Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090204961 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DISTRIBUTING AND MANAGING VIRTUAL MACHINES - An embodiment relates generally to a method of distributing virtual machines. The method includes specifying a set of requirements for a virtual machine and instantiating a virtual machine based on a lightweight reusable profile, based on the set of requirements as described in the profile. The method also includes importing the profile to a distribution server; and distributing the profile to at least one physical machine in response to a request. Software can be added to the at least one physical machine that can manage the deployment of the physical hosts as a farm to hosting the virtual images | 08-13-2009 |
20100217843 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COLLECTING AND ALTERING FIRMWARE CONFIGURATIONS OF TARGET MACHINES IN A SOFTWARE PROVISIONING ENVIRONMENT - A provisioning server can provide and interact with a firmware tool on target machines. The firmware toot can communicate with the firmware of the target machines and collect data representing the configuration of the firmware of the target machines, independent of the types of the target machines. To communicate independent of the type of target machine, the firmware tool can include a translation library. The translation library enables the firmware tool to receive common instructions for interacting with firmware and convert those common instructions into specific instructions that are compatible with different types of the target machines. | 08-26-2010 |
20100217944 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING CONFIGURATIONS OF STORAGE DEVICES IN A SOFTWARE PROVISIONING ENVIRONMENT - A provisioning server can provide and interact with a storage device tool on target machines. The storage device tool can communicate with the storage devices of the target machines, independent of the types of the storage devices. To communicate independent of the type of the storage device, the storage device tool can include a translation library. The translation library enables the storage device tool to receive common commands and/or instructions for interacting with the storage devices and convert those common commands and/or instructions into specific commands and/or instructions that are compatible with different types of the storage devices. | 08-26-2010 |
20100218243 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SECURE GATE FILE DEPLOYMENT ASSOCIATED WITH PROVISIONING - A software provisioning server can be configured to communicate with a certificate authority to evaluate security credential requests received from one or more target machines prior to a software installation. The certificate authority can issue certificates to the one or more target machines and notify an administrator and the software provisioning server of the issued certificates. The software provisioning server can manage the software installation to the one or more target machines based on the issued certificates and other specifications. | 08-26-2010 |
20100220584 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATICALLY GENERATING SYSTEM RESTORATION ORDER FOR NETWORK RECOVERY - Embodiments relate to systems and methods for automatically generating a system restoration order for network recovery. A set of managed machines, such as personal computers or servers, can be managed by a network management platform communicating with the machines via a secure channel. The network management platform can access a dependency map indicating a required order for restoration of machines or nodes on a network. The network management platform likewise access a reverse kickstart file for each machine to be automatically restored in order to ensure proper functioning of the network, and extract a current configuration of that machine for purposes of restoring the overall network. | 09-02-2010 |
20100223274 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING A CHANGE LOG FOR FILES IN A MANAGED NETWORK - Embodiments relate to systems and methods for generating a change log for files in managed network. A set of managed machines, such as personal computers or servers, can be managed by a network management platform communicating with the machines via a secure channel. The network management platform can employ a package management tool to manage files stored or hosted in the managed network. The network management platform can further employ a change monitor or other logic to locate additional files located in the managed network but that may not be under the control of or registered to the package management tool. A systems administrator or other user can invoke both the package management tool and the change monitor logic to initiate a discovery process and locate all available files associated with the network, and generate a unified change log recording all available files and/or their changes. | 09-02-2010 |
20100223369 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DEPOPULATION OF USER DATA FROM NETWORK - Embodiments relate to systems and methods for depopulation of user data from a network. A network management platform can communicate with a set of managed machines in a network, and generally manage user accounts including user lDs, associated network processes, services, application files, data files, and/or other user data. In embodiments, a user may have a change in status, such as departing from the organization operating the network, changing their name or user name, or other updates. In such cases, a systems administrator may need to update or delete files, processes, services, and/or other user data associated with the user from the network. The network management platform can interrogate the network for files, processes, or other resources associated with the user ID of interest. The search can exhaustively interrogate every available node in the network, to update or purge all files associated with the subject user ID(s). | 09-02-2010 |
20100223375 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SEARCHING A MANAGED NETWORK FOR SETTING AND CONFIGURATION DATA - A network management server can be configured to search the components of computing systems and devices in a managed network for specified settings and configurations in order to determine if the computing systems or devices contain the specified settings and configurations. The network management server can receive a request containing search parameters. The search parameters can identify specific settings and configurations to search for in the components of the systems and devices of the managed network. The network management server can initiate a search of the components of all the systems and devices in the managed network based on the search parameters. | 09-02-2010 |
