U.S. patent application number 09/193304 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-08 for method and apparatus for monitoring, controlling, and configuring remote communication devices.
This patent application is currently assigned to CONEXANT SYSTEMS, INC.. Invention is credited to COLLIN, ZEEV, TAMIR, TAL.
Application Number | 20010039573 09/193304 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27372951 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010039573 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
COLLIN, ZEEV ; et
al. |
November 8, 2001 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING, CONTROLLING, AND CONFIGURING
REMOTE COMMUNICATION DEVICES
Abstract
A communication system for monitoring and/or controlling
communication parameters of a remote communication device. The
communication system monitors a communication channel that is
created between the remote communication device and controls the
communication device by adjusting internal settings of the
communication device that represent communication parameters. The
communication device is communicatively coupled to a communication
channel to carry out ongoing communications between the
communication device and the communication channel. Further, a
software module is associated with the communication device, and
the software module accesses the internal settings of the
communication device from a remote location via the communication
channel and performs diagnostics such as monitoring, controlling,
and configuring the communication device using the internal
settings of the communication device.
Inventors: |
COLLIN, ZEEV; (HERZLIYA,
IL) ; TAMIR, TAL; (GIVATAYIM, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FARSHAD FARJAMI ESQ
FARJAMI & FARFAMI LLP
16148 SAND CANYON
IRVIN
CA
92618
US
|
Assignee: |
CONEXANT SYSTEMS, INC.
|
Family ID: |
27372951 |
Appl. No.: |
09/193304 |
Filed: |
November 17, 1998 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09193304 |
Nov 17, 1998 |
|
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09154643 |
Sep 17, 1998 |
|
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60076784 |
Mar 4, 1998 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
709/220 ;
709/208 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 43/12 20130101;
H04L 41/0803 20130101; H04L 69/32 20130101; G06F 9/4411 20130101;
H04L 43/022 20130101; H04L 43/0817 20130101; H04L 9/40 20220501;
H04L 41/0253 20130101; H04L 41/0213 20130101; H04L 43/00 20130101;
H04L 41/082 20130101; H04M 11/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/220 ;
709/208 |
International
Class: |
G06F 015/16; G06F
015/177 |
Claims
1. A communication system comprising: a modem; a communication
channel; the modem having internal settings representing
communication parameters, the modem being communicatively coupled
to the communication channel to carry out ongoing communications
through the communication channel; and a software module being
remotely associated with the modem, the software module accessing
the internal settings of the modem via the communication channel
and performing diagnostics using the internal settings of the
modem.
2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the software module
further comprises a modem interface that interacts with the
software module and assists the software module in performing
diagnostics using the internal parameters of the modem.
3. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the software module
accesses the communication channel transparently to the ongoing
communications between the modem and the communication channel when
the software module performs the diagnostics using the internal
parameters of the modem.
4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the software module
accesses the communication channel without detrimentally affecting
the ongoing communications between the modem and the communication
channel.
5. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the software module
performs diagnostics using the internal parameters of the modem via
the same communication channel that is used to carry out ongoing
communications between the modem and the communication channel.
6. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the diagnostics
performed by the software module comprise monitoring a data stream
in the communication channel.
7. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the diagnostics
performed by the software module comprise configuring the internal
settings of the modem based on information obtained regarding a
data stream between the modem and the communication channel.
8. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the diagnostics
performed by the software module comprise controlling the internal
settings of the modem according to information obtained regarding a
data stream across the communication channel.
9. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the software module
further comprises a user interactive interface for diagnostics.
10. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a
plurality of software modules being associated, respectively, with
each of a plurality of modems.
11. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the modem is
communicatively coupled to another modem via a network.
12. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the software module
is accessed through at least one remote computer system.
13. A communication system comprising: a first communication device
having internal parameters; a second communication device having
internal parameters and being communicatively coupled to the first
communication device; a communications link that passes a data
stream between the first communication device and the second
communication device; and a module associated with the
communications link that adjusts the internal parameters of one of
the communication devices based on characteristics of the internal
parameters of the first communication device, the second
communication device, or both.
