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

• US 7,703,092 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2000
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Poole, Rebecca Lau, England, Laurence E., Glaser, Howard J., Xia, Chenhong
• Primary Examiner(s): Kendall; Chuck O
• Application Number:
  US09/687,033
• Time in Patent Office: 3,477 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 709203-231
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

Remote installation of an application program is provided via a configuration of the application program corresponding to a particular user of the local application. The configuration is defined and stored on a remote server. In response to a user request, a determination is made that the stored configuration corresponds to the requesting user, the user is authenticated, and data is downloaded from the remote server according to the stored configuration. This stored configuration is also encrypted and stored in a manifest file which is also downloaded. Responsive to the user authentication, the manifest file is decrypted, and the application program is constructed pursuant to the configuration decrypted from the manifest file.

Claims

1. A method of installing an application program for execution on a data processing system, said method comprising:

defining a user configuration of the application program installation corresponding to a particular user of the application program installed on a first data processing system;

encrypting and storing the user application program installation configuration in a manifest file;

determining that the stored user application program installation configuration corresponds to the particular user;

authenticating the particular user in response to the particular user requesting the application program for installation on a second data processing system;

decrypting the manifest file in response to the user authentication; and

building the application program on the second data processing system in a configuration customized to conform to the user application program installation configuration decrypted from the manifest file.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second data processing system is a local data processing system and further comprising:

storing the user application program installation configuration on a remote server executing on a remote data processing system;

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

responsive to the user authentication, downloading data from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system according to the stored user application program installation configuration; and

downloading the manifest file from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

authenticating the particular user in a second authentication responsive to the particular user requesting a build of the application program;

decrypting the manifest file responsive to the second authentication; and

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

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

recording a description of items that are being used by the particular user.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the recorded description is used for administering licensing of the items.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the remote server is a web server.

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

8. An article of manufacture for use in a data processing system for installing an application program for execution on the data processing system, said article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program embodied in said medium which causes the data processing system to execute method steps comprising:

defining a user configuration of the application program installation corresponding to a particular user of the application program installed on a first data processing system;

encrypting and storing the user application program installation configuration in a manifest file;

determining that the stored user application program installation configuration corresponds to the particular user;

authenticating the particular user in response to the particular user requesting the application program for installation on a second data processing system;

decrypting the manifest file in response to the user authentication; and

building the application program on the second data processing system in a configuration customized to conform to the user application program installation configuration decrypted from the manifest file.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein the second data processing system is a local data processing system, and wherein the computer program embodied in said medium causes the data processing system to execute the additional method steps comprising:

storing the user application program installation configuration on a remote server executing on a remote data processing system;

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

responsive to the user authentication, downloading data from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system according to the stored user application program installation configuration; and

downloading the manifest file from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9 wherein the computer program embodied in said medium causes the data processing system to execute the additional method steps comprising:

authenticating the particular user in a second authentication responsive to the particular user requesting a build of the application program;

decrypting the manifest file responsive to the second authentication; and

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

11. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein the computer program embodied in said medium causes the data processing system to execute the additional method step comprising:

recording a description of items that are being used by the particular user.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein the recorded description is used for administering licensing of the items.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 9 wherein the remote server is a web server.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein the user application program installation configuration comprises data describing the particular user, the particular user'"'"'s application program user configuration, and resources for which the particular user is authorized.

15. A computer system including a first data processing system and a second data processing system, for installing an application program previously installed on the first data processing system, for execution on the second data processing system, said computer system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer readable storage medium having stored on one or more of the computer readable storage media;

a manifest file comprising an encrypted user application program installation configuration in which said configuration is a user configuration of the application program installation on the first data processing system corresponding to a particular user of the application program; and

code executed by one or more processors of the computer system to perform operations, the operations comprising;

determining that the stored user application program installation configuration corresponds to the particular user;

authenticating the particular user in response to the particular user requesting the application program for installation on the second data processing system;

decrypting the manifest file in response to the user authentication; and

building the application on the second data processing system in a configuration customized to conform to the user application program installation configuration decrypted from the manifest file.

16. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the second data processing system is a local data processing system, said computer system further comprising:

a remote data processing system having a remote server executing on the remote data processing system and a computer readable storage medium in which the user application program installation configuration is stored;

wherein the operations further comprise;

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

responsive to the user authentication, downloading data from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system according to the stored user application program installation configuration

wherein the downloaded data includes the manifest file which is downloaded from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system.

17. The computer system of claim 16

wherein the authenticating includes a second authentication of the particular user responsive to the particular user requesting a build of the application program;

wherein the decrypting includes decrypting the manifest file responsive to the second authentication; and

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

18. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the operations further comprise recording of a description of items that are being used by the particular user.

19. The computer system of claim 18 wherein a computer readable storage medium of the computer systems has a recorded description which is used for administering licensing of the items.

20. The computer system of claim 16 wherein the remote server is a web server.

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