Patent ID: 8365018

Claim:
An autonomous, automatic-reset/restore network client configured to connect as a client to a wired or wireless network, the wired or wireless network comprising a first monitored equipment and a second monitored equipment, the automatic-reset/restore network client including: a network-connectivity confirmation element comprising a test-message generating element and a response-message receiving element, the network-connectivity confirmation element capable of sensing if operation of first monitored equipment and second monitored equipment is suspect in at least one of the following respects: connectivity, performance or reliability; a first switched power outlet coupled to one of the first monitored equipment and the second monitored equipment; a second switched power outlet coupled to the other of the first monitored equipment and the second monitored equipment; and wherein the network connectivity confirmation element includes a controller configured to perform at least these four primary connectivity tests: (1) periodically ping at least one Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN); (2) periodically ping at least one numeric IP address; (3) cause periodic release and then renewal of a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) address of the network client in order to obtain from a DHCP server of the wired or wireless network a renewed DHCP address; (4) periodically disconnect then reconnect with the wired or wireless network in order to test physical layer and data link layer connectivity; and an autonomous, automatic reset/restore device that is configured to restore operation of the first monitored equipment or the second monitored equipment, if the network-connectivity confirmation element senses that operation of the first monitored equipment or the second monitored equipment is suspect in at least one of the following respects: connectivity, performance or reliability, by: (1) interrupting power to effect a power-on reset (POR) of the first monitored equipment or the second monitored equipment or both; or (2) resetting or rebooting by direct hardware-to-hardware or hardware/software communication to the first monitored equipment or the second monitored equipment or both.