Central Management Server for Data Shipper Agent Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing multiple data shipper agents across edge nodes is complex, requiring centralized management to configure and reconfigure settings efficiently, especially when conflicts arise from overlapping tags and data formats.
Innovation Solution
A system with specifically configured graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and a secure token exchange allows users to enroll and configure data shipper agents, enabling automatic reconfiguration of settings across multiple agents, using a central management server and API for unified data collection and visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If data shipper agents are deployed across multiple edge nodes, then data collection coverage is improved, but management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a central management server as an intermediary between users and distributed data shipper agents. This server provides GUI-based interfaces and API endpoints that enable centralized configuration, enrollment, and management of agents across multiple edge nodes, thereby extending data collection coverage while maintaining manageable complexity through abstraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments management functions into distinct modular components: agent enrollment, configuration management, tag assignment, and service provisioning. Each function can be independently accessed through specific GUIs or API endpoints, allowing complex multi-node management to be broken down into manageable discrete tasks.
2Productivity
If centralized configuration management is implemented, then reconfiguration efficiency is improved, but system architecture complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The central management server provides a universal configuration management system that handles multiple agent types, services, and configuration scenarios through unified GUIs and API endpoints. This multi-functional approach enables efficient reconfiguration across diverse agents while consolidating management logic into a single platform, avoiding the need for separate management systems for each agent type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables configuration templates and settings to be copied and propagated across multiple data shipper agents simultaneously. Configuration changes made through the central management interface can be replicated to numerous agents, ensuring consistent deployment and reducing manual reconfiguration effort.
3Reliability
If token exchange enrollment is used, then security is improved, but enrollment process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The central management server acts as a trusted intermediary that facilitates secure token exchange between users and data shipper agents. The server issues authentication tokens and manages credential verification, thereby ensuring secure enrollment while abstracting the cryptographic complexity from end users through simplified GUI-based enrollment workflows.
Data Source
AI summary
Data shipper agent management and configuration systems and methods are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, an example method includes enrolling data shipper agents which are installed on edge nodes, receiving selections of one or more tags for the data shipper agents, each of the one or more tags representing one or more services assigned to the data shipper agents, configurations of the services being modifiable through the one or more GUIs using a configuration application programming interface (API), providing the one or more GUIs, receiving configurations for at least one of the modules of one of the data shipper agents through one of the one or more GUIs, and automatically reconfiguring the configurations to other ones of the data shipper agents automatically.