Patent ID: 8745219

Claim:
A management device, comprising: a first interface configured to receive, via a first network, a request to manage a network device; a second interface configured to receive, via a second network, an encrypted request to manage the network device that is conveyed through the network device, wherein the second interface is configured to couple to the network device, and to communicate with an authentication server via the second network to determine whether a request to manage the network device is authorized; a third interface configured to couple to a console port of the network device; wherein the management device is configured, in response to a request to manage the network device being authorized, to: receive management commands for the network device via the second interface, wherein the management commands are executable by the network device to change configuration settings of the network device; convey the received management commands to the network device via the third interface; and receive responses to the management commands from the network device via the third interface.