Patent ID: 8825826

Claim:
A non-transitory computer readable storage memory encoded with one or more computer programs being executed to cause a processor to perform: transmitting periodic messages from a managed computer to a remote computer management server; receiving at least one command that effects performance of a management action, the management action comprising execution of one or more primitive functions; performing the one or more primitive functions via agent software installed on the managed computer; transmitting, from the remote computer management server to the managed computer, a dynamically loaded library (DLL) including one or more sets of instructions that, when implemented by the agent software, produce functionality not enabled by the agent software at the time the DLL is transmitted to the managed computer, the functionality performed by the DLL comprising: enabling the agent software to provide an interface function call definition configured to pass commands to the DLL for execution, the commands comprising at least one command that identifies the DLL; identifying at least one device connected to the managed computer by issuing an address resolution protocol command to each IP address assigned to a LAN; transmitting device identification information to the remote computer management server indicating existence of the at least one device; receiving at the managed computer another DLL comprising additional commands instructing the agent software to perform management actions responsive to the identification information transmitted, the additional commands identifying a communication protocol to be used by the agent software when communicating with the at least one device; and transmitting from the managed computer to the remote computer management server a result of the performance of the management action.