14. The communication system of claim 13 wherein the module
comprises a communication interface that interacts with the
communications link such that the module operates transparently to
the data stream of the communications link.
15. The communication system of claim 13 wherein the first
communication device comprises a local communication device and the
second communication device comprises a remote communication
device.
16. The communication system of claim 13 wherein the communications
link operates on a network being selected from the group consisting
of a local area network, a wide area network, and a global area
network.
17. The communication system of claim 13 wherein the first
communication device and the second communication device,
respectively, comprise a first modem and a second modem.
18. The communication system of claim 13 wherein the module is
remotely located, with respect to the second communication device,
and is accessible by at least one remotely located computer
system.
19. The communication system of claim 13 wherein the module adjusts
the internal parameters of the first communication device based on
characteristics of the internal parameters of the first
communication device, the second communication device, or both.
20. A method for adjusting parameters of a communication system
comprising: establishing a communications link between a first
communication device and a second communication device, each
communication device having internal parameters influencing
communication protocols on the communications link; obtaining a
software module for interacting with the communications link;
retrieving, with the software module, characteristics of the second
communication device based on the internal parameters of the first
communication device, the second communication device, or both; and
adjusting the internal parameters according to the retrieved
characteristics to optimize communication between the first and the
second communication devices on the communications link.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein adjusting the internal
parameters comprises adjusting the internal parameters of the
second communication device.
22. The method of claim 20 wherein adjusting the internal
parameters comprises adjusting the internal parameters of the first
communication device.
23. The method of claim 20 wherein adjusting the internal
parameters comprises controlling the internal parameters of the
second communication device.
24. The method of claim 20 wherein retrieving characteristics of
the second communication device comprises retrieving the
characteristics transparently to the data passing through the
communications link.
25. The method of claim 20 wherein retrieving characteristics of
the second communication device comprises retrieving the
characteristics such that the data passing through the
communications link is not detrimentally affected.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority pursuant to 35
U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No.
60/076,784, filed Mar. 4, 1998, pending, which is hereby
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Further, the
present application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn.120
to U.S. Non-provisional Patent Application Serial No. 09/154,643,
filed Sep. 17, 1998, pending, which is hereby incorporated herein
by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to communication systems and
more particularly to a computer communication system that, among
other things, monitors, controls, and diagnoses inefficiencies in
communication parameters of the computer communication system while
one computer system communicates with another computer system.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] In traditional implementations, control and monitoring of
computer communication systems primarily concern monitoring and
controlling internal parameters of modems and are performed through
the use of modem control strings such as "AT commands". AT commands
require a user to switch the modem from data to command mode so
that the modem can be controlled with AT commands. Thus, AT
commands interfere with the typical data flow of the modem and the
commands do not reflect the true state of the modem in real time.
Of note, in some traditional hardware modem implementations,
limited control and status monitoring capabilities are obtained
through adding special non-standard hardware interfaces. However,
these special hardware interfaces are a relatively expensive
solution to the problem of real time modem monitoring and the usage
is limited due to its complexity.
[0006] If the user chooses not to add the additional network
equipment to retrieve the modem information, the user is forced to
rely on verbal guidance from another person, such as a support
technician, located at a second modem site. This support technician
views the parameters of the modem connection from their end of the
connection, performs a modem diagnosis based on available
resources, and reports configuration options to the user for manual
modem control and monitoring. Clearly, this process for modem
monitoring and control is unsatisfactory because, among other
things, the process requires detailed and easily misunderstood
verbal instructions for modem configuration, the process requires
the modem to be switched from data to command mode to enter the
diagnostic commands for modem configuration, and at least two
people are required to diagnose and configure a single modem. Thus,
the monitor and configuration process is time consuming and
frustrating for those involved.
