Method and system for identifying master profile information using client properties selected from group consisting of client location, user functionality description, automatically retrieving master profile using master profile location in autonomic computing environment without intervention from the user

• US 7,158,977 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2003
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Challener, David Carroll, Ford, Jeffrey Vernon
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US10/718,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 4, 707/10, 707/100, 707/104.1, 707/200, 726/17, 709217-219, 709226-227, 700/19, 399 8- 12, 702183-188, 715736-745
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method to allow valid profiles in autonomic computing discover is presented. A client accesses a network and sends a profile information request to a central computing device, such as a server. The server identifies client properties, such as the client'"'"'s location and a user functionality description which corresponds to the client'"'"'s user. The server uses the identified client properties to select an appropriate master profile from a master profile look-up table. The server sends master profile information, such as the master profile'"'"'s pathname and revision time, to the client. In turn, the client determines whether it already has a valid profile or whether it should download an up-to-date version. If the client requires an up-to-date profile version, the client downloads the master profile from the server and uses the downloaded profile for various computing tasks.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of managing a client profile, said method comprising:

automatically sending a client request to a computing device in an autonomic computing environment without intervention from a user, the client request including a request for master profile information, wherein the computing device is adapted to identify the master profile information using client properties included in the client request, wherein the client properties are selected from the group consisting of a client location and a user functionality description;

receiving the master profile information from the computing device in the autonomic computing environment without informing the user, wherein the master profile information corresponds to a master profile and includes a master profile location;

in response to receiving the master profile information from the computing device, comparing a revision time of an existing profile with a revision time of the master profile;

determining whether to retrieve the master profile based upon the comparing;

in response to the determining, automatically retrieving the master profile using the master profile location in the autonomic computing environment without intervention from the user; and

in response to retrieving the master profile, using the master profile for performing one or more computing tasks.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting whether to notify the user of the master file retrieval; and

notifying the user in response to the detecting.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device is adapted to use authorization information included in the client request in order to determine whether to send the master profile information.

4. An information handling system that manages a client profile comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by the processors;

one or more nonvolatile storage devices accessible by the processors; and

a client profile management tool for managing client profiles, the client profile management tool comprising software code effective to;

automatically send a client request to a computing device in an autonomic computing environment without intervention from a user, the client request including a request for master profile information, wherein the computing device is adapted to identify the master profile information using client properties included in the client request, wherein the client properties are selected from the group consisting of a client location and a user functionality description;

receive the master profile information from the computing device in the autonomic computing environment without informing the user, wherein the master profile information corresponds to a master profile and includes a master profile location;

in response to receiving the master profile information from the computing device, compare a revision time of an existing profile with a revision time of the master profile;

determine whether to retrieve the master profile based upon the comparing;

in response to determining to retrieve the master profile, automatically retrieve the master profile from one of the nonvolatile storage devices using the master profile location in the autonomic computing environment without intervention from the user; and

in response to retrieving the master profile, use the master profile for performing one or more computing tasks.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the software code is further effective to:

detect whether to notify the user of the master profile retrieval; and

notify the user in response to the detecting.

6. A computer program product stored on a computer operable media, the computer operable media containing instructions for execution by a computer, which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to implement a method for managing a client profile, the method comprising:

automatically sending a client request to a computing device in an autonomic computing environment without intervention from a user, the client request including a request for master profile information, wherein the computing device is adapted to identify the master profile information using client properties included in the client request, wherein the client properties are selected from the group consisting of a client location and a user functionality description;

receiving the master profile information from the computing device in the autonomic computing environment without informing the user, wherein the master profile information corresponds to a master profile and includes a master profile location;

in response to receiving the master profile information from the computing device, comparing a revision time of an existing profile with a revision time of the master profile;

determining whether to retrieve the master profile based upon the comparing;

in response to the determining, automatically retrieving the master profile using the master profile location in the autonomic computing environment without intervention from the user; and

in response to retrieving the master profile, using the master profile for performing one or more computing tasks.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the method further comprises:

detecting whether to notify the user of the master file retrieval; and

notifying the user in response to the detecting.

8. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the computing device is adapted to use authorization information included in the client request in order to determine whether to send the master profile information.