System and method for managing uninterruptible power supply systems
An Internet-based system and method is set forth for managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems. The system includes an uninterruptible power supply manager computer coupled to a number of user computers via a computer network. The manager computer is further coupled to the number of uninterruptible power supply systems via the computer network. The manager computer can communicate with the number of uninterruptible power supply systems to obtain inventory and/or status information related to each of the uninterruptible power supply systems. The inventory and/or status information is contained in a database defined on the manager computer. An inventory engine, which is included in the computer manager, can configure and arrange the inventory and/or status information into a number of reports.
1. An uninterruptible power supply manager for managing a plurality of uninterruptible power supply systems coupled to a computer network, the uninterruptible power supply manager comprising:
a communication port for communicating over the computer network with the uninterruptible power supply systems and a plurality of user computers;
a storage medium that stores at least one of inventory information and status information for each of the uninterruptible power supply systems;
a processor coupled to the storage medium and the communication port and configured to obtain the at least one of inventory information and status information from each uninterruptible power supply system over the computer network via the communication port and to send at least a subset of the inventory information and status information toward at least one user computer, coupled to the computer network, via the communication port; and
an engine coupled to the storage medium and configured to aggregate the at least one of the inventory information and status information of the uninterruptible power supply systems;
wherein the processor is configured to send at least a subset of the aggregated information toward the at least one computer.
2. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 1 , wherein the inventory engine is configured to aggregate the at least one of inventory information and status information in the storage medium to generate a report.
3. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 2 , wherein the engine is configured to arrange at least a subset of the aggregated uninterruptible power supply system information stored in the storage medium to provide a plurality of reports.
4. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of reports includes inventory reports.
5. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of reports includes battery status reports.
6. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to limit attempts to communicate with the uninterruptible power supply systems.
7. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to limit attempts to communicate with the uninterruptible power supply systems by specifying at least one of a time limit and a retry limit.
8. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to provide at least one of the plurality of user computers with at least one of an uninterruptible power supply system status web page and a main menu.
9. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to
strobe the uninterruptible power supply systems associated with a range of computer network addresses defined by starting and ending addresses to determine computer network addresses of the uninterruptible power supply systems; and
store the computer network addresses determined from the strobing.
10. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
strobe the uninterruptible power supply systems associated with a partial computer network address to determine computer network addresses of the uninterruptible power supply systems; and
store the computer network addresses determined from the strobing.
11. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to update the uninterruptible power supply system information.
12. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to update the uninterruptible power supply system information on a predetermined cyclic schedule.