Electronic control system and method for externally controlling process in a computer system with a script language

• US 6,035,264 A
• Filed: 11/26/1996
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: World Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Global Maintech Incorporated
• Inventors: Jensen, Jeffrey J., McDowall, Steven J., Donaldson, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, KAMINI S
• Application Number:
  US08/757,044
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 702/182, 709/200, 709/250, 364/468.05, 395/712, 713/100
• US Class Current: 702/182
• 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 11/3065 Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in reporting the monitored data error or fault reporting or logging G06F11/0766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

An electronic control method for externally controlling processes in the computer system is provided in which electronic data is presented as graphical information to a user on a display device. In addition, electronic data input by the user is received. Software routines are written in a script language specifically designed for computer monitoring and control operations through interactively presenting data to and receiving data from the user. Subsequently, processing rules are interpreted from the software routines with an electronic data processor. Operations of the computer system are controlled based on the processing rules with the electronic data processor such that the computer system can be automatically externally controlled with the processing rules by only utilizing preexisting computer system signals received from the computer system and control signals sent to the computer system. In addition, a control system for implementing the external control method is provided.

Claims

1. An electronic control system external to heterogenous computer systems for monitoring and controlling processes in the computer systems, comprising:

(a) a graphical user interface which presents data as graphical information to a user on a display device;

(b) an input device which receives data input by the user; and

(c) processing means, operatively coupled to the graphical user interface, the input device, and the heterogenous computer systems, for controlling operating systems of the computer systems based on processing rules interpreted by the processing means from software routines written in a language specifically designed for computer monitoring and control operations such that the operating systems of the computer systems can be automatically externally controlled with the processing rules by only utilizing preexisting computer system signals received from the computer systems and control signals sent to the computer systems.

2. The control system of claim 1 wherein the processing means comprises means for editing the processing rules based on user input provided through the input device in response to processing rules displayed to the user by the graphical user interface means.

3. The control system of claim 2 wherein the language comprises a script language comprising host message commands selected from a group consisting of:

searching a console for a specified character string, group searching of several consoles for a specified character string, entering a character string to a specific console, returning a port number for a console definition, queuing operations for printer console messages, and reading a next message from a script message queue.

4. The control system of claim 2 wherein the language comprises a script language comprising interface control commands selected from a group consisting of:

switching system power on/off, checking status of a device connected to the control system, controlling a device connected to the control system, reading a current humidity value from a sensor unit, and reading a current temperature value from a sensor unit.

5. The control system of claim 2 wherein the language comprises a script language comprising icon control commands selected from a group consisting of:

filling an array with icon names in a class, changing an icon'"'"'s characteristics, returning an icon'"'"'s current message, returning an icon'"'"'s name, and returning an icon'"'"'s current status.

6. The control system of claim 2 further comprising:

(d) a receiving device which receives the preexisting computer system generated signals which are output by a particular process in the computer systems; and

(e) a sending device which sends the control signals to the computer systems.

7. The control system of claim 6 further comprising:

(f) a transformation device, operatively coupled to the receiving device and the sending device, which transforms the received preexisting computer system generated signals into an incoming plurality of message signals in a common message signal format and which transforms an outgoing plurality of message signals into the control signals; and

(g) a common data storage, operatively coupled to the transformation device and the processing means, which stores the incoming and the outgoing plurality of message signals such that the processing means performs different operations on a particular message signal of the incoming plurality of message signals retrieved from the common data storage based on the processing rules and stores a particular message signal of the outgoing plurality of message signals in the common data storage based on the processing rules.

8. An electronic control method for externally controlling processes in heterogenous computer systems, comprising steps of:

(a) presenting electronic data as graphical information to a user on a display device;

(b) receiving electronic data input by the user;

(c) writing software routines in a language specifically designed for monitoring and controlling operations in the heterogenous computer systems through interactive repetition of steps (a) and (b);

(d) interpreting processing rules from the software routines with an electronic data processor; and

(e) controlling operating systems of the heterogenous computer systems based on the processing rules with the electronic data processor such that the operating systems of the computer systems can be automatically externally controlled with the processing rules by only utilizing preexisting computer system signals received from the computer systems and control signals sent to the computer systems.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the writing step comprises editing the processing rules based on user input provided through the receiving step in response to processing rules being displayed to the user by the presenting step.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the language comprises a script language comprising host message commands selected from a group consisting of:

searching a console for a specified character string, group searching of several consoles for a specified character string, entering a character string to a specific console, returning a port number for a console definition, queuing operations for printer console messages, and reading a next message from a script message queue.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the language comprises a script language comprising interface control commands selected from a group consisting of:

switching system power on/off, checking status of a device connected to the control system, controlling a device connected to the control system, reading a current humidity value from a sensor unit, and reading a current temperature value from a sensor unit.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the language comprises a script language comprising icon control commands selected from a group consisting of:

filling an array with icon names in a class, changing an icon'"'"'s characteristics, returning an icon'"'"'s current message, returning an icon'"'"'s name, and returning an icon'"'"'s current status.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising steps of:

(f) receiving the preexisting computer system generated signals which are output by a particular process in the computer systems; and

(g) sending the control signals to the computer systems.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising steps of:

(h) transforming the received preexisting computer system generated signals into an incoming plurality of message signals in a common message signal format;

(i) transforming an outgoing plurality of message signals into the control signals; and

(j) storing the incoming and the outgoing plurality of message signals in a common data storage such that the electronic data processor performs different operations on a particular message signal of the incoming plurality of message signals retrieved from the common data storage based on the processing rules and stores a particular message signal of the outgoing plurality of message signals in the common data storage based on the processing rules.