Auditing computer systems components in a network

• US 20030225865A1
• Filed: 08/13/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seventh Knight
• Original Assignee: Seventh Knight
• Inventors: Koestler, Luke
• Granted Patent: US 7,149,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring a plurality of changes to a computing environment on a computer network having one or more client computers, include requesting a registry information from a system registry of the one or more client computers, receiving the registry information, collecting a component information for one or more components of the one or more client computers, and compiling the registry information and the component information into a first data store.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a plurality of changes to a computing environment on a computer network comprising a one or more client computers, the method comprising:

requesting a registry information from a system registry of the one or more client computers;

receiving the registry information;

collecting a component information for one or more components of the one or more client computers; and

compiling the registry information and the component information into a first data store.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of client computers comprises a Windows-based computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the requesting comprises sending one or more API declarations to the system registry.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the collecting comprises registering as a file system extension.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting comprises:

initiating a first timer set to expire after a first predetermined time period; and

requesting the registry information upon the expiration of the first timer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the requesting further comprises:

initiating a second timer set to expire at a second predetermined time period, wherein the first and second timers will not expire at the same time; and

requesting the registry information upon the expiration of the second timer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data store is a memory device associated with the client computer, and wherein the method further comprises compiling the information in the first data store into a central data store.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises providing a user interface for searching the contents of the central data store.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting comprises collecting information about all network communications received by the client computer.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the client computer comprises a network connection, and wherein the component monitor collects information about a communication received at the client computer via the network connection.

10. A system for monitoring a plurality of changes to a computing environment on a computer network comprising a one or more client computers, the system comprising:

a registry monitor requesting a registry information from a system registry of the one or more client computers, and receiving the registry information;

a component monitor collecting a component information for one or more components of the one or more client computers;

a first data store associated with each of the one or more client computers; and

a compiler associated with each of the one or more client computers storing the registry information and the component information into the first data store associated with that client computer.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the client computer comprises a Windows-based computer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the registry component requests the registry information by sending one or more API declarations to the system registry.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the component monitor registers the system as a file system extension.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the registry monitor comprises a first timer set to expire after a first predetermined time period, and wherein the registry monitor requests the registry information upon the expiration of the first timer.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the registry monitor further comprises a second timer set to expire at a second predetermined time period, wherein the first and second timers will not expire at the same time, and the registry monitor further requests the registry information upon the expiration of the second timer.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the system further comprises a central data store interconnected to the one or more client computers.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the central data store comprises a compilation of information from the first data store of each of the one or more client computers.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the system further comprises providing a user interface for searching the contents of the central data store.

20. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for a method for monitoring a plurality of changes to a computing environment on a computer network comprising a one or more client computers, the method comprising:

requesting a registry information from a system registry of the one or more client computers;

receiving the registry information;

collecting a component information for one or more components of the one or more client computers; and

compiling the registry information and the component information into a first data store.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the at least one of the plurality of client computers comprises a Windows-based computer.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the requesting comprises sending one or more API declarations to the system registry.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the collecting comprises registering as a file system extension.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the requesting comprises:

initiating a first timer set to expire after a first predetermined time period; and

requesting the registry information upon the expiration of the first timer.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the requesting further comprises:

initiating a second timer set to expire at a second predetermined time period, wherein the first and second timers will not expire at the same time; and

requesting the registry information upon the expiration of the second timer.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the first data store is a memory device associated with the client computer, and wherein the method further comprises compiling the information in the first data store into a central data store.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the method further comprises providing a user interface for searching the contents of the central data store.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the collecting comprises collecting information about all network communications received by the client computer.