Abstract: A system to facilitate troubleshooting a hardware device in a network switching fabric is described. The system includes a processor and a machine readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to receive a message from a hardware device indicating that a problem has been detected at the device, perform a troubleshooting operation to determine the problem at the hardware device and generate a report including the results of the troubleshooting operation.

Abstract: Policy-based management method for remote management of a home device (3), said method comprising: a triggering step wherein the operational state of the home device (3) changes under occurrence of a triggering event belonging to one of the following event categories: a device event, where the event is automatically produced by the home device (3); a scheduled event, where the event is automatically produced by a clock; a user event, where the event is produced by a user; an evaluation step, wherein a home device management (HDM) server (9) evaluates at least one device selection criterion; a policy run cycle, wherein the HDM server (9) runs a policy on the home device (3), said policy being selected among the following policies: an activation policy if the triggering event is of the device type; a management policy if the triggering event is of the scheduled type; a transient policy if the triggering event is of the user type.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for facilitating communications between a managing server and a client device. The managing server may be an ACS operable to configure a CPE to received connection request from an external server, which thereby brokers initiation of a communication session between the CPE and the ACS. The external server also preferably determines what type of connection request to use and provides configuration parameters to the ACS.

Abstract: A server architecture for, and method of, managing devices. In one embodiment, the server architecture includes: (1) a plurality of manager clusters and (2) a dispatcher cluster coupled to the plurality of manager clusters and configured to: (2a) receive an initial contact from a device, (2b) assign the device to one manager cluster of the plurality of manager clusters, the one manager cluster becoming a home cluster for the device, (2c) cause data regarding the device to be transferred to the home cluster and (2d) cause the device thereafter to communicate directly with, and be managed by, the home cluster.

Abstract: A manner of managing selected CPE (customer premises equipment), UE (user equipments, or other subscriber device traffic in a communication system. A management traffic regulator is provided that inspects incoming management traffic from and determines whether it should be forwarded to a server. The determination is made by comparing the type of message to a rules and policy database, which in one embodiment prescribes which messages will be declined if the level of traffic being processed has reached a certain percentage of the systems maximum capacity.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing CPE devices. In managing a CPE, an ACS must first establish a communication session with the CPE. In accordance with the present invention, the connection request formed by the ACS and containing proxy information is transmitted to a primary blast box. The primary blast box, which includes a blast box registry, forwards the connection request to a plurality of secondary blast boxes, each secondary blast box being associated with a respective CGN private network of the communications network. The secondary blast boxes in turn removes the proxy information and forwards the connection request to one or more CPEs in the private network encompassed by the corresponding CGN. Authentication information sent with the proxy information uniquely permits authentication of the connection request in the target CPE. When authentication occurs, the CPE initiates a communication session with the ACS so that the desired management function may be executed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a new system and method for process automation system that allows the conversion of a narrowband consumer Internet user into a broadband (e.g., DSL, ISDN, or Data over Cable) Internet user. In an alternative embodiment, the new system and method is used to configure an original broadband connection. The system includes automation agent software residing on the personal computer that is being configured for broadband communication, and an automation server associated with the manager of the broadband network. The automation agent software guides the user through the steps of testing and ordering the service, automates the configuring of the personal computer for broadband communication, and communicates with the automation server to complete the registration, billing and other administrative processes.

Abstract: Method for remote management of a home device (3), said method comprising: a connection step wherein the home device (3) connects to a remote walled garden home device management (WG_HDM) server (10); a pre-activation cycle wherein a pre-activation policy is run on the home device (3) from the WG_HDM server (10); a transfer step wherein the home device (3) is redirected by the WG_HDM server (10) to a remote public home device management (P_HDM) server (14); an activation cycle wherein an activation policy is run on the home device (3) from the P_HDM server (14).

