Scaleable and extensible system management architecture with dataless endpoints

A method of managing computing resources in a large distributed enterprise, comprising the steps of:

• organizing the computing resources into one or more managed regions, each region being managed by a server machine servicing one or more gateway machines, each gateway machine servicing a plurality of endpoint machines;
• and
• supporting a client component of a system management framework on each of the endpoint machines, wherein a gateway machine that services endpoint machines runs a server component of the system management framework, and wherein the client component of the system management framework has an operating state that is normally idle;
• and
• delivering, on an as-needed basis, executable code and system management data from a gateway to one or more endpoint machines serviced by the gateway to facilitate execution of system management tasks affecting the managed region using the system management framework.

A computer connectable into a large distributed enterprise having a server machine servicing a set of gateway machines, each of which services a set of endpoint machines, comprising:

• a processor;
• an operating system;
• and
• a client component of a system management framework, the client component having an associated server component supported on a gateway machine, wherein the client component of the system management framework has an operating state that is normally idle, wherein the client component of the system management framework includes:
• means for receiving executables and system management data from the gateway machine;
• and
• means for facilitating execution of a system management task affecting the managed region into which the computer is connected.

A computer connectable into a large distributed enterprise having a server machine servicing a set of gateway machines, each of which services a set of endpoint machines, comprising:

• a processor;
• a multi-threaded operating system;
• and
• a server component of a system management framework, the server component having an associated client component supported on one or more endpoint machines, wherein the client component of the system management framework has an operating state that is normally idle, wherein the server component of the system management framework includes means responsive to a method invocation for providing executables and system management data to one or more endpoint machines to facilitate execution of a system management task affecting the managed region into which the computer is connected.