Persistent enrollment of a computing device using vendor autodsicovery

• US 10,409,619 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2017
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnissa, LLC
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roszak, Jason, Newell, Craig, Shantharam, Shravan, Murthy, Varun, Regula, Kalyan, Watts, Blake
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin C
• Application Number:
  US15/466,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20180276001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Systems and methods are included for causing a computing device to request ownership information and configure itself based on which tenant is associated with the computing device. During launch of an operating system, such as WINDOWS, the computing device can contact a server that tracks ownership information. The server can be identified in firmware or an operating system image of the computing device. The server can determine which operating system image and applications to install at the computing device. The server can provide addresses that the computing device can contact to retrieve portions of the operating system or applications.

Claims

1. A computing device that performs auto-discovery on first boot, comprising:

a non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing instructions;

at least one processor that executes the instructions to perform stages comprising;

in response to firmware executed during first boot of a computing device, contacting a vendor server at a first address provided in the firmware;

receiving a second address of a management server from the vendor server;

downloading a management agent from the management server, the management agent enforcing policies defined at the management server; and

blocking user login to an operating system of the computing device until after the management agent is installed on the computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a basic input/output system (“

BIOS”

) flag causes the computing device to contact the vendor server.

3. The system of claim 1, the stages further comprising:

receiving a third address for a tenant associated with the computing device; and

downloading an application from the tenant.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the third address is received from the management server in response to the management server determining ownership information associated with the computing device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the policies are selected by the management server based on a tenant associated with the computing device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein receiving the first address is in response to sending the vendor server a serial number that is included in the firmware.

7. The system of claim 1, the stages further comprising waiting until a network interface is activated before contacting the vendor server, wherein the firmware causes a process to block WINDOWS from allowing user log in until at least after the policies are downloaded from the management server.

8. A method for installing and configuring software on a computing device based on device ownership, comprising:

during initial boot, contacting a vendor server at a first address provided in firmware of the computing device;

receiving a second address of a management server from the vendor server;

downloading a management agent from the management server; and

blocking user login to an operating system of the computing device until after the management agent is installed on the computing device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a basic input/output system (“

BIOS”

) flag causes the computing device to contact the vendor server.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a third address for a tenant associated with the computing device; and

downloading an application from the tenant.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the third address is received from the management server in response to the management server determining ownership information associated with the computing device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the policies are selected by the management server based on a tenant associated with the computing device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the first address is in response to sending the vendor server a serial number that is included in the firmware.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising waiting until a network interface is activated before contacting the vendor server, wherein the firmware causes a process to block WINDOWS from allowing user log in until at least after the policies are downloaded from the management server.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions for vendor auto-discovery that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the processor to perform stages comprising:

during initial boot, contacting a vendor server at a first address provided in firmware of the computing device;

receiving a second address of a management server from the vendor server;

downloading a management agent from the management server; and

blocking user login to an operating system until after the management agent is installed.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein a basic input/output system (“

BIOS”

) flag causes the computing device to contact the vendor server.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a third address for a tenant associated with the computing device; and

downloading an application from the tenant.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the third address is received from the management server in response to the management server determining ownership information associated with the computing device.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the policies are selected by the management server based on a tenant associated with the computing device.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving the first address is in response to sending the vendor server a serial number that is included in the firmware.