[0007] Of current interest is a computer communication system that
overcomes the disadvantages of the related art. Among other
advantages and benefits, the computer communication system
according to the principles of the present invention monitors,
controls, and diagnoses inefficiencies in communication parameters
of the computer communication system while one computer system
communicates with another computer system. In one embodiment, the
computer communication system provides a modem monitor and control
system that provides modem monitoring and control without requiring
user interaction or switching the modem between data and command
modes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The principles according to the present invention can be
realized through a communication system for monitoring,
controlling, or configuring communication parameters of a remote
communication device from a local communication system or a local
communication device from a remote communication system. For
example, the communication system monitors a communication channel
that is created between two modems and controls the second modem by
adjusting internal settings of the second modem that represent
communication parameters. The second modem is communicatively
coupled to the first modem to carry out ongoing communications
between the first modem and the second modem through the
communication channel. Further, a software module is associated
with the first modem, and the software module accesses the internal
settings of the second modem via the communication channel and
performs diagnostics using the internal settings of the second
modem. Of course, the software module could access the internal
settings of the first modem directly and perform diagnostics using
the internal settings of the first modem. Further, the software
module can control the internal parameters of the either the second
modem or the first modem regardless of which modem the software
module is associated with.
[0009] The software module of the communication system typically
includes a modem interface that interacts with the software module
and assists the software module in performing diagnostics using the
internal parameters of either the first or the second modem. Also,
the software module accesses the communication channel
transparently to the ongoing communications between the first modem
and the second modem when the software module performs the
diagnostics. Further, the software module accesses the
communication channel without detrimentally affecting the ongoing
communications between the first modem and the second modem. In
another embodiment, the software module performs diagnostics using
the internal parameters of the second modem via the same
communication channel that is used to carry out ongoing
communications between the first modem and the second modem. Of
note, the software module can also control the internal parameters
of the second modem.
[0010] The diagnostics performed by the software module of the
communication system include monitoring a data stream in the
communication channel in view of the internal settings of the
second modem. Further, the diagnostics performed by the software
module comprise configuring the internal settings of the second
modem based on information obtained regarding the data stream
between the first modem and the second modem. In addition, the
diagnostics performed by the software module comprise controlling
the internal settings of the second modem according to information
obtained regarding the data stream between the first modem and the
second modem.
[0011] It should be noted that the software module may include
either a user interactive interface for diagnostics, or an
automatic interface for diagnostics that requires no further user
interaction. Further, the communication system may include a
plurality of software modules being associated, respectively, with
each of a plurality of modems. Regardless of the number of modems
in the communication system, the modems are communicatively coupled
via a network. The network is typically selected from the group
consisting of a local area network, a wide area network, and a
global area network, however, the network may include any
combination of a local, wide, or global area network. In other
words, the network could operate according to almost any existing
network protocol, e.g., a peer-to-peer network, a transmission
control protocol/Internet protocol network (TCP/IP), etc.
[0012] In another embodiment, the present invention can be
described as a communication system comprising a first
communication device having internal parameters; a second
communication device having internal parameters and being
communicatively coupled to the first communication device; a
communications link that passes a data stream between the first
communication device and the second communication device; and a
module associated with the communications link that adjusts the
internal parameters of one of the communication devices based on
characteristics of the internal parameters of either the first
communication device, the second communication device, or both.
[0013] In this embodiment, the module may include a communication
interface that interacts with the communications link such that the
module operates transparently to the data stream of the
communications link. Further, the first communication device may be
a local communication device and the second communication device
may be a remote communication device. In addition, similar to the
first embodiment, the communications link operates on a network
such as a local area network, a wide area network, or a global area
network or a combination thereof. In many embodiments, the
communication system is designed for modems operating in a computer
communication system. Thus, to assist in understanding the
principles according to the present invention, the exemplary
embodiments are generally described using computer systems
communicating with modems.
[0014] A method for adjusting parameters of a communication system
includes steps such as establishing a communications link between a
first communication device and a second communication device, each
communication device having internal parameters influencing
communication protocols on the communications link. In addition,
the steps include obtaining a software module for interacting with
the communications link; retrieving, with the software module,
characteristics of the first communication device and/or the second
communication device based on the internal parameters of the first
communication device, the second communication device, or both, and
based on data passing through the communications link; and
adjusting the internal parameters according to the retrieved
characteristics to optimize communication between the first and the
second communication devices on the communications link.
