Configuration Tag Encoding for Support Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Technical support centers face difficulties in determining and communicating the configuration of information handling systems, especially when user modifications, such as installing new software, lead to complex configuration information that is hard to convey effectively.
Innovation Solution
A configuration analysis tool creates configuration tags to identify changes in the system's configuration, encoding them into a short information string that can be easily communicated to technical support centers, allowing for accurate and efficient updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If complete configuration information is recorded and communicated to the technical support center, then the accuracy of configuration data is improved, but the complexity of communication and data transmission increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential configuration information needed for technical support from the complete system configuration. The analysis tool identifies and extracts specific configuration parameters relevant to troubleshooting, excluding unnecessary details. This extraction approach maintains data accuracy for support purposes while significantly reducing communication complexity and data transmission requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration information is segmented into hierarchical levels: complete configuration data stored locally, essential configuration parameters identified for communication, and summarized configuration information transmitted to the support center. This segmentation allows the system to maintain complete configuration accuracy locally while communicating only the necessary segmented portion, resolving the contradiction between accuracy and communication complexity.
2Reliability
If detailed configuration information is transmitted to the technical support center, then the quality of technical support is improved, but the time required for communication increases
Solution Approach 1:
The analysis tool performs preliminary analysis of the complete configuration information before communication, pre-identifying and pre-formatting only the essential configuration parameters needed for technical support. This preliminary action ensures that the most relevant configuration data is ready for immediate transmission, maintaining high technical support quality while minimizing communication time by avoiding transmission of unnecessary information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts only the critical configuration parameters required for effective technical support from the complete configuration set. By taking out and transmitting only these essential parameters, the system maintains technical support quality (reliability) while significantly reducing the time required for configuration information communication.
3Measurement precision
If configuration changes are tracked in detail, then the accuracy of configuration monitoring is improved, but the complexity of data management increases
Solution Approach 1:
Configuration monitoring is segmented into local detailed tracking and centralized summarized reporting. The analysis tool locally tracks all configuration changes in detail for accuracy, then segments this information into essential change categories for management and communication. This segmentation maintains monitoring accuracy while reducing data management complexity by organizing detailed data into structured, manageable formats.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and tracks only the essential configuration parameters that require monitoring, rather than managing all possible configuration data. By taking out the critical configuration elements for detailed tracking and monitoring, the system achieves high configuration monitoring accuracy while reducing overall data management complexity through focused parameter selection.
Data Source
AI summary
A tool for communicating configuration information includes an analysis tool to determine changes to the configuration of an information handling device. The analysis tool develops a set of configuration tags to identify the configuration changes by identifying a subset of tables or other information, such as Extensible Markup Language (XML) pairs, associated with a configuration management database (CMDB) and by identifying values for each table to reflect the configuration of the information handling device. The analysis tool encodes the configuration tags into an information string. Because the information string is encoded and does not represent the complete configuration of the information handling system configuration, it can be easily and accurately communicated to a technical support center by a user, thereby reducing potential communication problems and improving technical support.