Offline sideloading for enrollment of devices in a mobile device management system

• US 10,530,865 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jain, Adarsh, Regula, Kalyan, Sawant, Prasad, Chamarajnagar, Ravishankar, Jones, Michael, Le, Hai James
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Tae K
• Application Number:
  US15/491,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20180309832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0838 User device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0925 using policies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment

Abstract

Systems herein allow an administrator to efficiently enroll computing devices into a mobile device management system, even when those computing devices are offline and not connected to the system. A management server can include a console that allows the administrator to enroll an offline computing device by selecting an offline enrollment option on a registration record. This option can cause the management server to create a device record, indicating the computing device is enrolled. The management server can also create and save a provisioning file onto a storage device, such as a USB drive. Assets, such as graphics and applications, specified by the device record are also saved onto the storage device. The storage device can be physically connected to the computing device, at which point the provisioning file guides automatic installation of the assets and implementation of device settings and compliance rules specified by the device record.

Claims

1. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing instructions executed by at least one processor to perform stages of offline enrollment and side loading in a mobile device management system, the stages comprising:

creating, at a management server, a registration record that includes a device attribute and a device identifier;

generating, in a graphical user interface, an offline enrollment option for enrolling an offline computing device using the registration record;

in response to selection of the offline enrollment option, creating a device record for the offline computing device, wherein;

the device record assigns an asset to the computing device based on a smart group,

the asset includes graphics that correspond to the smart group and a managed application that corresponds to the smart group, and

at least one smart group corresponds to vending machines; and

sending a provisioning file and the asset to a storage device for physical connection to the offline computing device, wherein the provisioning file causes the offline computing device to install the asset and apply a setting specified by the device record upon physically connecting to the offline computing device.

2. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the device record associates the registration record to a serial number of the offline computing device.

3. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the stages further comprise:

determining the smart group that applies to the registration record based on the device attribute; and

automatically assigning the smart group to the registration record.

4. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the managed application communicates with the management server when the offline computing device connects to the Internet.

5. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the provisioning file is formatted for recognition by a management agent that executes on the offline computing device, wherein the provisioning file specifies the setting for the management agent to apply to the offline computing device.

6. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the provisioning file causes the offline computing device to install a management agent that enforces a compliance policy based on the smart group.

7. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the offline computing device is a vending machine.

8. A method for configuring offline computing devices, comprising:

creating, at a management server, a registration record that includes a device attribute;

generating, in a graphical user interface, an offline enrollment option for enrolling an offline computing device using the registration record;

in response to selection of the offline enrollment option, creating a device record for the offline computing device, wherein;

the device record assigns an asset to the computing device based on a smart group,

the asset includes graphics that correspond to the smart group and a managed application that corresponds to the smart group, and

at least one smart group corresponds to vending machines; and

sending a provisioning file and the asset to a storage device for physical connection to the offline computing device, wherein the provisioning file causes the offline computing device to install the asset and apply a setting specified by the device record upon physically connecting to the offline computing device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the device record associates the registration record to a serial number of the offline computing device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the stages further comprise:

determining the smart group that applies to the registration record based on the device attribute; and

automatically assigning the smart group to the registration record.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the managed application communicates with the management server when the offline computing device connects to the Internet.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the provisioning file is formatted for recognition by a management agent that executes on the offline computing device, wherein the provisioning file specifies the setting for the management agent to apply to the offline computing device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the provisioning file causes the computing device to install a management agent that enforces a compliance policy based on the smart group.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the computing device is a vending machine.

15. A system for enrolling offline computing devices, comprising:

a non-transitory, computer-readable medium that stores smart groups, application settings, and device attributes;

a processor that performs stages including;

creating, at a management server, a registration record that includes a device attribute;

generating, in a graphical user interface, an offline enrollment option for enrolling an offline computing device using the registration record;

in response to selection of the offline enrollment option, creating a device record for the offline computing device, wherein;

the device record assigns an asset to the offline computing device based on a smart group,

the asset includes graphics that correspond to the smart group and a managed application that corresponds to the smart group, and

at least one smart group corresponds to vending machines; and

sending a provisioning file and the asset to a storage device for physical connection to the offline computing device, wherein the provisioning file causes the offline computing device to install the asset and apply a setting specified by the device record upon physically connecting to the offline computing device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the device record associates the registration record to a serial number of the offline computing device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the stages further comprise:

determining the smart group that applies to the registration record based on the device attribute; and

automatically assigning the smart group to the registration record.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the managed application communicates with the management server when the offline computing device connects to the Internet.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the provisioning file is formatted for recognition by a management agent that executes on the offline computing device, wherein the provisioning file specifies the setting for the management agent to apply to the offline computing device.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the provisioning file causes the offline computing device to install a management agent that enforces a compliance policy based on the smart group.