Method and System for Software Installation

• US 20080276301A1
• Filed: 05/03/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nataraj, Pruthvi Panyam, Reyes, Eduardo Lazaro, Tomar, Bipin, Anbalagan, Arun Prasath
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• 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: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853

Abstract

A network based installation management system that dynamically manages secure software installation on a client. The server is configured to determine the software required and prepare an appropriated response containing the list of software and an information file containing the respective attributes of the list of software. The server encoded this response and the encoded response is transmitted to the client. The client on receiving the response is configured to authenticate the response and install the encoded response after authentication. Highly accurate and reliable software installation using the network based installation management system may be achieved using a respective hardware element on the client and the server, which is configured to encode and decode a request and/or response suitably thereby providing a high level of security and trust in an un-trusted network environment.

Claims

5-1. The method of claim 4, further comprises:

receiving the encoded request at the servicing entity; and

authenticating the encoded request at the servicing entity.

12. An installation management system comprising:

a requesting entity coupled via a network to a servicing entity, wherein the requesting entity comprises a respective hardware element for authenticating an encoded response received; and

the servicing entity further comprising a respective hardware element for creating an encoded response, wherein the encoded response comprises a list of software and an associated information file includes the attributes of the list of software.

13. The installation management system of claim 12, wherein the requesting comprises at a processing means configured to:

receive an encoded response, wherein the encoded response comprises a list of software and an associated information file containing attributes associated with the list of software; and

install the encoded response on the requesting entity.

14. The installation management system of claim 13 further comprising a requesting agent, wherein the requesting agent is configured to generate a request, wherein the request comprises a list of software required to be installed on the requesting entity.

15. The installation management system of claim 14, wherein the requesting agent is configured to:

receive an encoded response;

authenticate the encoded response; and

install the encoded response on the requesting entity without any human intervention, wherein the encoded response comprises a list of software and an associated information file containing the attributes associated with the list of software.

16. The installation management system of claim 12, wherein the servicing entity further comprises a processing means configured to generate an encoded response, wherein the encoded response comprises a list of software and an associated information file containing the attributes associated with the list of software.

17. The installation management system of claim 16, wherein a servicing agent is configured to generate the encoded response on the servicing entity without any human intervention, wherein the encoded response comprises a list of software and an associated information file containing the attributes associated with the list of software.

18. The installation management system of claim 17, wherein the servicing entity is configured to initiate pushing the encoded response to the respective requesting entity over the network.

19. The installation management system of claim 12, wherein the servicing entity is a server or a storage device.

20. A signal bearing medium comprising an encoded response embodied in a carrier wave is received at the requesting entity, wherein the encoded response is authenticated and installed on the requesting entity, the encoded response comprises a list of software and an associated information file containing the attributes associated with the list of software.

21. The signal bearing medium of claim 20, wherein the encoded response is generated at a servicing entity and transmitted from the servicing entity to a receiving entity over a network.

22. A requesting entity comprising

a receiving means for receiving an encoded response, the encoded response comprises a list of software and an associated information file containing the attributes associated with the list of software;

a processing means interfaced with a hardware element for processing the encoded response, wherein processing the encoded response includes authenticating and installing the encoded response on the device.

23. A servicing entity comprising

a processing means interfaced with a respective hardware element and configured to

generate an encoded response and transmit the encoded response to a respective requesting over a network.

1. A method for installing software over an network comprising:

receiving an encoded response at a requesting entity, wherein the encoded response comprises a list of software and an associated information file containing attributes associated with the list of software;

authenticating the encoded response on the requesting entity; and

installing the encoded response on the requesting entity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a request at the requesting entity, wherein the request comprises a list of software required to be installed on the requesting entity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a requesting agent on the requesting entity is configured to monitor, compute and generate the request at the requesting entity.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprises

encoding the request by a respective hardware element on the requesting entity, thereby creating an encoded request.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprises:

transmitting the encoded request from the requesting entity to the servicing entity, wherein the servicing entity is identified by the client for processing the encoded request.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising

generating a response at the servicing entity, wherein the response comprises a list of software and an associated information file containing the attributes associated with the list of software;

encoding the response on the servicing entity by a respective hardware element of the servicing entity; and

transmitting the encoded response to the requesting entity.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprises a servicing agent at the servicing entity configured to monitor, compute and generate the encoded response, and transmit the encoded response;

wherein the encoded response comprises the list of software and the respective information file containing the associated attributes with the software.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the servicing entity is configured to initiate pushing the encoded response to the respective requesting entity over the network.

9. A method for deploying a computing infrastructure, comprising integrating the encoded response into a computing system, wherein the encoded response in combination with the computing system is adapted to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A signal comprising the encoded response embodied in a carrier wave and bearing media is adapted to perform the method of claim 1.

24. The requesting entity of claim 22, wherein the processing means is further configured to

generate an encoded request;

and

transmit the encoded request to a respective servicing entity.

24-2. The servicing entity of claim 23, wherein

the processing means is further configured to receive a encoded request, authenticate the encoded request and generate a encoded response.