Patent ID: 7013331

Claim:
A machine-executable method of configuring multiple devices in a data communication network, comprising: (a) receiving a selection of a group of devices to be configured in accordance with a previously-stored configuration profile, the devices of the group being situated in different locations within the data communications network, the configuration profile having previously-stored configuration data that specifies, as to each device of the group, values for multiple configuration parameters corresponding to desired operation of that device; (b) automatically opening a network connection with each of the devices of the group; (c) automatically retrieving identifying data from each of the devices of the group; (d) automatically mapping, for each device of the group and subsequent to step (a), the retrieved identifying data to a corresponding configuration profile deployment routine set; (e) automatically generating device-specific commands for each device of the group, wherein the device-specific commands for each device are generated subsequent to performance of step (d) for that device and are generated using the previously-stored configuration data and the configuration profile deployment routine set mapped to the identifying data for that device; (f) automatically transmitting the device-specific commands to each device of the group; (g) prior to step (a), providing a configured device having configuration parameters set in conformity with a desired configuration; and (h) subsequent to step (g), extracting configuration data from the configured device, wherein the extracted configuration data becomes the previously-stored configuration data of step (a), and wherein the previously-stored configuration data is stored in Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.