Abstract: A plan including several groups of tasks is constructed for performing maintenance on a plurality of interrelated machines. A maintenance task in a first group is caused to execute within a window of time allocated for the maintenance. A determination is made that an estimated amount of time needed to execute a second group of tasks from the several groups is more than the remaining time in the window. In response to such a determination, the execution of the second group of tasks is omitted. The execution of a post-requisite task of the first group is completed. A maintenance task in the second group is executed during a second window of time allocated for the maintenance.

Abstract: Power usage is estimated in a computing environment by automatically detecting hardware configuration information by use of a software agent that is translated into power consumption information for implementing a plurality of power estimation models for efficient power consumption and utilization.

Abstract: Power usage is estimated in a computing environment by automatically detecting hardware configuration information by use of a software agent that is translated into power consumption information for implementing a plurality of power estimation models for efficient power consumption and utilization.

Abstract: A plan including several groups of tasks is constructed for performing maintenance on a plurality of interrelated machines. A maintenance task in a first group is caused to execute within a window of time allocated for the maintenance. A determination is made that an estimated amount of time needed to execute a second group of tasks from the several groups is more than the remaining time in the window. In response to such a determination, the execution of the second group of tasks is omitted. The execution of a post-requisite task of the first group is completed. A maintenance task in the second group is executed during a second window of time allocated for the maintenance.

Abstract: A plan including several groups of tasks is constructed for performing maintenance on a plurality of interrelated machines. A maintenance task in a first group is caused to execute within a window of time allocated for the maintenance. A determination is made that an estimated amount of time needed to execute a second group of tasks from the several groups is more than the remaining time in the window. In response to such a determination, the execution of the second group of tasks is omitted. The execution of a post-requisite task of the first group is completed. A maintenance task in the second group is executed during a second window of time allocated for the maintenance.

Abstract: A plan including several groups of tasks is constructed for performing maintenance on a plurality of interrelated machines. A maintenance task in a first group is caused to execute within a window of time allocated for the maintenance. A determination is made that an estimated amount of time needed to execute a second group of tasks from the several groups is more than the remaining time in the window. In response to such a determination, the execution of the second group of tasks is omitted. The execution of a post-requisite task of the first group is completed. A maintenance task in the second group is executed during a second window of time allocated for the maintenance.

Abstract: Apparatus for communicating with a server application. A first request is received by a first agent application on a first client computer system from the server application to request that a second agent application on a second client computer system communicate with the server application. Responsive to receiving the first request, a second request is sent by the first agent application to the second agent application on the second client computer system to communicate with the server application.

Abstract: Apparatus for communicating with agent applications. A first request is sent by a server application on a server computer system to a first agent application to communicate with the server application. The first agent application is located in a first network. If the first agent application fails to respond to the first request, a second request is sent by the server application to a second agent application to instruct the first agent application to communicate with the server application. The first agent application is located on a first client computer system that is in a zone with a second client computer system on which the second agent application is located.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for applying a maximum number of software patches to each computing system in a set of computing systems. A set of computing systems are grouped into a plurality of computing system groups based on characteristics associated with each computing system, the plurality of computing system groups comprising at least two different groups of computing systems that differ in implementation of previous software patches. For each group of computing systems, a set of pending software patches are bundled based on characteristics associated with that group of computing systems thereby forming a plurality of bundles of pending software patches, the plurality of bundles of pending software patches comprise at least two different sets of pending software patches. For the plurality of computing systems, an associated bundle of pending software patches is applied to an associated group of computing systems.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for applying a maximum number of software patches to each computing system in a set of computing systems. A set of computing systems are grouped into a plurality of computing system groups based on characteristics associated with each computing system, the plurality of computing system groups comprising at least two different groups of computing systems that differ in implementation of previous software patches. For each group of computing systems, a set of pending software patches are bundled based on characteristics associated with that group of computing systems thereby forming a plurality of bundles of pending software patches, the plurality of bundles of pending software patches comprise at least two different sets of pending software patches. For the plurality of computing systems, an associated bundle of pending software patches is applied to an associated group of computing systems.

Abstract: Power usage is estimated in a computing environment by automatically detecting hardware configuration information by use of a software agent that is translated into power consumption information for implementing a plurality of power estimation models for efficient power consumption and utilization.

Abstract: Power usage is estimated in a computing environment by automatically detecting hardware configuration information by use of a software agent that is translated into power consumption information for implementing a plurality of power estimation models for efficient power consumption and utilization.

Abstract: Apparatus for communicating with agent applications. A first request is sent by a server application on a server computer system to a first agent application to communicate with the server application. The first agent application is located in a first network. If the first agent application fails to respond to the first request, a second request is sent by the server application to a second agent application to instruct the first agent application to communicate with the server application. The first agent application is located on a first client computer system that is in a zone with a second client computer system on which the second agent application is located.

Abstract: A method for communicating with agent applications. A first request is sent by a server application on a server computer system to a first agent application to communicate with the server application. The first agent application is located in a first network. If the first agent application fails to respond to the first request, a second request is sent by the server application to a second agent application to instruct the first agent application to communicate with the server application. The first agent application is located on a first client computer system that is in a zone with a second client computer system on which the second agent application is located.

Abstract: A method for communicating with a server application. A first request is received by a first agent application on a first client computer system from the server application to request that a second agent application on a second client computer system communicate with the server application. Responsive to receiving the first request, a second request is sent by the first agent application to the second agent application on the second client computer system to communicate with the server application.

Abstract: Apparatus for communicating with a server application. A first request is received by a first agent application on a first client computer system from the server application to request that a second agent application on a second client computer system communicate with the server application. Responsive to receiving the first request, a second request is sent by the first agent application to the second agent application on the second client computer system to communicate with the server application.