[0015] Adjusting the internal parameters may include adjusting the
internal parameters of the second communication device, the first
communication device, or both. In addition, adjusting the internal
parameters may include monitoring or controlling the internal
parameters of the first, the second, or both communication devices.
Further, retrieving characteristics of the second communication
device may comprise retrieving the characteristics transparently to
the data passing through the communications link and/or retrieving
the characteristics such that the data passing through the
communications link is not detrimentally affected.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] A better understanding of the present invention can be
obtained when the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiment is considered in conjunction with the following
drawings.
[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer
communication system according to the principles of the present
invention wherein the system is associated with an application for
providing a computer system access to a communication channel via a
modem.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary modem
monitor/control interface of the computer communication system of
FIG. 1.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary modem
for operation with the computer communication system of FIG. 1.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer
communication system for monitoring and controlling both a local
modem and a remote modem over a telephone line.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of exemplary computer
communication systems operating modem monitor/control applications,
respectively, on both a client modem and a server modem in a
peer-to-peer network.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of exemplary computer
communication systems operating modem monitor/control applications,
respectively, on both a client modem and a server modem across the
Internet.
[0023] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer
communication system operating according to simple network
management protocol (SNMP) parameters such that a management
application performs remote trouble shooting of a modem.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer
communication system 100 that operates according to the principles
of the present invention. For ease of understanding, the system 100
is associated with a computer software application 102 for
providing a computer system 104 access to a communication channel
106 via a communication device such as a modem 108. The computer
software application 102 is commonly a typical computer
telecommunications application such as a "web browser", viz.,
Netscape.TM., Internet Explorer.TM., etc., or a modem utility,
viz., Procomm.TM., etc. In short, the computer software application
102 utilizes the modem 108 capabilities to communicate with other
modems through the communication channel 106. While the computer
software application 102 uses the modem 108 to communicate with
other modems, the computer communication system 100 examines the
modem parameters of the modem 108 to determine if the modem
configuration needs to be modified to attain optimal performance
through the communication channel 106. As stated, the computer
communication system 100 is an exemplary embodiment that is used to
facilitate understanding of the principles according to the present
invention. It should be understood that the present invention
applies equally well to communication systems that operate with
communication devices other than modems. However, for ease of
understanding, the present invention will be described relative to
computer communication systems using modems as the communication
devices.
[0025] The computer communication system 100 includes a modem
monitor/control application 110 that performs diagnostics on the
modem 108 through a modem monitor/control interface 112 (the modem
monitor/control application 110 and the modem monitor/control
interface 112 sometimes collectively referred to herein as a
"software module"). In one embodiment, the computer communication
system 100 may perform these diagnostics through the same
communication channel that the modem 108 uses to communicate with
other modems. Thus, diagnostics can be performed on the "local"
modem 108, on other "remote modems" (not shown in FIG. 1), or on
both.
[0026] Advantageously, the diagnostics can also occur transparently
to ongoing communications in the communication channel. Thus, the
modem communication connection, a.k.a., the "data stream", of the
modem 108 can pass through the communication channel 106 without
being detrimentally affected during diagnostics. Further, the
diagnostics can be performed via user interaction through the modem
monitor/control application 110 or, alternatively, the diagnostics
can be performed independently of user interaction through the
application 110. As stated, if any changes in the modem parameters
are required to obtain optimal performance in the modem 108, the
changes can be made without interruption in the data stream. Of
course, the modem 108 could be a software modem or a hardware modem
or any combination thereof, a pure software modem being defined as
a modem implemented entirely in software and relying on a
computer's processor to modulate and demodulate signals. Of note,
the modem monitor/control interface 112 can be directly coupled to
the modem 108 or the modem monitor/control interface 112 could
instead be directly coupled to an operating system communication
driver 114. These components can be combined in other manners as
well. Further, the term "diagnostics", as used herein, refers to
monitoring, controlling, or configuring a modem and also refers to
other actions that computer software performs in relation to
communication devices.
