Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-25
2002-03-05
dela Torre, Crescelle N. (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C709S203000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06353446
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of computer networks. In particular, the present invention relates to software for managing enterprise networks and for assisting the users thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The expense of managing an enterprise network can be staggering. Enterprise networks, as described in Sheldon,
The Encyclopedia of Networking
, Osbourne/McGraw-Hill (1998), the contents of which are incorporated by reference into the present application, are generally both local and wide area in scope, and serve to connect the departmental or workgroup networks of an organization into an intracompany network with the potential for allowing computer users in a company to access any data or computing resource. According to one statistic appearing on the World Wide Web site of Network Associates, Inc, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference as of the filing date of the present application, the average five year cost of provisioning and maintaining a networked personal computer is more than $65,000.
FIG. 1
shows a diagram of an enterprise network
100
in which one or more service personnel
102
a
,
102
b
, etc., provision and maintain the hardware and software therein and assist users with problems as they arise, and which is amenable to a system and method for integrated network management applications in accordance with the preferred embodiments. It is to be understood that the term service personnel as used herein generally refers to any person involved in the provisioning, maintenance, or user assistance associated with the enterprise network
100
, such persons having any of a variety of titles including, but not limited to, system administrator, computer technician, software engineer, network engineer, help desk engineer, help desk clerk, or other titles.
Enterprise network
100
comprises a plurality of local area networks
104
,
106
,
108
, and
110
. Local area network
104
may correspond, for example, to a finance department of a corporation, while local area network
106
may correspond, for example, to an engineering department. Local area network
108
may correspond, for example, to an off-site marketing department that is coupled to the remainder of the enterprise network
100
through the Internet
112
and gateway devices
114
and
116
, respectively. Finally, local area network
110
is shown in
FIG. 1
as corresponding to the system administration department of a corporation, containing equipment and personnel for provisioning, maintaining, and assisting users on the enterprise network
100
. It is to be appreciated that the enterprise network
100
represents only one sample of a virtually unlimited number of configurations of enterprise networks amenable to the preferred embodiments described herein.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, local area network
104
is a token ring network to which is coupled user computers
118
and
120
, local area network
106
is an Ethernet network to which is coupled user computers
122
,
124
, and
126
, and a file server
127
, and local area network
108
is an Ethernet network to which is coupled user computers
128
and
130
. Local area networks
104
and
106
are coupled to the remainder of the enterprise network through routers
132
and
134
, respectively.
Various network management tools have been made available to assist the service personnel
102
a
,
102
b
, etc. in provisioning, maintaining, and assisting users in the enterprise network environment. As a first example, help desk tools have become available for assistance in resolving, recording, and tracking user troubles. As a second example, administration tools have become available for assisting in the tracking and management of hardware inventory, software inventory and distribution, software metering, and menuing. Finally, as a third example, network visibility tools have become available for assistance in analyzing, monitoring, and troubleshooting data communications problems.
Local area network
110
is an Ethernet network to which is coupled computer systems and other hardware for provisioning, maintaining, and assisting users on the enterprise network
100
. In particular, a help desk server
136
, an administration server
138
, a network visibility server
140
, a network visibility console
142
, and help desk terminals
144
and
146
are coupled to local area network
110
. Network visibility agent computers
148
,
150
, and
152
are coupled to the local area networks
104
,
106
, and
108
, respectively, for gathering network visibility data and communicating this data to network visibility server
140
. As indicated supra, the enterprise network
100
represents only one sample of a virtually unlimited number of configurations of enterprise networks, and it is not required that the above network management computer systems be coupled to a single local area network. For example, the help desk server
136
or the administration server
138
could just as well be connected to local area networks
104
,
106
, or other local area networks (not shown) of the enterprise network
100
without departing from the scope of the preferred embodiments. Furthermore, the network visibility agent computers
148
,
150
, and
152
may not be required to be separate computers but may rather correspond to applications loaded onto one or more of the user computers, e.g., where the local user is a local system administrator. Thus, there may be a virtually unlimited number of configurations of the enterprise network
100
, help desk devices
136
,
144
, and
146
, administration server
138
, and network visibility devices
140
,
142
,
148
,
150
, and
152
that are possible and that are amenable to a system and method for integrated network management applications in accordance with the preferred embodiments described infra, provided that there is a requirement for service personnel
102
a and
102
b and for applications for providing assistance in help desk, administration, and network visibility functionalities.
An exemplary help desk tool for use by the service personnel
102
a
,
102
b
, etc. is McAfee HelpDesk™, currently available from Network Associates, Inc. As described in the McAfee HelpDesk user manual for v. 3.50, Mar. 31, 1998, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, McAfee HelpDesk™ comprises a Help Desk Client for loading onto help desk computers
144
and
146
, a Help Desk Database Administrator for loading onto help desk server
136
, and other optional components for providing help desk functionality. McAfee HelpDesk helps to automate the process of entering caller information, e.g. when the service person enter a caller's name, for example, all other relevant fields are filled in automatically. Important information about the caller is also displayed automatically. If a caller has open trouble tickets, a pop-up window advising of this is shown at the outset. McAfee HelpDesk is fully integrated with industry standard problem resolution technologies, such as Inference Corporation's case-based reasoning engine and knowledge-base tools. A White Board feature allows easy management of widespread problems by posting the problem on a white board. When users call with that problem, a click on the white board generates a trouble ticket for that user. There is no need to manually log multiple tickets. When the problem is resolved, all linked trouble tickets are closed automatically. Detailed reports then help the service personnel measure the true impact of the problem.
An exemplary administration tool for use by the service personnel
102
a
,
102
b
, etc. is McAfee Zero Administration Client (ZAC) Suite™, which is currently available from Network Associates, Inc. As described at the Network Associates World Wide Web Site and in the McAfee ZAC Suite™ user manual for v. 6.21, Jun. 26, 1998, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, McAfee ZAC Suite™ loads onto administration server
138
and provides tools for hardware and software inventory, soft
Nelson Zachary A.
Vaughn Leslie W.
dela Torre Crescelle N.
Network Associates, Inc.
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
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