20100223473 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR NETWORK MANAGEMENT USING SECURE MESH COMMAND AND CONTROL FRAMEWORK - Embodiments relate to systems and methods for network management using a secure mesh command and control framework. A network management server can communicate with a set of supervisory hosts, which in turn communicate with an underlying set of targets. The set of targets can have associated digital certificates which can be authenticated by common certificate authorities. A controlled target can authenticate one or more other target requesting access to the controlled target via the trusted common certificate authority. One authenticated target can therefore mesh on a trusted basis with another target to perform installation, monitoring, testing, or other activities directly on the target of interest, without channeling commands through an intervening supervisory host. | 09-02-2010 |
20100223504 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTERROGATING DIAGNOSTIC TARGET USING REMOTELY LOADED IMAGE - Embodiments relate to systems and methods for interrogating one or more diagnostic targets using a remotely loaded image. A set of managed machines, such as personal computers or servers, can be managed by a network management engine communicating with the machines via a secure channel. The network management engine can access a selected diagnostic target to temporarily deactivate the installed native operating system on that target, insert a substitute operating environment, and remotely interrogate the target to perform hardware, software, security, or other diagnostics or installs. The network management engine can connect to the diagnostic target, extract security keys from the native operating environment, remotely load the substitute environment, and then perform diagnostic or provisioning activities while the native environment is deactivate and the diagnostic target is effectively off-network. Installations, diagnostics, or other activities that require the diagnostic target to be isolated from other machines can therefore be safely conducted. | 09-02-2010 |
20100223608 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING REVERSE INSTALLATION FILE FOR NETWORK RESTORATION - Embodiments relate to systems and methods for generating a reverse installation file for network restoration. A set of managed machines, such as personal computers or servers, can be managed by a network management engine communicating with the machines via a secure channel. The network management engine can scan the managed network for kickstart, or provisioning answer files, that were used to install software to network nodes at a prior time. The network management engine can access the original kickstart file, and update that file to reflect a current state of the associated machine by inserting user-supplied updates, storage configuration updates, security credentials, and/or other data. Upon a crash or other malfunction of the associated machine, the network management platform can access the reverse kickstart file and generate a restoration of that node to a current state from the reverse kickstart data. | 09-02-2010 |
20100223609 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATIC DISCOVERY OF NETWORK SOFTWARE RELATIONSHIPS - Embodiments relate to systems and methods for automatic discovery of network software relationships. A set of managed machines, such as personal computers or servers, can be managed by a network management platform communicating with the machines via a secure channel. The network management platform can issue a set of discovery commands interrogating nodes of the network to report software or services which they consume. The network management platform can build a dependency map encoding the dependency or other relationships between nodes in the managed network based on their use of software resources. Network restorations can therefore be conducted in a rational order, maintaining stability in the restored nodes and network. | 09-02-2010 |
20110055544 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRACKING A HISTORY OF CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH SOFTWARE PACKAGES AND CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT IN A COMPUTING SYSTEM - In order to track actions performed by a package manager or a configuration management system, a computing system can be configured to include a tagging tool. The tagging tool can be configured to cooperate with the package manager and the configuration management system in order to determine and generate a history of the actions performed by the package manager and the configuration management system. The history can include a description of the actions, the reasons why the actions were performed, and a list and description of the software programs, files, and software libraries that are affected by the actions. | 03-03-2011 |
20110055636 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TESTING RESULTS OF CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY - Embodiments relate to systems and methods for testing results of configuration management activity. In embodiments, a configuration management server can control and maintain the configuration state of one or more targets, hosts, servers, clients, or other machines in a managed. In aspects, a testing tool hosted on the configuration management server can verify the correct implementation of configuration instructions. In embodiments, the testing tool can access or receive an anticipated or target configuration state for one or more target(s) or other machines, indicating the status of services, memory, security, storage, and/or other configuration parameters after a selected configuration command is to be transmitted and run on the recipient machine. After the configuration change or update is performed, the test tool can receive results indicating the actual configuration state achieved after running the configuration management command(s), and compare those to the anticipated configuration state. Any discrepancies can be flagged, and corrective commands can be issued. | 03-03-2011 |
