Method and apparatus for identifying a computer through BIOS scanning

• US 6,170,056 B1
• Filed: 09/09/1998
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sidie, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): De Cady, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NGUYEN X
• Application Number:
  US09/150,535
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 713/2, 712/32, 710/220
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A method and device for identifying the manufacturer make and model type of a computer involves scanning the BIOS area of memory for personal computer (PC) configuration data. This scanned data is then used to generate a character-based computer identification string that is unique to a certain type of computer. This string is then compared to a set of known strings to determine the manufacturer make and model type of the polled computer. From scanning a number of personal computers and through user feedback, the process may build upon its knowledge base of personal computers.

Claims

1. A method for identifying the make and model type of a digital device including Basic Input Output System (BIOS) memory, said method comprising the steps of:

scanning specific areas of a device memory for configuration information including a model element, a submodel element, and at least one of a BIOS revision number element, a features element, a first reserved word element, a second reserved word element, and a BIOS date string element;

assembling said scanned device configuration information into a BIOS identification string of computer-recognizable bits;

comparing said BIOS identification string to a known identification string; and

determining the make and model type of said digital device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said known identification string is an entry in a cross-reference table that provides a one-to-one correspondence between known BIOS identification strings and the device make and model type associated with said known string.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said scanned device configuration information is scanned from the digital device by executing a software program that scans the area of the BIOS memory containing the device configuration information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said digital device comprises a personal computer.

5. An automated method for identifying the manufacturer make and model type of a digital device including BIOS memory, said method comprising the steps of:

executing a software program that scans the BIOS memory;

scanning the device configuration information elements of the device BIOS memory including a model element, a submodel element, and at least one of a BIOS revision number element, a features element, a first reserved word element, a second reserved word element, and a BIOS date string element;

assembling said scanned device configuration information into a BIOS identification string of ASCII characters;

using said BIOS identification string as an index in a table that can identify the device manufacturers make and model type; and

determining the device manufacturers make and model type by translating the information contained in said table.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

maintaining the information of said table by a method comprising;

entering unknown BIOS identification strings into said table;

receiving data gathered from a physical examination of the device that generated said unknown BIOS information string to determine said device'"'"'s make and model type;

inputting said physically ascertained device make and model type into said table to correspond in a one-to-one relation with said previously unknown BIOS identification string; and

enabling said unknown BIOS identification string to be known to future users of said table.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the translation from BIOS identification string to device make and model type comprises the steps of:

comparing said unknown BIOS information string with the first identified BIOS information string entry in said table;

outputting the device make and model type corresponding to said first identified BIOS information string if said unknown BIOS information string exactly matches said first identified BIOS information string;

comparing said unknown BIOS information string with the next identified BIOS information string entry in said table if said unknown BIOS information string does not exactly match said first identified BIOS information string;

continuing to compare the unknown BIOS information string to successive identified BIOS information strings in said table until an exact match is found and the corresponding device make and model type are returned to the user of the program; and

alerting the user that the scanned BIOS information string is unknown if the unknown BIOS information string does not exactly match any of the identified BIOS information strings.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein said digital device comprises a personal computer.

9. A data processing system for identifying the manufacturer make and model type of an associated data processing system, said system comprising:

Basic Input Output Services (BIOS) memory including at least one of a BIOS revision number element, a features element, a first reserved word element, a second reserved word element, and a BIOS date string element;

memory reading means for scanning said BIOS memory elements including at least one of a BIOS revision number element, a features element, a first reserved word element, a second reserved word element, and a BIOS date string element;

character string generation means whereby the said at least one scanned system configuration information element can be included in the generated character string;

data storage means whereby a table correlating said generated character strings to a system manufacturer make and model number can be stored and updated; and

data comparing means whereby said scanned character string can be compared to said stored data table to determine the system manufacturer make and model type associated with said scanned character string.

10. A method for identifying a computer system configuration including a Basic Input Output System (BIOS) memory, said method comprising the steps of:

scanning specific areas of said BIOS memory for configuration information including BIOS version information having at least one of a BIOS revision number element, a features element, a first reserved word element, a second reserved word element, and a BIOS date string element;

assembling said scanned device configuration information including BIOS version information into a BIOS identification string of computer-recognizable bits.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

determining if a software package is compatible with a BIOS version identified with said BIOS version information; and

using said software package on said computer system if said software package is compatible with a BIOS version.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said known identification string is an entry in a cross-reference table that provides a one-to-one correspondence between known BIOS identification strings and the device make and model type associated with said known string.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said scanned device configuration information is scanned from the digital device by executing a software program that scans the area of the BIOS memory containing the device configuration information.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said BIOS version information includes a BIOS version revision identifier.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said BIOS version revision identifier includes at least one of said BIOS revision number element and said BIOS revision date element.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein said BIOS version information includes at least said BIOS revision number element and said BIOS revision date element.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein said scanned device configuration information includes a model element and a submodel element.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein said computer system comprises a personal computer.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

inventorying a group of computers connected to a computer network using a BIOS identification string including at least said BIOS version information to identify the exact type of each personal computer being inventoried.