Method, system, computer program product, and article of manufacture for downloading a remote computer program according to a stored configuration

• US 7,089,553 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2000
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: England, Laurence E., Glaser, Howard J., Xia, Chenhong, Poole, Rebecca Lau
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US09/687,414
• Time in Patent Office: 2,126 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 713/155, 713/161, 713164-165, 713/168, 713/170, 713/182, 713/185, 713/189, 713/191, 713193-202, 709/220, 709223-225
• US Class Current: 717/178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A configuration of an application program corresponding to a particular user of the local application is defined and stored on a remote server. In response to the user requesting the application program, a session is initiated between the local data processing system and the remote data processing system, and the user is authenticated. Responsive to the user authentication, data is downloaded from the remote server to the local data processing system according to the stored configuration. This stored configuration may be encrypted and stored in a manifest file which is decrypted to produce a decrypted configuration in response to the user authentication, and data may be downloaded from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system according to the decrypted configuration. The application program may be constructed pursuant to the configuration file or the decrypted configuration file.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture for use in a data processing system for downloading an application program from a remote data processing system for execution by a particular user on a local data processing system, said data processing system comprising the local data processing system and the remote data processing system, said article of manufacture comprising remote code executed by the remote data processing system and local code executed by the local data processing system to cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

defining and storing, by the remote code, a user configuration of the application program corresponding to the particular user of the application program;

encrypting and storing, by the remote code, the user configuration in a manifest file;

initiating, by the remote code, a session between the local data processing system and the remote data processing system in response to the particular user requesting the application program;

performing a first authentication, by the remote code, of the particular user in response to the particular user requesting the application program;

performing, by the local code, a local logon to perform a second authentication of the particular user;

decrypting, by the local code, the manifest file to produce a decrypted user configuration in response to the second authentication; and

responsive to the second authentication, downloading, by the local code, data from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system according to the decrypted user configuration.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the manifest file is stored on the remote data processing system, wherein the executed local code further causes operations comprising:

downloading the manifest file from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system in response to the first authentication.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 1 wherein the local code further causes operations comprising:

building the application program pursuant to the user configuration decrypted from the manifest file responsive to the second authentication.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 3, wherein the second authentication is performed responsive to the particular user requesting a build of the application program.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 1 wherein the user configuration comprises data describing the particular user, the particular user'"'"'s application program configuration, and resources for which the particular user is authorized.

6. A method of downloading an application program from a remote data processing system for execution by a particular user on a local data processing system, said method comprising:

defining and storing a user configuration of the application program corresponding to the particular user of the application program;

encrypting and storing the user configuration in a manifest file;

initiating a session between the local data processing system and the remote data processing system in response to the particular user requesting the application program;

performing a first authentication of the particular user in response to the particular user requesting the application program;

performing a local logon to perform a second authentication of the particular user decrypting the manifest file to produce a decrypted user configuration in response to the second authentication; and

responsive to the user authentication, downloading data from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system according to the decrypted user configuration.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the manifest file is stored on the remote data processing system, further comprising:

downloading the manifest file from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system in response to the first authentication.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

building the application program pursuant to the user configuration decrypted from the manifest file responsive to the second authentication.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein

the second authentication is performed responsive to the particular user requesting a build of the application program.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the user configuration comprises data describing the particular user, the particular user'"'"'s application program configuration, and resources for which the particular user is authorized.

11. A computer system for use in a data processing system for downloading an application program for execution by a particular user comprising:

(a) a remote data processing system including;

(i) a stored user configuration of the application program corresponding to the particular user of the application program;

(ii) a manifest file comprising an encrypted user configuration;

(b) a local data processing system in communication with the remote data processing system;

(c) remote code executed by the remote data processing system to cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising;

(i) establishing a session between the local data processing system and the remote data processing system in response to the particular user requesting the application program;

(ii) performing a first authentication of the particular user in response to the particular user requesting the application program;

(d) local code executed by the local data processing system to cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising;

(i) performing a local logon to perform a second authentication of the particular user;

(ii) decrypting the manifest file in response to the second authentication; and

(iii) downloading data from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system according to the decrypted user configuration.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the manifest file is stored on the remote data processing system and comprises an encrypted user configuration, wherein the operations of the local code further comprise:

downloading the manifest file from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system in response to the first authentication.

13. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the operations of the local code further comprise:

building the application program pursuant to the user configuration decrypted from the manifest file responsive to the second authentication.

14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein

the second authentication is performed responsive to the particular user requesting a build of the application program.

15. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the user configuration comprises data describing the particular user, the particular user'"'"'s application program configuration, and resources for which the particular user is authorized.