Remotely managing a data processing system via a communications network

• US 8,176,137 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Cornelius, Shawn S., Donoughe, Clifford, Huffman, Arnold Z., Krahn, Richard R., Sweeney, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thuong
• Application Number:
  US09/945,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,903 Days
• Field of Search: 709/207, 709/217, 717/120, 717/167, 717/267
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0826 for reduction of network costs H04L41/0833 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0833 for reduction of network energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0836 to enhance reliability, e.g. reduce downtime
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route

Abstract

A management system communicates with at least one remote data processing system, associated with a trading participant, on a technical parameter of at least one remote data processing system. A technical parameter may refer to software configuration data, hardware configuration data, operational status of a data processing system, operational status of a software component of the data processing system, operational status of a hardware component of the data processing system, or otherwise. The management system receives a report message on the technical parameter via a communications network. The management system interprets or processes the report message for a presentation on a user interface of the management system.

Claims

1. A method for managing a remote data processing system via a communications network, the method comprising:

communicating with a remote data processing system associated with a trading partner on a technical parameter of the remote data processing system, wherein the technical parameter includes information related to operation characteristics of any combination of the remote data processing system, the communications network and a base data processing system in communication with the remote data processing system via the communications network,

wherein the technical parameter is selected from the group consisting of;

hardware configuration of the remote data processing system, hardware configuration of the base data processing system, software configuration of the remote data processing system, software configuration of the base data processing system, an installed version of a remote software module, an installed version of a base software module, an installed type of remote software module, an installed type of base software module, operational status data, performance metric data on performance of the remote data processing system, and performance metric data on performance of the base data processing system;

receiving a report message on the technical parameter via the communications network;

interpreting the report message by extracting the technical parameter from the report message, then evaluating the technical parameter that was extracted to determine evaluation information about whether and how the technical parameter is relevant to any one or more of operational status, maintenance, revision, and upgrading of any one or more of the remote data processing system, the communications network and the base data processing system;

presenting the evaluation information of the report message on a user interface for review; and

coordinating management of the technical parameter for the trading partner by allowing user modification of software features of the remote data processing system without requiring a technician to be at the location of the remote data processing system.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the communicating comprises polling a remote business-to-business server as the remote data processing system to obtain the technical parameter.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving reference technical parameter data from a reference parameters storage based on the report message;

determining whether received technical parameter data of the report message complies with reference technical parameter data retrieved from the reference parameters storage; and

wherein coordinating the management further comprises allowing user modification of the software features when the determining indicate that the received technical parameter data of the report message does not comply with the reference technical parameter data retrieved from the reference parameters storage;

displaying on the user interface confirmation that the user modification has been completed.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein coordinating the management further comprises sending a revision to the remote data processing system if a software component of the remote data processing system is noncompliant with the reference technical parameter data.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein coordinating the management further comprises sending an upgrade software module to the remote data processing system if different software modules are specified in the reference technical parameter data and the received technical parameter data.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein coordinating the management further comprises installing the upgrade software module after receipt of confirmation that a requisite hardware upgrade for supporting the upgrade software module has been successfully completed.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein coordinating the management further comprises delaying a transmission of a revision to the remote data processing system if the same software components are not specified in the reference technical parameter data and the received technical parameter data and if the remote data processing system requires a hardware upgrade to support the revision.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein coordinating the management further comprises sending a desired version of an upgrade software module to the remote data processing system if the same versions of software modules are not specified in the reference technical parameter data and the received technical parameter data.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein coordinating the management further comprises installing the desired version of the upgrade software module after receipt of confirmation that a requisite hardware upgrade for supporting the desired version of the upgrade software module has been successfully completed.

10. The method according to claim 3, wherein coordinating the management further comprises delaying a transmission of a desired version of an upgrade software module to the remote data processing system if the same versions of software modules are not specified in the reference technical parameter data and the received technical parameter data and if the remote data processing system requires a hardware upgrade to support the desired version of the upgrade software module.

11. The method according to claim 3, wherein coordinating the management further comprises revising the reference parameters storage such that a reference configuration is defined by the technical parameter data and includes a feature for installation at the remote data processing system.

12. A system for managing a remote data processing system via a communications network, the system comprising:

a managing communications interface for supporting communication with a remote data processing system associated with a trading partner on a technical parameter of the remote data processing system, wherein the technical parameter includes information related to operation characteristics of any combination of the remote data processing system, the communications network and a base data processing system in communication with the remote data processing system via the communications network,

wherein the technical parameter is selected from the group consisting of;

hardware configuration of the remote data processing system, hardware configuration of the base data processing system, software configuration of the remote data processing system, software configuration of the base data processing system, an installed version of a remote software module, an installed version of a base software module, an installed type of remote software module, an installed type of base software module, operational status data, performance metric data on performance of the remote data processing system, and performance metric data on performance of the base data processing system;

a monitor for receiving a report message on the technical parameter via the communications network;

an interpreter for extracting the technical parameter from the report message and then evaluating the technical parameter that was extracted to determine evaluation information about whether and how the technical parameter is relevant to any one or more of operational status, maintenance, revision and upgrading of any one or more of the remote data processing system, the communications network and the base data processing system, the interpreter coordinating the management of the technical parameter for the trading partner by allowing user modification of software features of the remote data processing system without requiring a technician to be at the location of the remote data processing systems; and

a presentation module for presenting the evaluation information of the report message on a user interface for review.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein the remote data processing system comprises a remote business-to-business server.

14. The system according to claim 12 wherein the technical parameter comprises operational status data.

15. A system for managing a remote data processing system via a communications network, the system comprising:

a monitor for receiving a report message on a technical parameter of a remote data processing system via the communications network, wherein the technical parameter includes information related to operation characteristics of any one of the remote data processing system, the communications network and a base data processing system in communication with the remote data processing system via the communications network,

wherein the technical parameter is selected from the group consisting of;

hardware configuration of the remote data processing system, hardware configuration of the base data processing system, software configuration of the remote data processing system, software configuration of the base data processing system, an installed version of a remote software module, an installed version of a base software module, an installed type of remote software module, an installed type of base software module, operational status data, performance metric data on performance of the remote data processing system, and performance metric data on performance of the base data processing system;

a data manager for retrieving reference technical parameter data from a reference parameters storage; and

a data processor for determining whether the received technical parameter data of the report message complies with the retrieved reference technical parameter data, wherein the remote data processing system is revised when the received technical parameter data does not comply with the retrieved reference technical parameter data.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising:

a base communications interface adapted to poll the remote data processing system associated with a trading partner on the technical parameter of the remote data processing system.

17. The system according to claim 15, further comprising:

a managing communications interface for sending a revision to the remote data processing system if the data processor determined that the same software modules are not specified in the reference technical parameter data and the received technical parameter data.

18. The system according to claim 15, further comprising:

a managing communications interface for sending a revision to the remote data processing system if the data processor determined that the same version of software modules are not specified in the reference technical parameter data and the received technical parameter data.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein the data processor is coupled to a storage device, the storage device including at least one of a reference parameters storage, a received parameters storage, and an upgrade module storage for storing upgrade software modules.

20. The system according to claim 15, wherein the data manager and a user interface support a user'"'"'s revision of reference parameters of the reference parameters storage to add, delete, or modify at least one software feature of the remote data processing system.

21. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a user interface in communication with the monitor, wherein the user interface displays a second report message based on the determining whether the received technical parameter data complies with the retrieved reference technical parameter data.