer servers and a selection of a task template, associated with the selected extensibility computer server, from the displayed plurality of task templates, wherein the task template comprises a location variable, and wherein the location variable identifies a graphical user interface window of an extensibility application running on the extensibility computer server;

as a result of the selection of the task template, displaying, at the management computer server, the graphical user interface window of the extensibility application identified by the location variable of the task template, wherein the graphical user interface window of the extensibility application is displayed remotely at the management computer server from the extensibility application running on the extensibility computer server;

tracking, by the management computer server, a pattern of task usage by the user;

associating, by the management computer server, a software manufacturer profile with the user, wherein the software manufacturer profile, selected from a plurality of software manufacturer profiles, is associated with the user based on the tracked pattern of task usage;

downloading a task template from a remote task update server, wherein the downloaded task template is recommended by the remote task update server based on the software manufacturer profile associated with the user, wherein the downloaded task template is operable to cause display of a second graphical user interface window of the extensibility application remotely at the management computer server, and wherein the downloaded task template is downloaded in a format defined by a schema; and

installing an extensibility agent on the extensibility computer server from the management computer server, wherein the extensibility agent is configured to provide status information about the extensibility computer server, wherein the extensibility agent is also configured to allow a different computer server to backup one or more computer storage devices of the extensibility computer server.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving, from the user via the user interface, a selection of a second task template from the plurality of task templates associated with the plurality of extensibility computer servers comprising the selected entity group;

as a result of the selection of the second task template, displaying, in the user interface of the management application, status information of one or more of the plurality of extensibility computer servers.