Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing – Computer network monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-17
2001-07-24
Najjar, Saleh (Department: 2758)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
Computer network monitoring
C709S223000, C709S250000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06266696
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of network-connected personal computers and, more specifically, to transfers of status and control information for such computers over a network.
2. Background
With personal computers (PCs) being increasingly connected into networks to allow transfers of data among computers to occur, more operations such a maintenance and updating of applications and data collections are occurring over the network.
As computers are also becoming essential to their users to perform their work it is desirable to shift the time when maintenance and updates occur to not interfere with productive work. Shifting the time for such activity is not an easy matter because the computers on the network (clients) are usually shut down at off hours and there is no one available at the client system to answer questions and take action at the direction of the network manager.
One solution to this problem has been wake-up technology, such as IBM's Wake on LAN technology which supports special signaling over a network to cause a client to power itself up. The network manager may then perform various operations on the client. This feature expands the ability of the network manager to do maintenance and upgrades but is limited to a single command to activate a system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is recognized, by the invention, that additional status and other information from the client would allow the network manager to provide increased off hours support but that is not desired to change from existing PC network structures and protocols and the major installed infrastructure of PC networks. According to the invention, low power logic is provided that is always active and stimulates normal network data traffic (e.g. Ethernet format) normally sent from and received by the client system.
Preferably, network updates are sent out by the special purpose logic to keep the network manager aware of selected status information. According to a preferred implementation, the signals are introduced to the client side of the “physical layer” of the network controller.
That is the layer that conditions the network-directed signal to analog form to go out over the physical connecting network. By so configuring the signal to have the characteristics of a standard network signal prepared by the client, it passes through the network as if any normal network signal sent by the client.
This surrogate client, with its low power requirements, stays active, preferably full time, and is able, on an ongoing basis, to keep the network manager aware of selected information regarding detected conditions at the client system. By so maintaining at the client, the ability to respond to information requests, the network manager is made aware of the actual conditions at the client and has greater latitude of flexibility in performing procedures on respective clients. It may even determine that a problem is beyond network resolution and send a maintenance or security request for on-site action. A problem might be addressed while the machine is unattended possibly before the user realizes a problem exists.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A presently preferred implementation for the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of a network arrangement suitable for implementation of the invention;
FIG. 2
is a block diagram of a client system suitable for implementation of the invention;
FIG. 3
is a block diagram of a system client with normal network connection circuitry;
FIG. 4
is a block diagram of a system client with added logic coupled to the network connection circuitry to support transfer of status information over the network.
FIG. 5
is a diagrammatic representation of a packet of a kind that might be prepared for a LAN system based on an Ethernet specification;
FIG. 6
is a diagrammatic representation of a packet of
FIG. 5
with data areas for reception and transmission respectively according to the invention;
FIG. 7
is a simplified block diagram showing sensors for collecting selected system information;
FIG. 8
is a block diagram indicating chip modules connected to perform the role of the auxiliary logic according to the invention;
FIG. 9
is a flow chart indicating logic for generating the transmitted data packets of
FIG. 6
which may be implemented as hard logic or using a programmed general purpose processor; and
FIG. 10
is flow chart diagram describing logic for interpreting data packets received from the network in the form described at FIG.
6
.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5367670 (1994-11-01), Ward et al.
patent: 5404544 (1995-04-01), Crayford
patent: 5487148 (1996-01-01), Komori et al.
patent: 5504905 (1996-04-01), Cleary et al.
patent: 5761085 (1998-06-01), Giorgio
patent: 5781703 (1998-07-01), Desai et al.
patent: 5809313 (1998-09-01), Gianni
patent: 5815652 (1998-09-01), Ote et al.
patent: 5945915 (1999-08-01), Cromer et al.
Cromer Daryl Carvis
Locker Howard
Rhoades David Benson
Ward James Peter
Grosser George E.
International Business Machine Corporation
Najjar Saleh
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