Patent ID: 8504665

Claim:
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium on which are encoded one or more computer programs and/or data structures for execution by a processor for performing remote computer management, the processor performs: receiving at a managed computer a request directly from a remote computer management server to perform a management action regarding the managed computer and a device connected to the managed computer; communicating between the managed computer and the device connected to the managed computer, wherein the managed computer and the remote computer management server are directly connected, to perform by the managed computer a new function related to the management action, wherein the new function was not previously enabled to be performed by the device and the managed computer, and transmitting from the remote computer management server to the managed computer an update to an agent application operating on the managed computer, the update including at least one dynamic link library (DLL) that when executed by the agent application allows the new function to be executed by the managed computer; loading software onto the managed computer used for effecting management of the managed computer by the remote computer management server to afford facilitating the execution of primitive functions to be executed by the managed computer, without the need for a user logon or other user intervention, including, initiate polling of the remote computer management server to identify actions to be undertaken by the software on the managed computer, wherein an administrator credential is securely bound to the software, configure the managed computer such that all communication to the remote computer management server is outbound from the managed computer thus enabling the communications to bypass firewalls and/or gateways, re-authenticate the software when a communication session between the managed computer and the remote computer management server is terminated before completion of all communications for the communication session, wherein the re-authentication is performed without loading the software again onto the managed computer; and communicating from the managed computer to the remote computer management server a result of the performance of the new function related to the management action regarding the device connected to the managed computer; receiving at the managed computer a request from the remote computer management server to perform a management action regarding the managed computer; effecting performance by the managed computer of an operation or operations that effect performance of the management action regarding the managed computer; and communicating from the managed computer to the remote computer management server a result of the performance of the management action regarding the managed computer.