Patent ID: 8239523

Claim:
A method comprising: interdisposing a remote maintenance board between a communications medium and a monitored system, wherein the remote maintenance board communicates with a remote maintenance center through the communication medium, and wherein the monitored system has a first state and a second state; during the first state, the remote maintenance board receiving a heartbeat signal from the monitored system; in response to the first state of the monitored system, the remote maintenance board connecting to the monitored system while receiving the heartbeat signal; also in response to the first state of the monitored system and concurrently with the remote maintenance board connecting to the monitored system, the remote maintenance board disconnecting from the communications medium to prevent the communications medium from communicating with the monitored system; the remote maintenance board determining that the heartbeat signal is no longer being received; in response to determining that the heartbeat signal is no longer being received, the remote maintenance board recognizing the second state, where the second state indicates that the monitored system has malfunctioned: in response to the malfunction of the monitored system, the remote maintenance board communicating with the remote maintenance center by connecting to the communications medium while the heartbeat signal is not being received; and also in response to the malfunction of the monitored system and concurrently with the remote maintenance board communicating with the remote maintenance center, the remote maintenance board disconnecting from the monitored system to prevent the communications medium from communicating with the monitored system while the heartbeat signal is not being received.