HandsFree Networks - Managed Service Infrastructure Provider

One of the key elements of HandsFree Networks technology is the automated distribution and management facility. In the first commercial HandsFree Networks offering, it is called Site Management Facility. It is used to:

• Let users configure one, a subset, or all systems at any of their sites through a single browser based interface accessing the site management facility that could be located on the server that also houses the event log management facility and related facilities.

• Give the users the flexibility to server based DART configuration to manage a site from anywhere without requiring direct access to the site minimizing the need to be on site to perform system maintenance, management, and support tasks. However, users still have the option to configure DART when on site by directly accessing any one system at the site.

• Automate the HandsFree Networks client software and DART update process. Using the automated update mechanism, HandsFree Networks clients, at any and every supported site will periodically contact site management (on a user defined schedule as frequently as once per minute, or on demand) to see if there is a software or DART database update. If one is available, any one of the clients will download it, install it, and automatically propagate it to all other systems at the site where the  client is installed.

We should note here that the client software and DART update process does not consume a significant amount of bandwidth or processing power. The transaction that checks if an update is available is very small. If this transaction finds that an update is available, then the client initiates the more complex and bigger transaction to download the update. In addition, although every client on a user network could, and is able to, initiate the update transaction, only one does that, although which one may vary from time to time.

The Site Management Facility is secure. All requests for software updates and configuration changes are initiated by the client. Periodically, clients at a site contact site management to see if any DART configuration or software updates are available. In this way, all risks of a third party "pushing" content into a site, or even trying to connect to a site are avoided as all communication is initiated by the site.

In addition, all transactions between clients and site management are SSL encrypted.

It is possible that a symptom cannot be automatically resolved locally. For example, the problem may be relatively new, and the local copy of the DART database may not yet contain a DART for resolving the problem. In this case, the DART database located at the support provider or the master DART database at HandsFree Networks may contain the DART for resolving the problem. If this is the case, the next time the client contacts the Site Management Facility (as frequently as once per minute) to check if there is a software or DART database update, it will download the new DART. The next time the symptom occurs, it will be resolved automatically.

All transactions taking place between the end-user network and HandsFree Networks or the end-user's support provider need to be secure. The security and integrity of all DART database data also needs to be guaranteed. All transactions with end-user networks take place over Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections using a set of cipher suites.