[0027] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the exemplary modem
monitor/control interface 112 of the computer communication system
100. The modem monitor/control interface 112 includes a modem
monitor/control application programming interface (API) 200, a
modem monitor/control data link library (DLL) 202 that operates
similarly to standard DLL software components, and a modem
monitor/control driver 204 that operates similarly to standard
software drivers. The API 200 provides code for monitoring and
controlling a software modem while the modem is running or passing
a data stream (see Appendixes A, B, and C). API 200 provides an
easy method to write applications that provide various diagnostics
that monitor parameters that change in real time (such as MSE, baud
rate, echo canceller coefficiencies, etc.) as well as enabling the
writing of applications that allow internal parameters to be
modified while a telephony session is in progress. The API 200 can
also provide easy means for field support by looking at various
parameters and causing the modem to dump data into a file to be
investigated later. Further, trouble shooting can be performed by
changing various parameters while a data stream is running through
the modem. Of note, in a preferred embodiment, the API 200 operates
asynchronously and in parallel with the ordinary modem operation
and does not interfere with the data stream. Thus, API 200 provides
a true view of the modem parameters and does not slow the data
transfer process.
[0028] Appendixes A, B, and C include exemplary embodiments of code
portions of the API 200 and include three functions that could be
considered the backbone of the API 200. First, the ModemConfigure
function configures parameters within the modem and should be
called only before the modem is activated. Second, the ModemControl
function changes parameters within the modem to control the modem's
operation and can be called during modem operation. Finally, the
ModemMonitor function returns the current value of a parameter or
set of parameters within the modem and can also be called during
modem operation. The first parameter of the above functions is a
code indicating which parameter (or parameter set) to monitor or
change. The codes can be easily extended from time to time to
provide additional visibility and control options for the modem.
The same interfaces apply for additional parts of the modem such as
speakerphone, tone detection/generation, etc. Thus, the computer
communication system 100 is extendable and easy to use and can be
used to monitor and control a modem without interfering with the
ordinary operation of the modem. Further, the computer
communication system 100 provides an easy method to develop
applications for modem diagnostics and trouble shooting.
[0029] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the exemplary modem
108 for operation with the computer communication system 100 that
is associated with a computer system 104 for accessing a network.
The exemplary modem 108 includes a port driver 300, a controller
302, a data pump abstraction layer 304, an advanced modem operation
scheduler 306, a sample buffer management 308, a hardware interface
310, and signal processing tasks 312. Of course, the exemplary
modem 108 could be realized in various manners depending on the
number of components implemented in software. The components most
suited for either a software or a hardware implementation are the
controller 302 and the data pump abstraction layer 304. Thus,
although other components can be implemented in either hardware or
software, the controller 302 and the data pump abstraction layer
304 are most commonly implemented in either hardware or
software.
[0030] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer
communication system 400 for monitoring and controlling, in a
computer system 401, both a local modem 402 and a remote modem 404
of another computer system 405 over a telephone line 406. Similar
to the computer communication system 100, the computer
communication system 400 includes a modem monitor/control
application 408 and a modem monitor/control interface 410. The
local modem 402 can be monitored/controlled just as the modem 108
is monitored and controlled. In addition, the remote modem 404 can
be monitored by the computer communication system 400 by using some
of the bandwidth of the telephone line 406. Of course, if the
communication devices were not modems and they communicated across
something other than a telephone line, similar usage of the
bandwidth on the line would enable functionality of the
communication system 400.
[0031] Referring to the telephone line 406, a data stream is
created between the local modem 402 and the remote modem 404 that
represents a modem connection. The telephone line 406 is used to
transfer modem diagnostics and/or control information to/from the
remote modem 404 by either "stealing" some of the data bits or
using an alternative channel whenever applicable (e.g., V.34
control channel). The extraction of the diagnostics can be
performed in one of at least two manners:
[0032] 1. A specific application can be run on the remote side that
extracts modem parameters from the data stream and then sends them
via the modem to the local side. The specific application can also
receive control commands from the local modem and apply the
commands to the remote modem.
