DYNAMIC DEVICE CONFIGURATION USING PREDICATES

• US 20120173682A1
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mantere, Jussi-Pekka, Whittemore, Mark William
• Granted Patent: US 8,813,167 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses that store a generic profile in a client device for configuration are described. The generic profile may include profile payloads associated with profile predicates. The profile payloads may specify a range of possible settings for configuring the client device. The profile predicates may specify which of the possible settings are applicable for the configuration according to system states of the client device. Changes in the system states may be dynamically determined during runtime. A portion of the profile payload applicable for the determined changes of the system states may be identified via associated profile predicates. As a result, the configuration of the client device may be updated for the change of the system states by applying the identified portion of the profile payload.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprises:

storing a generic profile in a client device to configure the client device, the generic profile including profile payloads associated with profile predicates, the profile payloads specifying possible settings for the configuration of the client device, and the profile predicates specifying which of the possible settings are applicable for the configuration according to system states of the client device;

dynamically determining a change in the operating states of the client device;

identifying a portion of the profile payload applicable for the change of system states via the associated profile predicates; and

applying the identified portion of profile payload to update the configuration of the client device for the change of system states.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified portion of the profile payload includes an executable, and wherein the application comprises:

executing the executable for the update of the configuration.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the possible settings are implicitly specified in the executable and wherein the execution is based on an API (application programming interface) call including parameters for the system states.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic profile is received from a manager server remotely coupled to the client device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the generic profile includes a version, wherein the operating states includes the version of the generic profile and wherein the change indicates the generic profile has been received from the manager server to replace an old generic profile with a previous version.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating states includes how long an application has been installed in the client device, and wherein the update of the configuration causes the installed application to be removed from the client device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicate payloads include a plurality of portions including the portion identified, the plurality of portions associated with a plurality of values of a condition variable, the identification comprises:

evaluating the profile predicates using the change of the operating states, the evaluation generating one of the values of the condition variable and the generated value corresponds to the portion of the predicate payload identified.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the profile predicates include a set of rules and wherein the evaluation is based on matching operations between the changed operating states and the set of rules.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the profile predicates include an executable and wherein the evaluation comprises executing the executable using the changed operating states to generate the one of the values for the condition variable.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein identified portion of profile payload includes an executable and wherein the application comprises invoking the executable.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the invoking the executable includes calling an API having input parameters indicating the changed operating states.

12. A computer implemented method comprises:

installing an executable associated with a predicate in a client device, the predicate specifying conditions to select the executable for updating the configuration of the application;

in response to a change of an operating state of the client device, evaluating the predicate to determine if the conditions are satisfied according to the change of the operating state; and

executing the executable in the device to update the configuration of the application if the executable is selected according to the evaluation of the predicate.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the client device includes a profile store having a plurality of profile payloads for different configurations of the application, and wherein the installation adds the executable to the profile payloads of the profile store.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the profile store includes a plurality of predicates separately associated with the profile payloads, the plurality of predicates including the predicate, wherein the plurality of predicates represent a policy to adapt the configuration of the application according to the operating state of the client device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the change of the operating state of the client device is caused by the installation of the executable for configuring the application.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the application is running in the client device, the method further comprising:

notifying the application to retrieve the updated configuration.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the executable is a third party library associated with the applicant and wherein the installation of the executable for the configuration of the application is independent of installation of the application.

18. A computer implemented method comprises:

configuring a generic profile for settings of a client device, the generic profile including profile payloads associated with profile predicates;

in response to receiving system states from the client device, identifying a portion of the profile payloads according to the system states, wherein the portion of the profile payloads are associated with a corresponding portion of profile predicates, and wherein the corresponding portion of profile predicates indicate a match between the identified portion of the profile payload and the system states; and

sending the identified portion of profile payload to the client device to update the settings of the client device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the identification comprises:

evaluating the profile predicates using the system states, wherein the match is indicated based on a result of the evaluation.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the profile predicates include a set of rules having conditions, and wherein the evaluation determines if the conditions are satisfied via the system states.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

in response to receiving an update of the profile payload, sending the updated profile payload to the client device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the update of the profile payload is an library executable in the client device and wherein the library is capable of configuring a client application in the client device.

23. A machine-readable non-transitory storage medium having instructions therein, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform a method, the method comprising:

storing a generic profile in a client device to configure the client device, the generic profile including profile payloads associated with profile predicates, the profile payloads specifying possible settings for the configuration of the client device, and the profile predicates specifying which of the possible settings are applicable for the configuration according to operating states of the client device;

dynamically determining a change in the operating states of the client device;

identifying a portion of the profile payload applicable for the change of system states via the associated profile predicates; and

applying the identified portion of profile payload to update the configuration of the client device for the change of system state.

24. A machine-readable non-transitory storage medium having instructions therein, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform a method, the method comprising:

installing at a device an initial configuration profile, the initial configuration profile being read from a server via a network connector and the initial configuration profile including a predicate; and

activating at least a portion of the configuration profile only if the predicate is satisfied after the installation, wherein the activation is initiated at the device.

25. A computer system comprising:

a memory storing executable instructions to configure settings of the system having an operating state;

a storage device coupled to the memory to store a profile for the settings, the profile including payloads associated with predicates; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the storage device to execute the instructions from the memory, the processor being configured to

install an executable associated with a predicate in the profile, the executable capable of updating the settings for an application capable of running in the system, the predicate specifying conditions to select the executable for updating the settings for the application,

in response to a change of the operating state, evaluate the predicate to determine if the conditions are satisfied according to change of the operating state, and

execute the executable to update the settings for the application if the executable is selected according to the satisfied conditions.