A method for maintaining handheld computers at a location remote from a home
maintenance
node containing a maintenance database for at least one of the handheld computers.
The method comprising connecting one of the handheld computers to a maintenance
node and detecting whether the maintenance node is the home maintenance node for
the handheld computer. If the connected maintenance node is not the home maintenance
node, the home maintenance node for the handheld computer is located and a maintenance
session is opened between the handheld computer and the home maintenance node.
The method further includes performing maintenance on the handheld computer.