Patent ID: 8793364

Claim:
An apparatus for remotely controlling and monitoring the operation of a target computer having a motherboard, the apparatus comprising: a host computer having a controller program and a controller driver, wherein the controller program is configured to receive a power state change request either from a local user interface or from a remote user interface at a remote computer, to generate first data specifying a request for changing a power state of the target computer based on the power state change request, and to transmit the first data via the controller driver; and a remote power controller, comprising: a first local interface for communicating with the controller driver of the host computer over a first communications link; a second local interface for communicating directly with the motherboard of the target computer over a second communications link; and a processing component operatively coupled to the first local interface and the second local interface, programmed to receive the first data from the host computer over the first communications link and, in response to receiving the first data, to generate a signal for changing the power state of the target computer based on the first data and to transmit the signal for changing the power state of the target computer over the second communications link directly to at least one header pin of the motherboard of the target computer, wherein the remote power controller, the host computer, and the target computer are local to each other, independently operable, and physically set apart from each other.