Patent ID: 7814191

Claim:
A method of managing a network with a host computer comprising at least one processor and operatively associated memory, the network comprising a plurality of agents, wherein the method comprises: storing at the memory a plurality of agent data files, wherein each of the agent data files corresponds to one of the plurality of agents executed by at least one computer; at least a portion of the plurality of agents sending periodic status messages to the host computer according to a predetermined schedule, wherein each of the periodic status messages comprises status information describing the operation of the agent from which the periodic status message originated; receiving by the host computer the periodic status messages; upon receiving a status message from a first agent, the host computer updating an agent data file corresponding to the first agent; the host computer periodically identifying agent data files from the plurality of agent data files that have not been updated for a predetermined amount of time; the host computer sending a request for response to a second agent corresponding to an agent data file that has not been updated for a predetermined amount of time; and the host computer, for each of the plurality of agents, analyzing historical status information describing the operation of the agent and received from periodic status messages to determine a failure threshold; and the host computer, for each periodic status message received from an agent selected from the plurality of agents, comparing status information describing the operation of the agent to the failure threshold associated with the agent.