Method for controlling operations of computing devices

• US 20070027972A1
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeCusatis, Casimer, Agrawal, Dakshi, Lipson, Gary, Calo, Seraphin
• Granted Patent: US 7,539,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• 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

The present invention provides a process to establish or configure a mode of operation for computing devices through the use of affinity groups, policy guidelines, and priority graphs. An affinity group is a group of peer devices identified by a network to which a target device is connected as being similar to the target device. Policy guidelines are parameters describing mode or configuration policies for a group of users and reflecting users'"'"' identified needs and requirements. A priority graph is a decision tree, which may or may not be graphically represented, describing hierarchically the organization of policies governing the mode or configuration of device operation and capturing the relative priorities of different policies. A key aspect of the present invention involves the sharing of information within an affinity group.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a target device comprising the steps of:

identifying a target device connectable to a computer network;

identifying on said network one or a plurality of groups of peer devices which employ configuration settings similar to configuration settings used by the target device;

for each of said groups of peer devices, receiving input from the target device as to whether the target device is to be included as a member of the group;

for each group of which the target device is to be included as a member, identifying one or a plurality of default parameters associated with the group, such that each default parameter describes a configuration setting determined to be suitable as a default setting for the configuration to which it relates based on a determination that it is commonly used by members of the group;

presenting each of said default parameters to the target device;

for each default parameter presented to the target device,

receiving input from the target device as to whether the default parameter is to be implemented for the target device and implementing or not implementing the default parameter for the target device in accordance with said input,

comparing input received from the target device to input received from other members of said group,

determining whether default parameters associated with the group are consistent with configuration choices commonly made by members of said group as expanded to include the target device and, if not, changing default parameters to the extent necessary to reflect configuration choices commonly made by members of the group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting default parameters to the target device also provides the target device with an opportunity to request default parameters for additional configuration settings not currently associated said group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the step of identifying a target device connectable to a network comprises at least the steps of

determining a context for the target device comprising at least the location of the target device and time at which it is being identified, and

querying the target device for

configuration settings of the target device and

identification of each configuration setting which is subject to change to conform to a default parameter of a group of peer devices;

and wherein

the identification on said network of one or a plurality of groups of peer devices which employ configuration settings similar to configuration settings used by the target device is made with reference to said context, said target device configuration settings, and said identification of configuration settings subject to change to conform to default parameters.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the querying of the target device includes a query for prioritization settings to resolve conflicts between group parameters and device configuration settings.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

the step of determining whether default parameters associated with the group are consistent with configuration choices commonly made by members of said group as expanded to include the target device and, if not, changing default parameters to the extent necessary to reflect configuration choices commonly made by members of the group comprises

assigning each parameter a numeric priority,

representing each parameter by a node in a decision tree describing hierarchically the organization of parameters,

if parameters in one node have a precedence over parameters in another node, connecting the two nodes with each other by an edge,

assigning a numeric weight to each edge to represent a degree of precedence between two nodes, and

setting default parameters to reflect configuration choices made by members of the group.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein

the step of determining whether default parameters associated with the group are consistent with configuration choices commonly made by members of said group as expanded to include the target device and, if not, changing default parameters to the extent necessary to reflect configuration choices commonly made by members of a group further comprises

introducing a new parameter in the decision tree describing hierarchically the organization of parameters,

changing priorities of parameters in said decision tree to reflect configuration choices made by members of a group, and

changing relative precedence weights among parameters in said decision tree to reflect configuration choices made by members of a group.

7. A computer-readable medium for configuring a target device, on which is provided:

instructions for identifying a target device connectable to a computer network;

instructions for identifying on said network one or a plurality of groups of peer devices which employ configuration settings similar to configuration settings used by the target device;

instructions for receiving input, for each of said groups of peer devices, from the target device as to whether the target device is to be included as a member of the group;

instructions for identifying one or a plurality of default parameters associated with each group of which the target device is to be included as a member, such that each default parameter describes a configuration setting determined to be suitable as a default setting for the configuration to which it relates based on a determination that it is commonly used by members of the group;

instructions for presenting each of said default parameters to the target device;

for each default parameter presented to the target device, instructions for

receiving input from the target device as to whether the default parameter is to be implemented for the target device and implementing or not implementing the default parameter for the target device in accordance with said input,

comparing input received from the target device to input received from other members of said group,

determining whether default parameters associated with the group are consistent with configuration choices commonly made by members of said group as expanded to include the target device and, if not, changing default parameters to the extent necessary to reflect configuration choices commonly made by members of the group.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein said instructions provided for presenting default parameters to the target device also provide the target device with an opportunity to request default parameters for additional configuration settings not currently associated said group.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein

