MANAGING A SOFTWARE ITEM ON A MANAGED COMPUTER SYSTEM

• US 20100037316A1
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Marketing LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Marketing USA LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Rive, Peter Joshua, Rive, Russell S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00753 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of copies that can be made, e.g. CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A method and system is provided of managing a current software item on a managed computer system connectable to a management computer system via a computer network. The method includes identifying, using an agent application, the current software item on the managed computer system, identifying if the current software item is an unauthorized software item; and selectively disabling the unauthorized software item.

Claims

1. A management computer system, to manage at least one current software item on a managed computer system, the management computer system comprising:

a user interface to define a software reference list identifying unauthorized software items;

a communication interface to receive from the managed computer system a plurality of current software item identifiers that identify current software items on the managed computer system;

a comparator component to compare each of the current software item identifiers with the software reference list to identify that the current software item is an unauthorized software item; and

an uninstall component to identify an uninstall package of a plurality of uninstall packages, the identified uninstall package being associated with the unauthorized software item and wherein the identified uninstall package is communicated to the managed computer system, in an automated fashion, to uninstall the unauthorized software item.

2. The management computer system of claim 1, further comprising an administrative console to provide the user interface at the management computer system to receive input to define the software reference list.

3. The management computer system of claim 1, wherein the software reference list corresponds to a job responsibility that is associated with a user of the managed computer system.

4. The management computer system of claim 3, wherein the user interface provides a plurality of user selectable job descriptors that each identifies a job responsibility.

5. The management computer system of claim 1, wherein the software reference list comprises a list of software items that are authorized to be on the managed computer system.

6. The management computer system of claim 1, wherein the software reference list comprises a list of software items that are not authorized to be on the managed computer system.

7. The management computer system of claim 1, wherein the unauthorized software item comprises one of an executable file, a configuration file, a driver, or a media file.

8. The management computer system of claim 7, wherein the uninstall package is communicated to the managed computer system at a scheduled time.

9. The management computer system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to:

display software items in a display window; and

receive an allow input from a user to identify if a software item is authorized on the managed device, and receive a disallow input from a user to identify if a software item is unauthorized on the managed device.

10. A method of managing at least one current software item on a managed computer system using a management computer system, the method comprising:

at the management computer system,

providing a user interface to define a software reference list identifying unauthorized software items;

receiving from the managed computer system a plurality of current software item identifiers that identify current software items on the managed computer system;

comparing each of the current software item identifiers with the software reference list to identify that the current software item is an unauthorized software item;

identifying an uninstall package of a plurality of uninstall packages, the identified uninstall package being associated with the unauthorized software item; and

communicating the identified uninstall package to the managed computer system, in an automated fashion, to uninstall the unauthorized software item.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising communicating the uninstall package to the managed computer system at a scheduled time.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying software items in a display window;

receiving an allow input from a user to identify if a software item is authorized on the managed computer system; and

receiving a disallow input from a user to identify if a software item is unauthorized on the managed computer system.

13. A managed computer system, connectable to a management computer system that manages at least one current software item on the managed computer system, the managed computer system including:

an inventory module to receive a request from the management computer system to generate a software inventory list that includes current software items on the managed computer system, and software inventory list to be communicated to the management computer system; and

an uninstall module to selectively disable an unauthorized software item by using an uninstall package, associated with the unauthorized software item and received from the management computer system, the uninstall package being one of a plurality of uninstalled packages selected at the management computer system.

14. The managed computer system of claim 13, wherein the uninstall module is to receive the uninstall package including at least one of a generic uninstall package or a custom uninstall package.

15. The managed computer system of claim 13, wherein the uninstall module is to selectively disable the unauthorized software item by one of uninstalling the unauthorized software item, deleting the unauthorized software item, or reconfiguring the unauthorized software item.

16. The managed computer system of claim 13, wherein the unauthorized software item comprises one of an executable file, a configuration file, a driver, or a media file.

17. The managed computer system of claim 13, wherein the unauthorized software item is identified at the management computer system by comparing the software inventory list with a software reference list.

18. The managed computer system of claim 17, wherein the software reference list comprises a list of software items that are not authorized to be on the managed computer system.

19. The managed computer system of claim 17, wherein the software reference list comprises a list of software items that are authorized to be on the managed computer system.

20. The managed computer system of claim 17, wherein the software reference list corresponds to a job responsibility that is associated with a user of the managed computer system.