Software setup system
First Claim
1. A machine readable storage medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause said system to perform a method to set up software installed on a storage device of the data processing system, the method comprising:
- automatically searching in a plurality of locations for a configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software that includes determining whether a first portion of the configuration information is at a first location based on a first identification data of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof;
continuing the searching in one or more second locations for a second portion of the configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system; and
configuring the software installed on the storage device of the data processing system for operation of the data processing system according to the one or more parameters contained in the configuration information found in at least one of the plurality of locations.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for automatic system setup. At least one embodiment of the present invention stores the setup configuration information (e.g., in files and/or in directory servers). The setup configuration information is stored (e.g., using a configuration file naming scheme) so that the configuration information for a particular machine can be found. A setup daemon on the machine searches for suitable configuration information in a number of places, such as: in a location in a local file system, in locations in mounted file volumes, and directory servers. The configuration information may be encrypted, and the setup daemon searches for the decryption key in a similar fashion.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. A machine readable storage medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause said system to perform a method to set up software installed on a storage device of the data processing system, the method comprising:
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automatically searching in a plurality of locations for a configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software that includes determining whether a first portion of the configuration information is at a first location based on a first identification data of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof;
continuing the searching in one or more second locations for a second portion of the configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system; andconfiguring the software installed on the storage device of the data processing system for operation of the data processing system according to the one or more parameters contained in the configuration information found in at least one of the plurality of locations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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4. A machine readable storage medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause said system to perform a method to set up software installed on a storage device of the data processing system, the method comprising:
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searching in a plurality of locations for a configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software, wherein the searching includes determining whether the configuration information is in a first location of the plurality of locations based on a first identification data of the data processing system and wherein the searching in a second location of the plurality of locations is based on a second identification of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof; andconfiguring the software installed on the storage device of the data processing system for operation of the data processing system according to the one or more parameters contained in the configuration information found in at least one of the plurality of locations, wherein the plurality of locations comprise one default location on a storage device attached fixedly and locally to the data processing system, and wherein the searching is performed automatically in response to installing the software. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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11. A machine readable storage medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause said system to perform a method to set up software for the data processing system, the method comprising:
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querying a directory server to obtain a configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software, wherein the querying includes determining whether a first portion of the configuration information is at the directory server based on a first identification data of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof;
continuing searching in one or more other locations for a second portion of the configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system; andconfiguring the software for operation of the data processing system according to the one or more parameters contained in the configuration information obtained from the directory server. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A machine readable storage medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause said system to perform a method to set up software installed on the data processing system, the method comprising:
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automatically searching for encrypted configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software that includes determining whether a first portion the encrypted configuration information is at a first location based on a first identification data of the data processing system;
continuing the searching in one or more second locations for a second portion of the encrypted configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof; anddetermining a decryption key to decrypt the encrypted configuration information; and configuring the software installed on the data processing system using the decryption key and the encrypted configuration information according to the one or more parameters contained in the encrypted configuration information. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A method to set up software installed on a storage device of a data processing system, the method comprising:
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automatically searching in a plurality of locations for configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software that includes determining whether a first portion of the configuration information is at a first location based on a first identification data of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof;
continuing the searching in one or more second locations for a second portion of the configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system; andconfiguring the software installed on the storage device of the data processing system for operation of the data processing system according to the one or more parameters contained in the configuration information found in at least one of the plurality of locations. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A method to set up software installed on a storage device of a data processing system, the method comprising:
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searching in a plurality of locations for configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software, wherein the searching includes determining whether the configuration information is in a first location of the plurality of locations based on a first identification data of the data processing system and wherein the searching in a second location of the plurality of locations is based on a second identification of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof; andconfiguring the software installed on the storage device of the data processing system for operation of the data processing system according to the one or more parameters contained in the configuration information found in at least one of the plurality of locations, wherein the plurality of locations comprise one default location on a storage device attached fixedly and locally to the data processing system, and wherein the searching is performed automatically in response to installing the software. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A method to set up software for a data processing system, the method comprising:
