Patent ID: 8161162

Claim:
A computer network comprising a managed computer and a remote computer management server, each having software installed thereon, said software comprising instructions for: initiating, from the managed computer, communication between the managed computer and the remote computer management server via a network if the remote computer management server has a management action to be performed on the managed computer, wherein the communication is formatted in accordance with a network communications protocol that can be used to format communication that is allowed to pass through at least one of a firewall and a gateway that mediates communication with the managed computer by performing a succession of formatting changes to the communication in accordance with each of a plurality of different network communications protocols until one protocol version of the initial communication is allowed to pass through the firewall and/or gateway of the managed computer, the network communications protocol allowed to pass being further used to format subsequent communication between the managed computer and the remote computer management server during an ensuing communication session; receiving a response from the remote computer management server indicating whether a management action is to be performed on the managed computer and, if so, what operation or operations are to be performed by the managed computer to effect performance of the management action, wherein the operation or operations are performed on at least one of the managed computer itself and a device attached to the managed computer, and wherein the operation or operations to be performed are each broken down into one or more simpler component operations; effecting performance by the managed computer of the operation or operations that effect performance of a management action; and communicating to the remote computer management server a result or results of the performance by the managed computer of the operation or operations that effect performance of a management action.