Abstract: A method, system, computer system and computer program product to distribute data to arbitrarily large subsets of a very large client base, with each client computer system running client software referred to as an agent. The data distribution system uses minimal server resources and a large-scale network such as the Internet. The data to be distributed may include, for example, agent software configuration data; agent software programs, plug-ins, and associated data; announcements; and other data that is centrally managed by an administrator. Using this invention, millions of client computer systems, such as computer systems for subscribers to a broadband service, can be configured and managed centrally, while allowing data to be distributed to all or a subset of subscribers efficiently and using minimal bandwidth. Agents assist in determining whether particular data are to be distributed to them, enabling much larger-scale applications to be supported with limited server-side resources.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for scheduling data distributions to or results information from, or collectively, “jobs” a plurality of data processing systems via a network. A connection to a target system is created. For each distribution, a session, which is an independent thread, is allocated from one of a plurality of pool of sessions and launched to effect execution of the job. Each pool corresponds to a predetermined priority level, and the session is allocated from the pool having the same priority level as the priority level of the job being scheduled. A connection supports a multiplicity of independent threads. In the event of an error, the session is released, and the scheduling of the aborted job is retried after a predetermined retry interval expires. After expiry of the retry interval, a callback method is invoked when the target system on which the scheduled job is executed becomes accessible.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for scheduling data distributions to or results information from, or collectively, “jobs” to a plurality of data processing systems via a network. A connection to a target system is created. For each distribution, a session, which is an independent thread, is allocated from one of a plurality of pool of sessions and launched to effect execution of the job. Each pool corresponds to a predetermined priority level, and the session is allocated from the pool having the same priority level as the priority level of the job being scheduled. A connection supports a multiplicity of independent threads. In the event of an error, the session is released, and the scheduling of the aborted job is retried after a predetermined retry interval expires. After expiry of the retry interval, a callback method is invoked when the target system on which the scheduled job is executed becomes accessible.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are provided for monitoring messages in a distributed data processing system. Embodiments typically include putting a message containing a monitoring token on a queue on a server; receiving a call to get the message from the queue on the server; determining, with an API exit running on the server, whether the call to get the message is made by a process running on a remote client or by a process running on the server; and if the call to get the message is made by a process running on the server, removing the monitoring token from the message with the API exit. Many embodiments also include removing the monitoring token from the message with a channel exit running on the remote client, if the call to get the message is made by a process on the remote client.

Abstract: Method for remote management of a home device (3), said method comprising: a connection step wherein the home device (3) connects to a remote walled garden home device management (WG_HDM) server (10); a pre-activation cycle wherein a pre-activation policy is run on the home device (3) from the WG_HDM server (10); a transfer step wherein the home device (3) is redirected by the WG_HDM server (10) to a remote public home device management (P_HDM) server (14); an activation cycle wherein an activation policy is run on the home device (3) from the P_HDM server (14).

Abstract: Policy-based management method for remote management of a home device (3), said method comprising: a triggering step wherein the operational state of the home device (3) changes under occurrence of a triggering event belonging to one of the following event categories: a device event, where the event is automatically produced by the home device (3); a scheduled event, where the event is automatically produced by a clock; a user event, where the event is produced by a user; an evaluation step, wherein a home device management (HDM) server (9) evaluates at least one device selection criterion; a policy run cycle, wherein the HDM server (9) runs a policy on the home device (3), said policy being selected among the following policies: an activation policy if the triggering event is of the device type; a management policy if the triggering event is of the scheduled type; a transient policy if the triggering event is of the user type.

Abstract: A method that, all-in-one, allows applications to distribute asynchronously large amounts of data from a source node to multiple destination nodes, to process that data on each single node and to collect the results of that processing on one or more report-to nodes. Distributions are given levels of priority that determine the order in which they are handled by repeaters. A distribution with a given priority can use the number of sessions reserved for its priority level plus any sessions allocated for lower priority levels. Distributions are enqueues in a persistent queue, according to its priority, for subsequent distribution and immediately returns to the caller an ID that can be used as a correlator for the results.

Abstract: A method of effectuating control actions in a computer network including a server running a Distribution Manager program, a database and a hierarchy of repeaters and endpoints. A selected control action is initiated and a distribution identifier passed to the Distribution Manager identifying a data distribution to be controlled. The Distribution Manager retrieves information from the database identifying a route through the hierarchy of repeaters and endpoints for the data distribution. The Distribution Manager also creates a control message identifying the selected control action and passes the message through the hierarchy of repeaters and endpoints via the identified route.