System and method for remote administration of computer network through local administration proxy

• US 8,024,449 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2011
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kaspersky Lab ZAO
• Original Assignee: Kapsersky Lab Zao
• Inventors: Shiyafetdinov, Damir R., Kulaga, Andrey A., Vasilyev, Sergey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afolabi, Mark O
• Application Number:
  US13/095,049
• Time in Patent Office: 146 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-226, 370 1- 68, 706 1- 60
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, methods and computer program products for remote administration of a computer network. The system comprises an administration server for remotely managing a computer network. The server deploys administration agents on the computers in the network for performing various administrative tasks. In addition, the server selects a computer with the highest performance rating as a local administration proxy for the network. The server then transmits to the local administration proxy a control signal for performing one or more administrative tasks by administration agents deployed on the computers in the network. The server then establishes, through the local administration proxy, a connection with the administration agents for performing administrative tasks of the computers.

Claims

1. A system for remote administration of a computer network, the system having a processor and a memory, the system comprising the following software modules loaded into the memory and executable by the processor:

a rating rules database containing a plurality of computer performance rating rules;

a rating module operably coupled to the rating rules database and being configured to;

receive from administration agents deployed on the computers in the network configuration information of the computers on which said agents are deployed;

compute performance ratings of the computers based on the collected configuration information using rating rules from the rating rules database; and

select a computer with the highest performance rating as a local administration proxy of the remote administration server for the computer network;

a plurality of service modules being configured to generate a plurality of different administrative tasks for the computers based on the collected configuration information; and

a control module operably coupled to the service modules and being configured to;

transmit to the local administration proxy a control signal for performing one or more administrative tasks by administration agents deployed on the computers in the network;

establish, through the local administration proxy, a connection with at least one administration agent for performing administrative tasks on the computer on which said agent is deployed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein upon selecting a computer with the highest performance rating as a local administration proxy for the computer network, the control module being further configured to:

notify the administration agent of the local administration proxy of its selection as the local administration proxy;

notify, through the administration agent of the local administration proxy, the administration agents deployed on the computers of the performance ratings of the computers on which said agents are deployed.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module being further configured to:

transmit the control signal to the administration agent of the local administration proxy using User Datagram Protocol (UDP); and

establish, through the administration agent of the local administration proxy, the connection with the at least one administration agent using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the administrative tasks include:

updating anti-virus databases and software modules on one or more computers;

managing of policies and group tasks on one or more computers;

installing applications and patches on one or more computers;

searching for vulnerabilities of one or more computers; and

conducting software and hardware inventory of one or more computers.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the rating rules include fuzzy logic rules for computing performance rating of computers based on the collected configuration information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected configuration information used by the rating module for computing performance ratings of the computers in the network includes:

software and hardware configuration of each computer;

network address of each computer; and

time of continuous operation of each computer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer network is one of a demilitarized zone (DMZ) network or a closed network separated from the system by a network firewall.

8. A method for remote administration of a computer network comprising:

receiving, by a remote administration server, from administration agents deployed on the computers in the network configuration information of said computers;

computing performance ratings of the computers based on the collected configuration information and a plurality of rating rules;

selecting a computer with the highest performance rating as a local administration proxy of the remote administration server for the computer network;

generating a plurality of different administrative tasks for the computers based at least in part on the collected configuration information;

transmitting to the local administration proxy a control signal for performing one or more administrative tasks by administration agents deployed on the computers in the network; and

establishing, through the local administration proxy, a connection with at least one administration agent for performing administrative tasks on the computers in the network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein selecting a computer with the highest performance rating as a local administration proxy for the computer network further comprises:

notifying the administration agent of the local administration proxy of its selection as the local administration proxy;

notifying, through the administration agent of the local administration proxy, the administration agents on the computers of the performance ratings of the computers on which said agents are deployed.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting the control signal to the administration agent of the local administration proxy using User Datagram Protocol (UDP); and

establishing, through the administration agent of the local administration proxy, the connection with the at least one administration agent using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the administrative tasks include:

updating anti-virus databases and software modules on one or more computers;

managing of policies and group tasks on one or more computers;

installing applications and patches on one or more computers;

searching for vulnerabilities of one or more computers; and

conducting software and hardware inventory of one or more computers.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the rating rules include fuzzy logic rules for computing performance rating of computers based on the collected configuration information.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the collected configuration information used for computing performance ratings of the computers in the network includes:

software and hardware configuration of each computer;

network address of each computer; and

time of continuous operation of each computer.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the computer network is one of a demilitarized zone (DMZ) network or a closed network separated from the remote administration server by a network firewall.

15. A computer program product embedded in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions for remote administration of a computer network, the medium comprises instructions for:

receiving, by a remote administration server, from administration agents deployed on the computers in the network configuration information of said computers;

computing performance ratings of the computers based on the collected configuration information and a plurality of rating rules;

selecting a computer with the highest performance rating as a local administration proxy of the remote administration server for the computer network;

generating a plurality of different administrative tasks for the computers based at least in part on the collected configuration information;

transmitting to the local administration proxy a control signal for performing one or more administrative tasks by administration agents deployed on the computers in the network; and

establishing, through the local administration proxy, a connection with at least one administration agent for performing administrative tasks on the computers in the network.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein instructions for selecting a computer with the highest performance rating as a local administration proxy for the computer network further comprises instructions for:

notifying the administration agent of the local administration proxy of its selection as the local administration proxy;

notifying, through the administration agent of the local administration proxy, the administration agents on the computers of the performance ratings of the computers on which said agents are deployed.

17. The medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for:

transmitting the control signal to the administration agent of the local administration proxy using User Datagram Protocol (UDP); and

establishing, through the administration agent of the local administration proxy, the connection with the at least one administration agent using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

18. The medium of claim 15, wherein the administrative tasks include:

updating anti-virus databases and software modules on one or more computers;

managing of policies and group tasks on one or more computers;

installing applications and patches on one or more computers;

searching for vulnerabilities of one or more computers; and

conducting software and hardware inventory of one or more computers.

19. The medium of claim 15, wherein the rating rules include fuzzy logic rules for computing performance rating of computers based on the collected configuration information.

20. The medium of claim 15, wherein the collected configuration information used for computing performance ratings of the computers in the network includes:

software and hardware configuration of each computer;

network address of each computer; and

time of continuous operation of each computer.