Tailored system management interface

• US 8,631,463 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ontaneda, Marisol, Keane, Thomas W., Duque, Baelson B., Bhandari, Chandika, Wright, Travis, Voloshin, Vitaly, McKinnon, Casey
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehedi, Morshed
• Application Number:
  US13/170,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

Processes and techniques for tailoring operations management in a system are described. The processes and techniques allow a user to customize operations management based on the user'"'"'s function within a system and the particular tasks that the user wishes to accomplish. Simplified user interfaces can be created by scoping the interfaces based on user profiles, preferences and system components.

Claims

1. One or more storage devices storing computer-executable instructions in a memory, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, configure a computer to perform acts comprising:

ascertaining a role of a user in an information management environment;

receiving, from the user, one or more definitions of one or more types of system components, one or more properties for the one or more types of system components, and one or more discovery rules that allow objects to be discovered based on the one or more types of system components, wherein an object comprises an instance of a system component;

gathering data about one or more components of the information management environment based on the role of the user and the one or more types of system components that the user has permission to view; and

presenting at least a portion of the data for the user.

2. One or more storage devices as recited in claim 1, wherein the data presented for the user comprises one or more rules templates.

3. One or more storage devices as recited in claim 1, wherein the information management environment comprises one or more hardware components, software components, or both hardware and software components.

4. One or more storage devices as recited in claim 1, further comprising presenting one or more tasks, actions, or help links for the user based on the user'"'"'s role in the information management environment.

5. One or more storage devices as recited in claim 1, further comprising displaying an interface that allows the user to scope the data that is presented, based on the one or more types of system components.

6. One or more storage devices as recited in claim 1, further comprising displaying an interface that allows the user to scope the data that is presented, based on one or more objects.

7. One or more storage devices as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

presenting one or more rules templates;

receiving a selection of a rules template from the user; and

generating a monitor based on the selected rules template.

8. A method comprising:

under one or more processors configured with executable instructions;

determining a set of permissions associated with a role of a user with respect to a management system;

receiving, from the user, one or more definitions of one or more types of system components, one or more properties for the one or more types of system components, and one or more discovery rules that allow objects to be discovered based on the one or more types of system components, wherein an object comprises an instance of a system component;

discovering the objects and values of the one or more properties based on the one or more types of system components;

dynamically passing the values of the one or more properties as parameters to one or more monitors; and

presenting information based on the set of permissions associated with the role of the user with respect to the management system and the one or more monitors.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the information presented is based on one or more models.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising displaying an interface that allows the user to scope the information that is presented based on the one or more types of system components.

11. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising displaying an interface that allows the user to scope the information that is presented, based on one or more objects.

12. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the information presented comprises one or more tasks, actions, or help links to the user based on the permissions associated with the user.

13. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the information presented is further based upon a workspace that the user has activated.

14. A method of generating a monitor comprising:

under one or more processors configured with executable instructions;

prompting a user to select a rules template from one or more rules templates for an information management environment, the one or more rules templates enabling a derived type to be created using one or more monitors and rules from a base type defined in the one or more rules templates, wherein the base type describes a class of a system components, the system components including one or more hardware components, one or more software components, or both hardware components and software components;

loading the selected rules template; and

presenting an interface having fields tailored to the selected rules template.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein each rules template comprises a set of rules for observing one or more system components of the information management environment.

16. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the fields comprise one or more of:

an object representing an instance of a system component;

or

a group of objects.

17. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the fields comprise one or more events.

18. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

receiving from the user a selection of one or more of the fields; and

scoping a monitor based on the user selection.

19. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising implementing a monitor to monitor one or more system components.