SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ACTIVATION OF APPLICATIONS USING CLIENT-SPECIFIC DATA

• US 20130024681A1
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Gattegno, Yves
• Granted Patent: US 8,874,891 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]

Abstract

Example embodiments relate to activation of an application included on a shared virtual disk using client-specific data. In particular, example embodiments retrieve, from a client-specific location on a virtual disk server, activation credentials generated in response to successful activation of the application during a previous boot Example embodiments then reinstall the application activation credentials to verify activation of the application for the particular client computing device.

Claims

1. A server comprising:

a network interface that transmits a shared virtual disk to each of a plurality of clients; and

a storage area that maintains client-specific data for each of the plurality of clients,

wherein the shared virtual disk comprises an application and instructions executable by each respective client of the plurality of clients, the instructions comprising;

instructions for retrieving, from the client-specific data for the respective client, activation credentials generated in response to successful activation of the application during a previous boot, and

instructions for reinstalling the activation credentials to verify activation of the application for the respective client.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein:

the instructions included in the shared virtual disk are part of a service installed on the shared virtual disk, the service automatically executing upon boot-up of an operating system included on the shared virtual disk by the respective client.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein:

the client-specific data identifies the respective client using a unique identifier, and

the instructions for retrieving the activation credentials obtain the credentials by accessing the client-specific data using the unique identifier of the respective client.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the instructions for reinstalling the activation credentials for the respective client comprise:

instructions for calling a function used to reinstall activation data using a product key included in the activation credentials retrieved from the client-specific data.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the instructions for reinstalling he activation credentials for the respective client further comprise:

instructions for calling a function used to reinstall activation data using a product key retrieved from the shared virtual disk.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the instructions included in the shared virtual disk further comprise:

instructions for determining whether the instructions for reinstalling the activation credentials successfully verified activation of the application, and

instructions for triggering an activation method for the application when it is determined that the instructions for reinstalling did not successfully verify activation.

7. The server of claim 6 wherein the instructions included in the shared virtual disk further comprise:

instructions for storing the activation credentials generated by the activation method in the client-specific data when the activation method successfully activated the application.

8. A machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a client computing device that receives a shared virtual disk including an application, the machine-readable storage medium comprising:

instructions for activating the application for the client computing device during a first boot;

instructions for storing application activation credentials generated during the activating of the application in a client-specific location on a server;

instructions for retrieving the application activation credentials from the client-specific location on the server during a next boot of the client computing device; and

instructions for reinstalling the application activation credentials to verify activation of the application.

9. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions for activating the application use a shared activation key stored on the shared virtual disk.

10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein:

the instructions for activating the application use a client-specific activation key, and

the client-specific activation key is entered by a user of the client computing device or retrieved from the server using an identifier of the client computing device.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions for activating are executed during the first boot when it is determined that a periodic reactivation of the application is required.

12. A method for activating an application included on a shared virtual disk accessed by a client computing device, the method comprising:

retrieving, by the client computing device, an image of the shared virtual disk from a virtual disk server, the image including the application;

activating the application for the client computing device using an activation product key during a first boot of the operating system;

saving activation credentials generated in response to successful activation of the application on a client-specific location on the virtual disk server; and

retrieving and installing the saved activation credentials for the application during a subsequent boot by the client computing device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein activating the application for the client computing device comprises one of:

retrieving the activation product key from a configuration repository of an operating system stored in the shared virtual disk,

receiving user entry of the activation product key, and

retrieving the activation product key from the virtual disk server.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining whether the application is activated at shutdown of the client computing device; and

when it is determined that the application is activated at shutdown, updating the saved activation credentials in the client-specific location on the virtual disk sever with current activation credentials,

15. The method of claim 12, wherein retrieving and installing the saved activation credentials comprises:

retrieving a product key from the saved activation credentials in the client-specific location on the virtual disk server; and

calling a product key reinstall method of the application using the retrieved product key as a parameter.