Patent ID: 8739161

Claim:
A method of managing a plurality of processes, including: reading a process manager configuration file associated with a plurality of network services processes that are being simultaneously managed by a process manager, wherein the network services associated with the plurality of network services processes include two or more of the following: Network Time Protocol (NTP), Secure Shell (SSH), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Domain Name System (DNS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS), and Apache; using a process manager to execute a set of actions according to the timing and conditions specified in the process manager configuration file; wherein the process manager is configured to: a) execute a first data monitor action specified in the process manager configuration file as one of the set of actions based at least upon: 1) a current data value associated with a current state of a network service process, and 2) a change indication associated with whether a previous state of the network service process has changed with respects to the current state of a network service process; and b) execute a second data monitor action specified in the process manager configuration file as one of the set of actions based at least upon: 1) a configuration value associated with a network service configuration file, and 2) an active configuration value associated with an active network service configuration file; wherein each data monitor action specifies a network services command comprising a shell script or a binary executable associated with the network service process; restarting the network service associated with the network service configuration file, in the event that the network service configuration file and the active network service configuration file are different; and wherein the process manager configuration file is a markup language-based specification of the timing and conditions of the execution of the network services processes.