Method, device and system for providing information from a computing device when the computing device is in a hibernate or power off state

A method for a computing device connected to a computing network to communicate over the computer network when said computing device is in a hibernate or power off state comprising the steps of:

• storing computing device information on a network card;
• detecting when the computing device goes into a hibernate or power off state;
• activating a network card communication component of said computer device, when the computing device goes into a hibernate or power off state based on monitoring a power state of the computing device and automatically signaling the network card to activate the network card;
• detecting a network inquiry at the network card, the inquiry being transmitted over the computer network;
• determining at the network card the source of the inquiry;
• verifying whether the source of the inquiry has authorization to request information from the computing device;
• retrieving information requested in the inquiry;
• transmitting the retrieved information over the computer network to a source of the inquiry;
• and
• deactivating the network card communication component of said computer device, when the computing device goes into a power on state.

A system for a computing device connected to a computing network to communicate computer device configuration information over the computer network when the computing device is in a hibernate or power off state comprising:

• a computing device having a network card, said network card comprising a card central processing unit and a card memory operatively associated with the network card central processing and said network card configured to receive and store information about characteristics of said computing device and further configured to transmit stored information across the computer network when said computing device is in a hibernate or power off state, said network card configured to detect when the computing device goes into a hibernate or power off state, further configured to monitor power state of the computing device and automatically signaling the network card to activate when the computing device goes into a hibernate or power off state and furthered configured to deactivate when the computing device goes into a power on state;
• a configuration collection routine, said configuration collection routine scans a computing device, collects computing device configuration information, transfers the collected configuration information to the network memory card;
• and
• a network system manager in communication with said computing device, said network system manager capable of requesting computing device configuration information and receiving configuration status information from a computing device when the computing device is in a hibernate state.