Method of managing a software item on a managed computer system

• US 7,627,902 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Marketing LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Marketing USA LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Rive, Peter Joshua, Rive, Russell S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kimyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, NIRAV B
• Application Number:
  US10/371,319
• Time in Patent Office: 2,476 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726 26- 33, 726/22, 713/187, 713/188, 713/18, 713/189, 713/191, 713/193, 713/194, 713/165, 713/166, 705 57- 59, 705/51, 717168-173, 717174-178, 717/203, 717/204
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00753 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of copies that can be made, e.g. CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A method and system is provided of managing a current software item on a managed computer system connectable to a management computer system via a computer network. The method includes identifying, using an agent application, the current software item on the managed computer system, identifying if the current software item is an unauthorized software item; and selectively disabling the unauthorized software item.

Claims

1. A method of managing at least one current software item on a managed computer system, the managed computer system connectable to a management computer system via a computer network, the method comprising:

at the managed computer system,

receiving a software inventory request from the management computer system;

responsive to receiving the software inventory request, generating a software inventory list of current software items present on the managed computer system;

communicating the software inventory list to the management computer system to allow the management computer system to compare each of the current software items with a software reference list defined by a user interface at the management system to identify that at least one of the current software items is an unauthorized software item;

receiving via the computer network an uninstall package associated with the unauthorized software item from the management computer system, the uninstall package being one of a plurality of uninstalled packages retrieved from an uninstall package library accessible at the management computer; and

selectively disabling the unauthorized software item using the uninstall package.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively disabling the unauthorized software item includes one of uninstalling the unauthorized software item, deleting the unauthorized software item, and reconfiguring the unauthorized software item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the unauthorized software item is one of an executable file, a configuration file, a driver, and a media file.

4. The method of claim 1, which includes, providing a user interface at the management computer system to receive input to define the software reference list.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the software reference list is a list of software items that are authorized to be on the managed computer system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the software reference list is a list of software items that are not authorized to be on the managed computer system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the software reference list corresponds to a job responsibility that is associated with a user of the managed computer system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively disabling the unauthorized software item includes:

communicating an uninstall communication to the managed computer system, in an automated fashion, to uninstall the unauthorized software item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively disabling the unauthorized software item includes:

at the managed computer system,

receiving an uninstall communication from the management computer system for uninstalling the unauthorized software item.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the uninstall communication includes receiving one of a generic uninstall package and a custom uninstall package.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is periodically executed in an automated fashion without human intervention.

12. A system of managing at least one current software item on a managed computer system connectable to a management computer system via a computer network, the system comprising:

a processor to identify, using an agent application operable on the managed computer system, the at least one current software item on the managed computer system;

a network interface device to receive a software inventory list of current software items on the managed computer system, in response to receiving a request from the management computer system;

a comparator component to compare each of the current software items with a software reference list defined by a user interface at the management system to identify that the current software item is an unauthorized software item;

an uninstall package library including a plurality of uninstall packages; and

a disable unit to retrieve an uninstall package associated with the unauthorized software item from the uninstall package library and communicate, via the network, the uninstall package to the managed computer system to selectively disable the unauthorized software item by the agent application.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of current software items are identified and a software inventory list of the current software items present on the managed computer system is generated.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the unauthorized software item is identified by comparing each of the current software items with a software reference list.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein to selectively disable the unauthorized software item includes one of to uninstall the unauthorized software item, to delete the unauthorized software item, and to reconfigure the unauthorized software item.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the unauthorized software item is one of an executable file, a configuration file, a driver, and a media file.

17. A machine readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to:

receive a software inventory request from a management computer system;

responsive to receiving the software inventory request, generate a software inventory list of current software items present on a managed computer system;

communicate the software inventory list to the management computer system to allow the management computer system to compare each of the current software items with a software reference list defined by a user interface at the management system to identify that at least one of the current software items is an unauthorized software item;

receiving via the computer network an uninstall package associated with the unauthorized software item from the management computer system, the uninstall package being one of a plurality of uninstalled packages retrieved from an uninstall package library accessible at the management computer; and

selectively disable the unauthorized software item using the uninstall package received from the management computer system.

18. A system of managing at least one current software item on a managed computer system, the managed computer system connectable to a management computer system via a computer network the system comprising:

means for receiving a software inventory request from the management computer system;

means for generating a software inventory list of current software items present on the managed computer system, responsive to receiving the software inventory request;

means for communicating the software inventory list to the management computer system to allow the management computer system to compare each of the current software items with a software reference list defined by a user interface at the management system to identify that at least one of the current software items is an unauthorized software item;

means for receiving via the computer network an uninstall package associated with the unauthorized software item from the management computer system, the uninstall package being one of a plurality of uninstalled packages retrieved from an uninstall package library accessible at the management computer; and

means for selectively disabling the unauthorized software item using the uninstall package received from the management computer.