[0033] 2. The remote modem itself multiplexes the diagnostics in
the data stream (or the control channel) and monitors control
commands without any interference from outside. The
multiplexing/demultiplexing can be performed on any of the
following two levels: by a data pump, or by an active data protocol
(V.42, V.17). This second implementation for extracting diagnostics
from the data stream is particularly suitable for software modem
implementations where the modem can be easily modified for that
kind of data manipulation and a wide variety of modem parameters
can be extracted (e.g., see ModemMonCtrl API of the
Appendixes).
[0034] In this manner, modem parameters from the remote modem 404
can be monitored and the remote modem 404 can be controlled with
new parameters being set in the remote modem 404 from the computer
communication system 400. Of course, the data stream between the
local modem 402 and the remote modem 404 is ongoing and,
potentially, the data stream passes without interruption from the
computer communication system 400 regardless of whether the modems
are software, hardware, or combination software/hardware
modems.
[0035] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of exemplary computer
communication systems operating modem monitor/control applications,
respectively, on both a client modem 500 in a local computer system
501 and a server modem 502 in a remote computer system 503. The
local and remote computer systems 501, 503 communicate across a
peer-to-peer network 504. A client computer communication system
506 communicates with the client modem 500 while telecommunication
software or application 508 having an operating system
communication driver 510 uses the client modem 500 to maintain a
modem connection across the peer-to-peer network 504. Similar to
the computer communication systems 100 and 400, the client computer
communication system 506 operates in a manner to monitor/control
the client modem 500 by a client modem monitor/control application
509 or by the server modem 502 and a server computer communication
system 512. The difference in this embodiment pertains to the
computer communication systems including both the client computer
communication system 506 and the server computer communication
system 512. This arrangement is provided to ensure accurate
monitoring and/or controlling of both server and client modems,
whereby, the client modem 500 is monitored and controlled by a
server modem monitor/control application 514. In addition, this
embodiment demonstrates the flexibility of the system according to
the present invention.
[0036] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of exemplary computer
communication systems operating modem monitor/control applications,
respectively, on both a client modem 600 in a local computer system
601 and in a remote computer system 603. The local and remote
computer systems 601, 603 communicate across a network 604. This
embodiment illustrates a structure similar to FIG. 5 except that,
rather than peer-to-peer network 504, the local and remote computer
systems 601, 603 communicate across a network 604 such as the
Internet. Of course, the same advantages and benefits previously
described in relation to modem monitoring, control, and diagnostics
are realized when the modem 600 operates across the Internet
through Internet service providers (ISPs). This extends the
flexibility of the system by allowing the client modem 600 to be
monitored and controlled from any remote computer system through
connection to the server computer communication system 608. Of
course, if communication devices other than modems are used to
implement communication across the network 604,
monitoring/controlling/configuring (i.e., diagnostics) can be
performed in a similar manner as described herein.
[0037] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer
communication system operating according to simple network
management protocol (SNMP) parameters such that a management
application 700 in a computer system 701 performs remote trouble
shooting of a modem 702 in another computer system 703. This
exemplary embodiment demonstrates how a single manager or system
administrator monitors and controls numerous client modems across a
network 704. The network 704 will commonly be a network such as the
Internet. In this embodiment, SNMP serves as the underlying
protocol for the management application 700 because SNMP is a
common network management protocol. Thus, a single manager can
monitor and control modems such as the modem 702. There is also no
limitation as to where on the network 704 that the manager resides,
as long as the manager has access to the server. Additional
computer systems 706 are illustrated and are used as support tools
for the management application 700. The additional computer systems
706 each support a modem web page 708 that enables remote
diagnostics of the modem 702 from anywhere on the network 704. Of
course, other network management protocols could be used to
implement the principles according to the present invention and the
description of SNMP operating over the network 704 should not be
construed to limit the appended claims.
[0038] The above-listed sections and included information are not
exhaustive and are only exemplary for certain
computer/modem/network systems. The particular sections and
included information in a particular embodiment may depend upon the
particular implementation and the included devices and resources.
Although a system and method according to the present invention has
been described in connection with the preferred embodiments, it is
not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein,
but, on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives,
modifications, and equivalents as can be reasonably included within
the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended
claims.
* * * * *