Remotely controlling a UNIX-based system

• US 20020087650A1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Fagerburg, Eric D., Morgan, Charles M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,359,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Remotely controlling a UNIX-based system includes prompting a first user at a UNIX-based machine for permission for a second user at a machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine to control the UNIX-based machine and if the first user grants permission, enabling the second user to use the UNIX-based machine through the machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

prompting a first user at a UNIX-based machine for permission for a second user at a machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine to control the UNIX-based machine; and

if the first user grants permission, enabling the second user to use the UNIX-based machine through the machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the prompting comprises making the prompt known to the first user by displaying information on a display of the UNIX-based machine.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the second user uses the UNIX-based machine through the machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine as if the second user was directly using the UNIX-based machine.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, before the prompting, replicating current contents of a screen on the UNIX-based machine onto a new screen running in a background of the UNIX-based machine.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising adding to the new screen a prompt that asks the first user for the permission.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising replacing the current contents of the screen on the UNIX-based machine with the new screen.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the using of the UNIX-based machine includes issuing text commands to the UNIX-based machine from the machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising, if the first user does not grant permission, preventing the second user from using the UNIX-based machine through the machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, if the first user at the UNIX-based machine does not respond to the prompting within a certain threshold time, enabling by default the second user to use the UNIX-based machine.

10. The method of claim 1 in which the prompting is text-based.

11. An article comprising:

a machine-readable medium which stores machine-executable instructions, the instructions causing a machine to;

prompt a first user at a UNIX-based machine for permission for a second user at a machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine to control the UNIX-based machine; and

if the first user grants permission, enable the second user to use the UNIX-based machine through the machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine.

12. The article of claim 11 in which the prompting includes making the prompt known to the first user by displaying information on a display of the UNIX-based machine.

13. The article of claim 11 in which the second user uses the UNIX-based machine through the machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine as if the second user was directly using the UNIX-based machine.

14. The article of claim 11 further causing a machine to, before the prompting, replicate current contents of a screen on the UNIX-based machine onto a new screen running in a background of the UNIX-based machine.

15. The article of claim 14 further causing a machine to add to the new screen a prompt that asks the first user for the permission.

16. The method of claim 14 further causing a machine to replace the current contents of the screen on the UNIX-based machine with the new screen.

17. The article of claim 11 in which the using of the UNIX-based machine includes issuing text commands to the UNIX-based machine from the machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine.

18. The article of claim 11 further causing a machine to, if the first user does not grant permission, prevent the second user from using the UNIX-based machine through the machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine.

19. The article of claim 11 further causing a machine to, if the first user at the UNIX-based machine does not respond to the prompting within a certain threshold time, enable by default the second user to use the UNIX-based machine.

20. The article of claim 11 in which the prompting is text-based.

21. A system comprising:

a first device configured to run UNIX; and

a mechanism accessible by the first device and configured to run a process on the first device transparently to a user of the first device, the process configured to prompt the user of the first device for permission for a remote user at a second device at a location remote from the first device to input instructions to the first device from the second device.

22. The system of claim 21 in which the process is also configured to, if the user of the first device grants permission, enable the remote user to use the first device through the second device as if the remote user was directly using the first device.

23. The system of claim 21 further comprising a second mechanism accessible by the second device and configured to notify the first device when the remote user desires to input instructions to the first device from the second device.

24. The system of claim 21 in which the process is also configured to continuously runs on the first device.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising, after the user responds to the prompt, returning the UNIX-based device back to the current contents of the display screen.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising determining if the second user may control the UNIX-based machine based on a response to the text prompt by the first user.

30. The method of claim 29 in which remotely controlling the UNIX-based machine includes issuing text commands to the UNIX-based machine from the machine.

25. A method comprising:

replicating current contents of a display screen visible to a user on a UNIX-based device onto a new screen not visible on the display screen to the user;

inserting a prompt on the new screen to a user of the UNIX-based device to grant permission for a remote device at a location remote from the UNIX-based device to control the UNIX-based device; and

replacing the current contents of the display screen with the new screen, the new screen visible to the user on the UNIX-based device.

27. A method comprising:

replicating current contents of a screen on a UNIX-based machine onto a new screen running in a background of the UNIX-based machine;

adding to the new screen a text prompt prompting a first user at the UNIX-based machine for permission for a second user at a machine remotely-located from the UNIX-based machine to control the UNIX-based machine; and

replacing the current contents of the screen with the new screen.

29. A method comprising:

requesting at a machine to remotely control a UNIX-based machine at a location remote from the machine; and

determining whether the machine may remotely control the UNIX-based machine based on a response from the UNIX-based machine.