Method and apparatus for remotely assessing software with automatic maintenance of a software audit file

• US 20030140266A1
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sound View Innovations, LLC (Sound View Innovation Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Szablowski, Walt, Fink, Paul Ernest, Henness, Marc A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,111,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for remotely identifying software and software versions using a maintained software audit file. The disclosed system management tool identifies software installed on each network node by comparing the name and size of installed files to a software audit file. The system management tool performs an inventory scan of the software on each network node and obtains a list of each file and the corresponding file size. The software audit file provides identifying information, such as the file name and corresponding size, for each known file. Known files can be quickly identified using a match criteria based, for example, on the file name and size. The software audit file is maintained by investigating any unknown files with a sample of the user population having the unknown file. In one implementation, a targeted query is automatically transmitted to a sample of the user population having the unknown file requesting header information for the unknown file. In this manner, previously unknown files, once identified, can be added to the software audit file. A technique is disclosed for quickly identifying a network node, in order to retrieve a list of instructions to be executed by the network node.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving an instruction set to be executed by a network node in a distributed computing system, comprising the steps of:

assigning a machine identifier to said network node, wherein said machine identifier is reducible to an integer;

maintaining a set of instructions to be executed by said network node, said set of instructions being indexed by said integer;

obtaining said machine identifier from said network node; and

retrieving said set of instructions using said integer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said machine identifier comprises said integer and a unique identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said unique identifier allows said network node to be identified if said integer is reassigned to another network node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said instruction set contains a targeted query to identify an unknown software file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said instruction set includes a request for header information for an unknown file installed on said network node.

6. A system for retrieving an instruction set to be executed by a network node in a distributed computing system, comprising:

a memory for storing computer readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to;

assign a machine identifier to said network node, wherein said machine identifier is reducible to an integer;

maintain a set of instructions to be executed by said network node, said set of instructions being indexed by said integer;

obtain said machine identifier from said network node; and

retrieve said set of instructions using said integer.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said machine identifier comprises said integer and a unique identifier.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said unique identifier allows said network node to be identified if said integer is reassigned to another network node.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said instruction set contains a targeted query to identify an unknown software file.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein said instruction set includes a request for header information for an unknown file installed on said network node.

11. A system for retrieving an instruction set to be executed by a network node in a distributed computing system, comprising:

means for assigning a machine identifier to said network node, wherein said machine identifier is reducible to an integer;

means for maintaining a set of instructions to be executed by said network node, said set of instructions being indexed by said integer;

means for obtaining said machine identifier from said network node; and

means for retrieving said set of instructions using said integer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said machine identifier comprises said integer and a unique identifier.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said unique identifier allows said network node to be identified if said integer is reassigned to another network node.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said instruction set contains a targeted query to identify an unknown software file.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said instruction set includes a request for header information for an unknown file installed on said network node.