Automated data collection and analysis

Abstract

Techniques are provided for automated data collection and analysis, including steps of receiving a request for information about a device; constructing a command set, wherein the command set is a set of executable commands that indicate collection of data from the device and zero or more other devices; sending the command set to the device; receiving analysis results from an analysis engine, wherein the analysis results are based at least in part on a set of results received from the device and produced by executing the command set; and determining a set of solutions based on the analysis results. Techniques are also provided for automated data collection and analysis, including the steps of sending a request for information about a device; receiving a command set in response to the request, wherein the command set is a set of executable commands that indicate collection of data from the device and zero or more other devices; executing the command set; generating a result set based on the execution of the command set; sending the result set to an analysis engine as part of a second request for analysis of the result set; and receiving a solution to one or more problems discovered at least in part by the analysis engine.

1 . A method of automated data collection and analysis, the method comprising the machine-implemented steps of: 
 sending a request for information about a device;    receiving a command set in response to the request, wherein the command set is a set of executable commands that indicate collection of data from the device and zero or more other devices;    executing the command set;    generating a result set based on the execution of the command set;    sending the result set to an analysis engine as part of a second request for analysis of the result set; and    receiving a solution to one or more problems discovered at least in part by the analysis engine.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the steps are performed by a command runner module running on a user machine, and wherein the method further comprises the step of determining whether the user machine has the latest version of the command runner module.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the step of: 
 if the user machine does not have a version of the command runner module, downloading the command runner module.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the step of: 
 if the user machine does not have the latest version of the command runner module, downloading a patch to the command runner module.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of removing confidential information from the result set.  
   
   
       6 . A method of automated data collection and analysis from one or more network devices, the method comprising the machine-implemented steps of: 
 sending a request for information about a network device;    receiving a command set in response to the request, wherein the command set is a set of executable commands that indicate collection of data from the network device and zero or more other network devices;    executing the command set;    generating a result set based on the execution of the command set;    sending the result set to an analysis engine as part of a second request for analysis of the result set; and    receiving a solution to one or more problems discovered at least in part by the analysis engine.