Management of a device connected to a remote computer using the remote computer to effect management actions

• US 8,504,665 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Datto LLC
• Original Assignee: Kaseya International Limited (Kaseya Limited)
• Inventors: Sutherland, Mark J., Wong, Paul Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donabed, Ninos
• Application Number:
  US10/882,990
• Time in Patent Office: 3,324 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

The invention facilitates remote management of a computer via a network. Remote management of a device connected to a managed computer can be effected by using the managed computer as a proxy for conducting a management action regarding the connected device on behalf of a remote computer management server.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium on which are encoded one or more computer programs and/or data structures for execution by a processor for performing remote computer management, the processor performs:

receiving at a managed computer a request directly from a remote computer management server to perform a management action regarding the managed computer and a device connected to the managed computer;

communicating between the managed computer and the device connected to the managed computer, wherein the managed computer and the remote computer management server are directly connected, to perform by the managed computer a new function related to the management action, wherein the new function was not previously enabled to be performed by the device and the managed computer, and transmitting from the remote computer management server to the managed computer an update to an agent application operating on the managed computer, the update including at least one dynamic link library (DLL) that when executed by the agent application allows the new function to be executed by the managed computer;

loading software onto the managed computer used for effecting management of the managed computer by the remote computer management server to afford facilitating the execution of primitive functions to be executed by the managed computer, without the need for a user logon or other user intervention, including,

initiate polling of the remote computer management server to identify actions to be undertaken by the software on the managed computer, wherein an administrator credential is securely bound to the software,

configure the managed computer such that all communication to the remote computer management server is outbound from the managed computer thus enabling the communications to bypass firewalls and/or gateways,

re-authenticate the software when a communication session between the managed computer and the remote computer management server is terminated before completion of all communications for the communication session, wherein the re-authentication is performed without loading the software again onto the managed computer; and

communicating from the managed computer to the remote computer management server a result of the performance of the new function related to the management action regarding the device connected to the managed computer;

receiving at the managed computer a request from the remote computer management server to perform a management action regarding the managed computer;

effecting performance by the managed computer of an operation or operations that effect performance of the management action regarding the managed computer; and

communicating from the managed computer to the remote computer management server a result of the performance of the management action regarding the managed computer.

2. A non-transitory computer readable medium as in claim 1, wherein the processor performs:

receiving at the managed computer a request from the remote computer management server to determine whether a device is connected to the managed computer; and

communicating from the managed computer to the remote computer management server the identity of a device connected to the managed computer.

3. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein:

the request to perform a management action regarding the device connected to the managed computer includes an identification of a communication protocol in accordance with which communication between the managed computer and the device connected to the managed computer is to be formatted; and

instructions and/or data for communicating between the managed computer and the device connected to the managed computer comprise instructions and/or data for communicating in accordance with the identified communications protocol.

4. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 3, wherein the communication between the managed computer and the device connected to the managed computer is formatted in accordance with an SNMP protocol.

5. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 3, wherein the communication between the managed computer and the device connected to the managed computer is formatted in accordance with a DMI/WMI protocol.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 3, wherein the communication between the managed computer and the device connected to the managed computer is formatted in accordance with an ARP protocol.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the device is connected to the managed computer via a local area network.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the remote computer management server cannot communicate directly with the device connected to the managed computer.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the device connected to the managed computer is a switch.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the device connected to the managed computer is a router.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the device connected to the managed computer is a printer.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the device connected to the managed computer is a scanner.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the device connected to the managed computer includes a keyboard.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the device connected to the managed computer includes a display monitor.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the device connected to the managed computer is another computer.

17. A method for performing remote computer management, comprising the steps of:

receiving at a managed computer a request directly from a remote computer management server to perform a management action regarding the managed computer and a device connected to the managed computer;

communicating between the managed computer and the device connected to the managed computer, wherein the managed computer and the remote computer management server are directly connected, to perform by the managed computer a new function related to the management action, wherein the new function was not previously enabled to be performed by the device and the managed computer;

transmitting from the remote computer management server to the managed server an update to an agent application operating on the managed computer, the update including at least one dynamic link library (DLL) that when executed by the agent application allows the new function to be executed by the managed computer;

loading software onto the managed computer used for effecting management of the managed computer by the remote computer management server affording facilitating the execution of primitive functions to be executed by the managed computer, without the need for a user logon or other user intervention, including,

initiate polling of the remote computer management server to identify actions to be undertaken by the software on the managed computer, wherein an administrator credential is securely bound to the software,

configure the managed computer such that all communication to the remote computer management server is outbound from the managed computer thus enabling the communications to bypass firewalls and/or gateways,

re-authenticate the software when a communication session between the managed computer and the remote computer management server is terminated before completion of all communications for the communication session, wherein the re-authentication is performed without loading the software again onto the managed computer; and

communicating directly from the managed computer to the remote computer management server a result of the performance of the new function related to the management action regarding the device connected to the managed computer;

receiving at the managed computer a request from the remote computer management server to perform a management action regarding the managed computer;

effecting performance by the managed computer of an operation or operations that effect performance of the management action regarding the managed computer; and

communicating from the managed computer to the remote computer management server a result of the performance of the management action regarding the managed computer.

18. A system for performing remote computer management, comprising:

a managed computer receiving a direct request from a remote computer management server to perform a management action regarding the managed computer and a device connected to the managed computer;

a transceiver communicating between the managed computer and the device connected to the managed computer, wherein the managed computer and the remote computer management server are directly connected, to perform by the managed computer a new function related to the management action, wherein the new function was not previously enabled to be performed by the device and the managed computer, and transmit from the remote computer management server to the managed computer an update to an agent application operating on the managed computer, the update including at least one dynamic link library (DLL) that when executed by the agent application allows the new function to be executed by the managed computer;

a memory loading software onto the managed computer used for effecting management of the managed computer by the remote computer management server to afford facilitating the execution of primitive functions to be executed by the managed computer, without the need for a user logon or other user intervention, including,

initiate polling of the remote computer management server to identify actions to be undertaken by the software on the managed computer, wherein an administrator credential is securely bound to the software,

configure the managed computer such that all communication to the remote computer management server is outbound from the managed computer thus enabling the communications to bypass firewalls and/or gateways,

re-authenticate the software when a communication session between the managed computer and the remote computer management server is terminated before completion of all communications for the communication session, wherein the re-authentication is performed without loading the software again onto the managed computer; and

a transmitter communicating from the managed computer directly to the remote computer management server a result of the performance of the new function related to the management action regarding the device connected to the managed computer;

receiving at the managed computer a request from the remote computer management server to perform a management action regarding the managed computer;

effecting performance by the managed computer of an operation or operations that effect performance of the management action regarding the managed computer; and

communicating from the managed computer to the remote computer management server a result of the performance of the management action regarding the managed computer.