Patent ID: 8533309

Claim:
A method of detecting and managing nodes within a network group, comprising: providing an administrative computer system, a network group, and a communication pathway for electronic communication between the administrative computer system and the network group, wherein a communication limiting device in the communication pathway prevents the administrative computer system from detecting a first node within the network group; managing a second node within the network group using a management agent to enable the administrative computer system to communicate with and manage the second node through the communication limiting device; from the second node within the network group, detecting, by a discovery agent installed on the second node, the first node within the network group, wherein the discovery agent is separate and distinct from the management agent; obtaining, at the second node, identifying data to identify the first node, wherein the identifying data comprises an address of the first node; transferring the address of the first node to the administrative computer system; transferring an installable management agent from the second node to the first node; transferring the discovery agent to the first node, wherein the discovery agent is transferred after the transfer of the installable management agent to the first node, and wherein the discovery agent on the first node is executable to detect additional nodes, wherein the identifying data is obtained at the second node before the installable management agent and the discovery agent are transferred to the first node, wherein the address of the first node is obtained by the second node and transferred from the second node to the administrative computer system before the discovery agent is transferred to the first node; installing and maintaining the installable management agent on the first node to enable the administrative computer system to communicate with and manage the first node through the communication limiting device; and maintaining the discovery agent on the first node to detect additional nodes.