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querying a directory server to obtain a configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software, wherein the querying includes determining whether a first portion of the configuration information is at the directory server based on a first identification data of the data processing system; and
continuing searching in one or more other locations for a second portion of the configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof; andconfiguring the software for operation of the data processing system according to the one or more parameters contained in the configuration information obtained from the directory server. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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30. A method to set up software installed on a data processing system, the method comprising:
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automatically searching for encrypted configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software that includes determining whether a first portion of the encrypted configuration information is at a first location based on a first identification data of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof; and
continuing the searching in one or more second locations for a second portion of the encrypted configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system;determining a decryption key to decrypt the encrypted configuration information; and configuring the software installed on the data processing system for operation using the decryption key and the encrypted configuration information according to the one or more parameters contained in the encrypted configuration information. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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32. A data processing system to set up software installed on a storage device of the data processing system, the data processing system comprising:
- a memory;
means for automatically searching in a plurality of locations for a configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software that includes means for determining whether a first portion of the configuration information is at a first location based on a first identification data of the data processing system; and
means for continuing the searching in one or more second locations for a second portion of the configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof; andmeans for configuring the software installed on the storage device of the data processing system for operation according to the one or more parameters contained in the configuration information found in at least one of the plurality of locations. - View Dependent Claims (33)
- a memory;
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34. A data processing system to set up software, the data processing system comprising:
- a memory;
means for querying a directory server to obtain a configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software, wherein the means for querying includes means for determining whether a first portion of the configuration information is at the directory server based on a first identification data of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof;
means for continuing searching in one or more other locations for a second portion of the configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system; andmeans for configuring the software for operation of the data processing system according to the one or more parameters contained in the configuration information obtained from the directory server. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
- a memory;
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38. A data processing system to set up software, the data processing system comprising:
- a memory;
means for automatically searching for an encrypted configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software that includes means for determining whether a first portion of the encrypted configuration information is at a first location based on a first identification data of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof; and
means for continuing the searching in one or more second locations for a second portion of the encrypted configuration information based on a first identification of the data processing system;means for determining a decryption key to decrypt the encrypted configuration information; and means for configuring the software installed on the data processing system using the decryption key and the encrypted configuration information according to the one or more parameters contained within the encrypted configuration information. - View Dependent Claims (39)
- a memory;
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40. A data processing system, comprising:
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memory including a storage device, the storage device having installed software; a processor coupled to the memory, the processor automatically searching in a plurality of locations for a configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software, wherein the automatically searching includes determining whether a first portion of the configuration information is at a first location based on a first identification data of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof; and
continuing the searching in one or more second locations for a second portion of the configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system, the processor configuring the software installed on the storage device for operation according to the one or more parameters contained in the configuration information found in at least one of the plurality of locations. - View Dependent Claims (41)
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42. A data processing system, comprising:
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memory storing software; a network interface device; a processor coupled to the memory and the network interface device, the processor querying a directory server using the network interface to obtain a configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software, wherein the querying includes determining whether a first portion of the configuration information is at the directory server based on a first identification data of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof; and
continuing searching in one or more other locations for a second portion of the configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system, the processor configuring the software stored in the memory for operation of the data processing system according to the one or more parameters contained in the configuration information obtained from the directory server. - View Dependent Claims (43)
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44. A data processing system, comprising:
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memory storing software; a processor coupled to the memory, the processor automatically searching for an encrypted configuration information that includes one or more parameters to configure the software, wherein the automatically searching includes determining whether a first portion of the encrypted configuration information is at a first location based on a first identification data of the data processing system, wherein the first identification data include first identifications that are unique to the data processing system and second identifications that are not unique to the data processing system, wherein the second identifications have lower priorities than the first identifications in the searching, wherein the configuration information associated with the first identifications is configured to overwrite at least a portion of the configuration information associated with the second identifications, wherein the first identifications include a hardware serial number, an Internet Protocol (“
IP”
) address, a hostname, a hardware address, or any combination thereof, and the second identifications include a subnet mask, a generic identification associated with a plurality of data processing systems, or any combination thereof; and
continuing the searching in one or more second locations for a second portion of the encrypted configuration information based on a second identification of the data processing system, the processor determining a decryption key to decrypt the encrypted configuration information, the processor configuring the software installed on the memory for operation of the data processing system using the decryption key and the encrypted configuration information according to the one or more parameters. - View Dependent Claims (45)
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Specification