PROVIDING A REMOTE DIAGNOSIS FOR AN INFORMATION APPLIANCE VIA A SECURE CONNECTION

• US 20150067402A1
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Cheng-Ta, Liu, Jeffrey CH, Tseng, Joey HY, Wu, Rick MF
• Granted Patent: US 9,697,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/37
• 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 11/079 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 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• 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 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

A processor-implemented method provides a remote diagnosis for an information appliance via a secure connection. A command is received from a console, and an examination is performed to determine whether or not the command is permitted to be issued. In response to a remote diagnostic module being initiated, a determination is made as to whether a secure connection to a remote information appliance has been created. In response to determining that the secure connection to the remote information appliance has been created, the command is transmitted to the remote information appliance via the secure connection.

Claims

1. A method of providing a remote diagnosis for an information appliance via a secure connection, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a command from a console;

examining, by one or more processors, whether the command is permitted to be issued;

determining, by one or more processors and in response to a remote diagnostic module being initiated, whether a secure connection to a remote information appliance has been created; and

in response to determining that the secure connection to the remote information appliance has been created, transmitting, by one or more processors, the command to the remote information appliance via the secure connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection is a TCP/IP connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said examining whether the command is permitted to be issued comprises:

determining, by one or more processors, whether a user who wants to log in is permitted to access the information appliance; and

determining, by one or more processors, whether the authenticated user is permitted to issue the command.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a response via the secure connection.

5. A method of providing a remote diagnosis for an information appliance via a secure connection, the method comprising:

detecting, by one or more processors, a failure state of the information appliance;

detecting, by one or more processors, initiation of a remote diagnostic module;

in response to detecting initiation of the remote diagnostic module, retrieving, by one or more processors, an IP address and a port number of a trusted information appliance in a predetermined delegation relationship configuration;

creating, by one or more processors, a data transmission path using the IP address and the port number of the trusted information appliance in the predetermined delegation relationship configuration;

creating, by one or more processors, a secure connection to the trusted information appliance;

determining, by one or more processors, if a local command line interface (CLI) procedure is available; and

in response to determining that the local command line interface (CLI) procedure is available, bridging, by one or more processors, the secure connection to an input/output of the local CLI procedure.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to determining that the local command line interface (CLI) procedure is unavailable, bridging, by one or more processors, the secure connection to an input/output of a local administrative port.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the secure connection to the trusted information appliance is a TCP/IP connection.

8. A computer program product for providing a remote diagnosis for an information appliance via a secure connection, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, and wherein the program code is readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

detecting a failure state of the information appliance;

detecting initiation of a remote diagnostic module;

in response to detecting initiation of the remote diagnostic module, retrieving an IP address and a port number of a trusted information appliance in a predetermined delegation relationship configuration;

creating a data transmission path using the IP address and the port number of the trusted information appliance in the predetermined delegation relationship configuration;

creating a secure connection to the trusted information appliance;

determining if a local command line interface (CLI) procedure is available; and

in response to determining that the local command line interface (CLI) procedure is available, bridging the secure connection to an input/output of the local CLI procedure.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to determining that the local command line interface (CLI) procedure is unavailable, bridging the secure connection to an input/output of a local administrative port.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the secure connection to the trusted information appliance is a TCP/IP connection.