Patent ID: 6976159

Claim:
A system comprising: a first computer, at a first location, which is configured to send and receive SMTP e-mail messages over an internet connection; a first wizard program, disposed on said first computer, said first wizard program configured to generate an SMTP broadcast message which is representative of a management appliance reconfiguration signal and further for addressing said SMTP broadcast message to a plurality of e-mail addresses; where each of said plurality of e-mail addresses is uniquely associated with a different one of a plurality of management appliances; e-mail transmitting means for transmitting said SMTP broadcast message over said internet connection; and, each of said plurality of management appliances comprising: an expansion card, configured to mate along one side with an internal PC bus when said internal PC bus is conforming to a first predetermined bus standard and is alternately configured to mate along an opposite side with said internal PC bus when said internal PC bus is conforming to a second predetermined bus standard; a communication port which is out of band with respect to a primary communication port for a host computer; said expansion card adapted to receive only power rough said internal PC bus; means for monitoring environmental and application software events occurring in said host computer, where said means for monitoring has a plurality of reconfigurable monitored parameters; and, means for slating said SMTP broadcast message into reconfiguration instructions which are configured to change said plurality of reconfigurable monitored parameters; and, means for generating and transmitting a confirmation e-mail, addressed to an e-mail address for said first computer, after receipt of said SMTP broadcast message via said out-of-band communication port.