SMTP method and system for simultaneously configuring a plurality of remote management appliances

• US 6,976,159 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mineral Lassen LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Crystal Group Limited
• Inventors: Kongable, Scott, Jensen, Christopher M., Poduska, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): SURYAWANSHI, SURESH
• Application Number:
  US10/064,931
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 713/100, 713/1, 710/2, 710/8, 710/18, 714/30, 714/47, 714/48, 714/57, 709/206
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A system and method using SMTP messages for remotely and simultaneously reconfiguring monitor parameters in management appliances disposed in numerous dispersed industrial computers.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first computer, at a first location, which is configured to send and receive SMTP e-mail messages over an internet connection;

a first wizard program, disposed on said first computer, said first wizard program configured to generate an SMTP broadcast message which is representative of a management appliance reconfiguration signal and further for addressing said SMTP broadcast message to a plurality of e-mail addresses;

where each of said plurality of e-mail addresses is uniquely associated with a different one of a plurality of management appliances;

e-mail transmitting means for transmitting said SMTP broadcast message over said internet connection; and

,

each of said plurality of management appliances comprising;

an expansion card, configured to mate along one side with an internal PC bus when said internal PC bus is conforming to a first predetermined bus standard and is alternately configured to mate along an opposite side with said internal PC bus when said internal PC bus is conforming to a second predetermined bus standard;

a communication port which is out of band with respect to a primary communication port for a host computer;

said expansion card adapted to receive only power rough said internal PC bus;

means for monitoring environmental and application software events occurring in said host computer, where said means for monitoring has a plurality of reconfigurable monitored parameters; and

,

means for slating said SMTP broadcast message into reconfiguration instructions which are configured to change said plurality of reconfigurable monitored parameters; and

,

means for generating and transmitting a confirmation e-mail, addressed to an e-mail address for said first computer, after receipt of said SMTP broadcast message via said out-of-band communication port.

2. An alarm card reconfiguration system for reconfiguring characteristics of an alarm card on an industrial personal computer, of the type having a host CPU therein, the apparatus comprising:

an alarm expansion card disposed in and monitoring a plurality of characteristics of said industrial personal computer and coupled to said host CPU;

the alarm expansion cad having an alarm expansion card microprocessor therein and configured to monitor environmental characteristics of the industrial personal computer and further configured to compare monitored environmental characteristics of the industrial personal computer with configurable parameters of alarm thresholds for the monitored environmental characteristics of the industrial personal computer;

translation software disposed in said industrial personal computer and coupled to and executed by at least one of said host CPU and said alarm expansion card microprocessor;

wherein the alarm expansion card, configured to mate along one side with an internal PC bus when said internal PC bus is conforming to a first predetermined bus standard and is alternately configured to mate along an opposite side with internal PC bus when said internal PC bus is conforming to a second predetermined bus standard;

said translation software, when executed, configured to convert an incoming SMTP formatted reconfiguration message into a second format which is capable of causing a reconfiguration of one of the configurable parameters of alarm thresholds for monitored environmental characteristics which is monitored at least in part in reliance upon operation of said alarm expansion card microprocessor.

3. A method of reconfiguring a parameter in an alarm expansion card in an industrial personal computer which is remotely located with respect to a first location;

using, at said first location, a wizard software program to generate an SMTP message which is representative of an instruction to change a configurable environmental parameter of an alarm card which is disposed in the industrial personal computer at a second location which is remotely located from said first location;

transmitting said SMTP message to said industrial personal computer;

translating said SMTP message, at said second location, into an alarm card reconfiguration instruction; and

,

reconfiguring an environmental monitoring parameter of said industrial personal computer in response to receipt of said alarm card reconfiguration instruction;

where the environmental monitoring parameter is a parameter of an internal environmental characteristic of said industrial computer wherein the alarm expansion card, configured to mate along one side with an internal PC bus when said internal PC bus is conforming to a first predetermined bus standard and is alternately configured to mate along an opposite side with internal PC bus when said internal PC bus is conforming to a second predetermined bus standard.