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A system for monitoring a user's usage of a target application. Such a target application can, as examples, be a software program running on a computer or a workstation, an image forming device, an appliance, etc. The target application includes a user interface with a plurality of commands which a

A system for monitoring a user's usage of a target application. Such a target application can, as examples, be a software program running on a computer or a workstation, an image forming device, an appliance, etc. The target application includes a user interface with a plurality of commands which a user can select. In the example of the target application being a software program, the commands may be icons displayed on a computer screen which a user can point to with a mouse pointer and then click on. In the case of the target application being an image forming device or an appliance, the interface may be an operation panel with buttons, a touch pad, etc. which a user can press. The present invention monitors the user's usage of such interfaces and logs data of the user's usage of such interfaces. The logged data is stored in the form of an abstract class, and the abstract class is sent to a sending unit. The logged data can then be communicated by the sending unit by Internet mail to a designated location.

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A system for monitoring a user's usage of a target application. Such a target application can, as examples, be a software program running on a computer or a workstation, an image forming device, an appliance, etc. The target application includes a user interface with a plurality of commands which a

A system for monitoring a user's usage of a target application. Such a target application can, as examples, be a software program running on a computer or a workstation, an image forming device, an appliance, etc. The target application includes a user interface with a plurality of commands which a user can select. In the example of the target application being a software program, the commands may be icons displayed on a computer screen which a user can point to with a mouse pointer and then click on. In the case of the target application being an image forming device or an appliance, the interface may be an operation panel with buttons, a touch pad, etc. which a user can press. The present invention monitors the user's usage of such interfaces and logs data of the user's usage of such interfaces. The logged data is stored in the form of an abstract class, and the abstract class is sent to a sending unit. The logged data can then be communicated by the sending unit by Internet mail to a designated location. puter using an Internet protocol (IP), the test page containing test information and functionality so that when rendered by the browser enables the system administrator to specify at least one test, at least one participating server from among the registered servers, and at least one participating client from among the registered clients; the testing application having a coordination system that coordinates execution of the test on the participating client and the participating server by sending out IP-compliant coordination messages to set up the participating server and to start the participating client running the test in conjunction with the participating server; a testing service executing at both the participating client and the participating server, the testing service being responsive to the coordination messages to perform the test and to gather test results from the tests, the testing service further sending IP-compliant result messages containing the test results to the testing application at the central testing server, and a database resident at the central testing server to store the test results received from the testing service. 8. A distributed test administration system as recited in claim 7, wherein the testing application generates a status page that can be served to the browser of the remote administration computer to present the test results obtained as a result of running the test on the participating client and the participating server. 9. A distributed test administration system as recited in claim 7, wherein the coordination messages and the result message conform to HTTP (hypertext transport protocol). 10. A distributed test administration system as recited in claim 7, wherein the coordination system comprises an event coordination structure that is loaded with multiple triggering events when a test is initiated, the testing application sequentially invoking the triggering events to synchronize initiation of the participating client and the participating server to perform the test. 11. A distributed test administration system as recited in claim 7, wherein the test page presents a list of test suites, each test suite containing one or more tests, and the test page providing a control to enable that system administrator to order the tests within the test suites. 12. A distributed test administration system as recited in claim 7, wherein the test page presents a scrollable list of registered clients and a scrollable list of registered servers, the test page further providing a control to enable that system administrator to select the participating client from the list of registered clients and to select the participating server from the list of registered servers. 13. A software architecture for a distributed test administration system, the software architecture being implemented as computer programs stored on storage media, comprising: an active server page to produce a test page that can be served to a browser, the test page containing test information and functionality to enable a user to define through the browser a test to be run on at least one computer and to submit this test in return message; a control object, responsive to the retain message, to initiate a testing cycle that involves sending one or more test messages to initiate the test at the computer; a testing service, responsive to the test initiation message, to perform the test on the computer and to report results from the test; and a database to store the test results reported by the testing service. 14. A software architecture as recited in claim 13, wherein the active server page, the control object, and the database reside at a central testing server, and the testing service resides at the computer being tested. 15. A software architecture as recited in claim 13, wherein the return message, the test initiation message, and the results are transferred according to an Internet protocol. 16. A software architecture as rec ited in claim 13, further comprising a browser to render the test page. 17. A software architecture as recited in claim 13, further comprising another active server page to produce a status page that can be served to the browser, the status page containing the results from the test. 18. A software architecture as recited in claim 13, further comprising another active server page to produce a registration page that facilitates registration of each of the computers. 19. A software architecture as recited in claim 18, further comprising a list structure to hold an identity of the computers that are registered. 20. A software architecture as recited in claim 19, wherein the test page further contains the identity of the registered computers to enable the user to select a set of one or more participating computers from among the registered computers. 21. A software architecture for a distributed test administration system for testing computers over the Internet, the software architecture being implemented as computer programs stored on storage media, comprising: a testing application resident at a testing server, the testing application generating a test page that can be served to a browser using an Internet protocol (IP), the test page containing test information and functionality to enable a user to create an IP-compliant test message that specifies one or more tests, an order of the tests, and one or more participating computers on which to run the tests, wherein the test message is returned to the testing application; a testing service resident at each of the participating computers to run the tests defined in the test message, gather test results from running the tests, and send out IP-compliant result messages containing the test results; and the testing application coordinating execution of the tests by sending IP-compliant coordination messages to the testing service at each of the participating computers and compiling the test results returned in the result messages from the testing service. 22. A software architecture as recited in claim 21, wherein the test message, the coordination messages, and the result message conform to HTTP (hypertext transport protocol). 23. A software architecture as recited in claim 21, wherein the testing application further generates a status page fat can be served to a browser, the status page containing the test results. 24. A software architecture as recited in claim 21, wherein the testing application further generates a registration page that can be served to the testing service to facilitate registration of the participating computer. 25. A software architecture as recited in claim 24, wherein the testing application maintains a list of the computers that are registered and presents this list as part of the test page served to the browser so that the user can select the participating computers from among the registered computers. 26. A software architecture as recited in claim 21, wherein the testing application has a timing mechanism to initiate sending the IP coordination messages at a predetermined time. 27. A software architecture as recited in claim 26, wherein the testing service runs the tests automatically at the is predetermined time application in response to receiving the IP coordination messages from the testing application. 28. A software architecture as recited in claim 21, further comprising a browser to render the test page. 29. A software architecture as recited in claim 21, fiber comprising an event coordination structure that holds multiple events that order communication with the participating computers. 30. A software architecture for a distributed test administration system for testing computers over an IP (Internet protocol) network, the software architecture being implemented as computer programs stored on storage media, comprising: automated testing services installed at a participating client and at a participating server, a testing application insta