Environment manager

• US 9,448,858 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Keith, Robert O. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hwang, Joon H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Sherman
• Application Number:
  US14/139,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

An environment manager includes a set of consolidated and integrated utilities which allow an administrator direct, remote access to information technology resources. The environment manager allows the administrator to control many aspects of the information technology environment including backup and archival of data systems, monitoring of systems, opening and closing of information technology systems, server fail-overs and virtual server environments, managing expert application, desktop management and security and system security.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to cause to the computing device to perform at least the following;

receive, from a remote system, one or more modification commands through a set of custom portlets associated with a set of management applications that are stored locally at the computing device and that are configured for managing the computing device, wherein the set of custom portlets are configured to enable transfer of the one or more modification commands to the set of management applications and to enable the set of management applications to control the computing device based on the one or more modification commands; and

locally automatically reconfigure the computing device when one or more predetermined conditions of the computing device are met, such that the set of management applications are able to continue to manage the computing device in accordance with the received one or more modification instructions when the computing device is unable to connect to the remote system.

2. The computing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the set of custom portlets are stored on the computing device.

3. The computing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the set of custom portlets are stored on another computing device.

4. The computing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the portlets are associated with a portal user interface stored on another computing device.

5. The computing device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the other computing device is remote from the computing device.

6. The computing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the custom portlets enable cross-platform communication.

7. The computing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the computing device is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a server, a laptop, a cellular phone, a gaming system, a PDA and a networking device.

8. The computing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein reconfiguring the computing device includes at least one of backing up and archiving data, monitoring environmental conditions, handling server fail-over and virtual server environments, desktop management, desktop security, applications management and security.

9. A computer system configured for monitoring and controlling a computer environment, the computer system comprising:

a first computer device, comprising;

one or more processors; and

one or more hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which are executable by the one or more processors to operate a portal user interface, the portal user interface being operable to communicate modification commands to one or more separate computing devices; and

a set of additional computing devices communicatively associated with the first computing device, wherein each of the additional computing devices comprises;

one or more processors; and

one or more hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which are executable by the one or more processors to operate one or more management applications for managing and controlling the additional computing device, wherein the one or more management applications are configured to locally automatically reconfigure the additional computing device when one or more predetermined conditions of the additional computing device are met, such that the one or more management applications are able to reconfigure the additional computing device in accordance with any modification commands received from the first computer device through one or more portlets configured for transmitting the commands, the one or more management applications being enabled to execute the received modification commands when the additional computing device is unable to communicate with the first computing device.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the first computing device further comprises a set of portlets.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein each of the additional computing devices comprise a set of portlets.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the first computing device is remote from the set of additional computing devices.

13. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the portlets enable cross-platform communication.

14. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the additional computing devices are selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a server, a laptop, a cellular phone, a gaming system, a PDA and a networking device.

15. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein reconfiguring the additional computing device includes at least one of backing up and archiving data, monitoring environmental conditions, handling server fail-over and virtual server environments, desktop management, desktop security, applications management and security.

16. A computing device configured for monitoring and controlling a computer environment, the computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which are executable by the one or more processors to operate a portal interface configured to communicate with a set of additional computing devices using a set of portlets, the portal interface being configured to enable the computing device to utilize the set of portlets to send modification commands to one or more additional computing devices to control one or more management applications stored on the one or more additional computing devices, wherein the one or more management applications locally automatically reconfigure the one or more additional computing devices when one or more predetermined conditions of the one or more additional computing devices are met such that the one or more management applications are able to continue to control the one or more additional computing devices when the one or more additional computing devices are unable to connect to the computing device.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the set of portlets are contained on the computing device.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the set of portlets are contained on each of the additional computing devices.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the computing device is remote from the set of additional computing devices.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the portlets enable cross-platform communication.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the additional computing devices are selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a server, a laptop, a cellular phone, a gaming system, a PDA and a networking device.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein reconfiguring the one or more additional computing devices includes at least one of backing up and archiving data, monitoring environmental conditions, handling server fail-over and virtual server environments, desktop management, desktop security, applications management and security.

23. A computer-implemented method for monitoring and controlling a computer environment, the method being implemented by a computing system that includes at least one processor, the method comprising:

generating a set of custom portlets, the set of custom portlets being configured to enable transfer of modification instructions to respective management applications of one or more remote computing devices; and

sending one or more modification commands over a network using the custom portlets, the one or more modification commands instructing one or more management applications to reconfigure one or more remote computing devices, wherein the modification instructions cause the one or more management applications to locally automatically reconfigure the one or more remote computing devices when one or more predetermined conditions of the one or more remote computing devices are met such that the management applications are able to reconfigure the one or more remote computing devices when the one or more remote computing devices are unable to connect to the network.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the custom portlets enable cross-platform communication.

25. The method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the one or more remote computing devices are selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a server, a laptop, a cellular phone, a gaming system, a PDA and a networking device.

26. The method as claimed in claim 23 wherein reconfiguring the one or more remote computing devices includes at least one of backing up and archiving data, monitoring environmental conditions, handling server fail-over and virtual server environments, desktop management, desktop security, applications management and security.

27. A computer system configured as an environment manager for managing and reconfiguring a computer network, the computer system comprising:

a first computer device, comprising;

one or more processors; and

one or more hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which are executable by the one or more processors to operate a set of management applications for managing the first computing device, wherein the set of management applications are stored on the first computing device; and

a second computing device, comprising;

one or more processors; and

one or more hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which are executable by the one or more processors to operate a portal user interface, the portal user interface being configured to enable the second computing device to communicate with the first computing device over a network using a set of custom portlets respectively associated with the set of management applications, the portlets configured to enable transfer of modification commands to the management applications to enable the management applications to control the first computing device based on the commands such that the management applications locally automatically reconfigure the first computing device when one or more predetermined conditions of the first computing device are met such that the management applications are able to continue to control the first computing device when the first computing device is unable to communicate with the second computing device,

wherein an additional custom portlet is generated by the environment manager for each application to be controlled on an additional computing device when the additional computing device is coupled to the network.

28. A computer system configured for controlling and reconfiguring an information technology setup comprising:

a plurality of memory devices each comprising a set of management applications for managing a plurality of first computing devices, wherein the set of management applications are stored on the first computing devices;

a plurality of sets of custom portlets each communicatively associated with one of the sets of management applications for controlling the management applications by transmitting one or more commands to the management applications wherein the management applications manage the plurality of first computing devices based on the one or more commands, wherein the management applications locally automatically manage the first computing devices when one or more predetermined conditions of the first computing devices are met such that the management applications are able to continue to control and reconfigure the first computing devices when the first computing devices are unable to connect to the remainder of the system; and

a portal user interface coupled to each of the sets of custom portlets for communicating with the sets of management applications through the custom portlets,

wherein each set of management applications correspond to an individual first computing device that the management applications control and further wherein an additional custom portlet is generated by the system when an additional computing device is coupled to a network.