said instructions provided for identifying a target device connectable to a network comprises at least instructions for

determining a context for the target device comprising at least the location of the target device and time at which it is being identified, and

querying the target device for

configuration settings of the target device and identification of each configuration setting which is subject to change to conform to a default parameter of a group of peer devices;

and wherein

said instructions provided to identify on said network of one or a plurality of groups of peer devices which employ configuration settings similar to configuration settings used by the target device include instructions for processing data describing said context, said target device configuration settings, and said identification of configuration settings subject to change to conform to default parameters.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said querying of the target device includes a query for prioritization settings to resolve conflicts between group parameters and device configuration settings.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein

said instructions provided for determining whether default parameters associated with the group are consistent with configuration choices commonly made by members of said group as expanded to include the target device and, if not, changing default parameters to the extent necessary to reflect configuration choices commonly made by members of a group include instructions for

assigning each parameter a numeric priority,

representing each parameter by a node in a decision tree describing hierarchically the organization of parameters,

connecting the two nodes with each other by an edge, if parameters in one node have a precedence over parameters in another node,

assigning a numeric weight to each edge to represent a degree of precedence between two nodes, and

setting default parameters to reflect configuration choices made by members of the group.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein

instructions provided for determining whether default parameters associated with the group are consistent with configuration choices commonly made by members of said group as expanded to include the target device and, if not, changing default parameters to the extent necessary to reflect configuration choices commonly made by members of a group further include instructions for

introducing a new parameter in the decision tree describing hierarchically the organization of parameters,

changing priorities of parameters in said decision tree to reflect configuration choices made by members of a group, and

changing relative precedence weights among parameters in said decision tree to reflect configuration choices made by members of a group.

13. A system for configuring a target device, comprising:

a target device and a computer network to which the target device may be connected;

one or a plurality of groups of devices which are peers to the target device and which may be identified as employing configuration settings similar to configuration settings used by the target device;

a computer, connected to the network, receiving input from the target device, for each of said groups of peer devices, as to whether the target device is to be made a member of the group;

a computer, connected to the network, identifying one or a plurality of default parameters associated with each group of which the target device is to be made a member, such that each default parameter describes a configuration setting determined to be suitable as a default setting for the configuration to which it relates based on a determination that it is commonly used by members of the group;

a computer, connected to the network, presenting each of said default parameters to the target device;

a computer, connected to the network, presenting each default parameter presented to the target device and

receiving input from the target device as to whether the default parameter is to be implemented for the target device and implementing or not implementing the default parameter for the target device in accordance with said input,

comparing input received from the target device to input received from other members of said group,

determining whether default parameters associated with the group are consistent with configuration choices commonly made by members of said group as expanded to include the target device and, if not, changing default parameters to the extent necessary to reflect configuration choices commonly made by members of the group.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer presenting default parameters to the target device also provides the target device with an opportunity to request default parameters for additional configuration settings not currently associated said group.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein

the computer identifying a target device connectable to the network also

determines a context for the target device comprising at least the location of the target device and time at which it is being identified, and

queries the target device for

configuration settings of the target device and

identification of each configuration setting which is subject to change to conform to a default parameter of a group of peer devices;

and wherein

the computer identifying on said network of one or a plurality of groups of peer devices which employ configuration settings similar to configuration settings used by the target device include instructions for processing data describing said context, said target device configuration settings, and said identification of configuration settings subject to change to conform to default parameters.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer querying the target device also queries for priority settings to resolve conflicts between group parameters and device configuration settings.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein

the computer determining whether default parameters associated with the group are consistent with configuration choices commonly made by members of said group as expanded to include the target device and, if not, changing default parameters to the extent necessary to reflect configuration choices commonly made by members of a group also

assigns each parameter a numeric priority,

represents each parameter by a node in a decision tree describing hierarchically the organization of parameters,

connects the two nodes with each other by an edge, if parameters in one node have a precedence over parameters in another node,

assigns a numeric weight to each edge to represent a degree of precedence between two nodes, and

sets default parameters to reflect configuration choices made by members of the group.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein

the computer determining whether default parameters associated with the group are consistent with configuration choices commonly made by members of said group as expanded to include the target device and, if not, changing default parameters to the extent necessary to reflect configuration choices commonly made by members of a group also

introduces a new parameter in the decision tree describing hierarchically the organization of parameters,

changes priorities of parameters in said decision tree to reflect configuration choices made by members of a group, and

changes relative precedence weights among parameters in said decision tree to reflect configuration choices made by members of a group.