Patent ID: 8024449

Claim:
A system for remote administration of a computer network, the system having a processor and a memory, the system comprising the following software modules loaded into the memory and executable by the processor: a rating rules database containing a plurality of computer performance rating rules; a rating module operably coupled to the rating rules database and being configured to: receive from administration agents deployed on the computers in the network configuration information of the computers on which said agents are deployed; compute performance ratings of the computers based on the collected configuration information using rating rules from the rating rules database; and select a computer with the highest performance rating as a local administration proxy of the remote administration server for the computer network; a plurality of service modules being configured to generate a plurality of different administrative tasks for the computers based on the collected configuration information; and a control module operably coupled to the service modules and being configured to: transmit to the local administration proxy a control signal for performing one or more administrative tasks by administration agents deployed on the computers in the network; establish, through the local administration proxy, a connection with at least one administration agent for performing administrative tasks on the computer on which said agent is deployed.