Patent ID: 8346905

Claim:
A method for providing a report database comprising reporting information gathered from a plurality of localized devices comprising the steps of: providing a server system to coordinate management activities for a plurality of localized devices; providing an abstraction layer that references the localized devices as “locations” rather than physical equipment, wherein the “locations” are defined by location identification information distinct from an IP address; wherein the server system communicates with an individual device of the plurality of localized devices via the abstraction layer to request software distribution information without requiring user initiation at the individual device; wherein the software distribution information provides the server system with information sufficient to generate reporting information comprised of “locations”; wherein the reporting information is gathered from two or more localized devices and imported into the report database, wherein communications between the server system and the individual device are performed using a protectable communications protocol that includes an atomic error handling capability to enable one or more transaction instructions to be reversed upon an error in one of the plurality of transaction instructions.