20110055669 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING MACHINE FAULTS IN NETWORK USING ACOUSTIC MONITORING - Embodiments relate systems and methods for detecting machine faults in a network using acoustic monitoring. In embodiments, one or more servers, clients, or other machines in a managed network can have a microphone or other acoustic sensor integrated into motherboard or other hardware. The sensor can sample acoustic signals from inside or near the machine, and can digitize that data. The resulting set of acoustic data can be transmitted to a management server or other destination for analysis of the operating sounds related to that machine. For instance, the acoustic data can be analyzed to detect indications of a failed or failing hard drive, for instance by detecting spindle whine or head movement noises, or a failed or failing power supply based on other sounds. The management server can respond to potential fault events for instance by issuing configuration commands, such as instructions to power down the malfunctioning component. | 03-03-2011 |
20110055826 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRACKING A HISTORY OF CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH SOFTWARE PACKAGES IN A COMPUTING SYSTEM - In order to track actions performed by a package manager, a computing system can be configured to include a tagging tool. The tagging tool can be configured to cooperate with the package manager in order to determine and generate a history of the actions performed by the package manager. The history can include a description of the actions, the reasons why the actions were performed, and a list and description of the software programs, files, and software libraries that are affected by the actions. | 03-03-2011 |
20110078301 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING NETWORK CONDITIONS BASED ON CORRELATION BETWEEN TREND LINES - Embodiments relate systems and methods for detecting network conditions based on a correlation between trend lines. In embodiments, a network management server can monitor the status and operation of network machines, such as servers or targets, as well as network transmission hardware (e.g. routers). Streams of network operation data from those sources can be captured and stored. The management server or other logic can examine the network operation data to identify trend lines for network conditions, such as application faults, attempted intrusions, or other events or conditions. Trend line data can be treated to generate second or other higher-order derivatives, such as third-order derivatives or others. A time correlation between two or more trend lines and/or their higher order derivatives, for instance, the occurrence of a peak value in the same time window, can be used to identify an event, state or condition. | 03-31-2011 |
20110078302 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING NETWORK CONDITIONS BASED ON DERIVATIVES OF EVENT TRENDING - Embodiments relate systems and methods for detecting network conditions based on derivatives of event trending. In embodiments, a network management server can monitor the status and operation of network machines, such as servers or targets, as well as network transmission hardware (e.g. routers). Streams of network operation data from those sources can be captured and stored. The management server or other logic can examine the network operation data to identify trend lines for network conditions, such as application faults, attempted intrusions, or other events or conditions. trend line data can be treated to generate second or other higher-order derivatives, such as third-order derivatives representing the rate of change of acceleration (or jerk) in the time series of one or more conditions. The presence of acceleration or jerk for one or more trend lines, such as attempted network intrusions, can reflect an event and trigger a flag or other automated response. | 03-31-2011 |
20110107103 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SECURE DISTRIBUTED STORAGE - Embodiments relate to systems and methods for secure distributed storage. In aspects, a set of remote storage hosts, such as personal computers, servers, media devices, cell phones, or others, can subscribe or register to provide storage via a cloud-based or other distributed network. Source data from an originating computer, such as a data file, can be decomposed into data storage subunits, each of which is encrypted via a cloud management system or other logic or control. The data storage subunits can comprise data blocks or even or uneven size. The set of encrypted data storage subunits can be registered to a table or other record, and disseminated to the remote storage hosts. In the event of data loss at the originating computer or at other times, the remotely stored data storage subunits can be extracted, decrypted, and reassembled to reconstruct the original source data. | 05-05-2011 |
20110107300 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR UTILIZING A HISTORY OF CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH SOFTWARE PACKAGES AND CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT TO MANAGE MULTIPLE COMPUTING SYSTEMS - An administrator system can utilize a history generated by a tagging tool to determine the current configuration of computing systems. The administrator system can utilize the current configuration to verify that the computing systems have been configured properly and verify, over time, that the computing systems maintain the desired configuration. The administrator system can compare the current configuration with the desired configuration for the computing systems. | 05-05-2011 |
20110107419 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF THREATS TO A COMPUTING SYSTEM - A security tool can access a tagging tool and the history generated by the tagging tool in order to identify potential threats and analyze the identified threats. When a potential threat is detected or an actual threat is identified, the security tool can request the history of actions from the tagging tool corresponding to the threat. The security tool can compare the potential or actual threat with the history of any action recorded by the tagging tool in order to classify a potential threat as an actual threat or determine the source or cause of an actual threat. | 05-05-2011 |