Method for a user-specific configuration of a computer from a group of prepared computers

• US 8,051,416 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Technology Solutions GmbH (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Siemens Computers GmbH (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Grund, Berthold, Teslinski, Monika, Schmidt, Franz, Reinersmann, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): DAS, CHAMELI
• Application Number:
  US11/540,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Installation and configuration of user-specific software and a computer system is performed such that individual computers in a group is prepared by transmitting the installation packages for a predetermined set of software products and a configuration program to the individual computers. In response to a computer being started for the first time, the configuration program loads a user-specific configuration file from a database system. According to the information contained in the configuration file, software products are subsequently installed and configured on the computer on a user-specific basis using the installation packages.

Claims

1. A method for generating a user-specific configuration of an individual computer from a group of computers, each computer respectively comprising a mass memory and a network device, the method comprising:

preparing the group of computers by transmitting all installation packages for a first predetermined set of software products and a configuration program to the mass memory of each computer in the group;

providing a database system containing user-specific configuration files, the user-specific configuration files specifying a subselection of software products from the first predetermined set;

after preparing the group of computers, transferring the individual computer from the group of computers to a location within a working environment and setting up the individual computer at the location;

transmitting the user-specific configuration file to the configuration program of the individual computer; and

installing the subselection of software products specified in the user-specific configuration file via the configuration program on the individual computer using the installation packages stored on the mass memory of the individual computer.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a list of parameters needed to configure the subselection of software products; and

configuring the subselection of software products using the specified list of parameters.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

establishing, via the configuration program, a connection to the database system using the network device of the individual computer;

requesting a user for a user identifier and forwarding the user identifier from the individual computer to the database system; and

transmitting the user-specific configuration file to the configuration program in the individual computer via the network device and the database system, in response to the database system receiving the user identifier.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user-specific configuration file is transmitted by the database system via a portable data storage medium, the method further comprising:

requesting, via the configuration program, a user to insert the portable data storage medium; and

retrieving, via the configuration program, the user-specific configuration file from the portable data storage medium.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuration program automatically starts after the individual computer has been switched on.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the configuration program changes its settings, after executing for a first time on the individual computer, such that the configuration program no longer automatically starts on the individual computer.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuration program removes all of the installation packages from the mass memory of the individual computer after the software products specified in the user-specific configuration file have been installed on the individual computer.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuration program removes the installation packages for the software products specified in the user-specific configuration file from the mass memory of the individual computer after the software products specified in the user-specific configuration file have been installed on the individual computer.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuration program is erased from the mass memory of the individual computer after the software products specified in the user-specific configuration file have been installed on the individual computer.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

upon each further start of the individual computer, establishing a connection to the central database system via the network device of the individual computer and automatically transmitting to the database system the user identifier used during a first start of the individual computer;

transmitting any newer version of the user-specific configuration file from the database system to the configuration program on the individual computer;

installing on the individual computer the software products specified in the newer version of the user-specific configuration file that have not yet been installed and configuring the software products using specified parameters;

using the installation packages and newly specified parameters to reconfigure the software products that are specified in the newer version of the user-specific configuration file and that have already been installed on the individual computer; and

uninstalling the software products on the individual computer that are not specified in the newer version of the user-specific configuration file and that have already been installed.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein preparing the group of computers includes preinstalling on each computer a second predetermined set of software products intended to be installed during each user-specific configuration and not transmitting the second predetermined set of software products to the mass memory of each computer in the form of installation packages.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second predetermined set of software products are preinstalled via transmitting a replica of an installed system to the mass memory of each computer in the group.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein preparing the group of computers includes connecting each computer in the group to a preparation station via a data line having a high data rate, wherein the installation packages and the configuration program are transmitted to the mass memory of each computer via the data line.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the data line comprises one of an external interface of the network device, an interface of the mass storage device, a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) interface, a parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) interface, and a serial ATA interface.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein preparing the group of computers includes transmitting the installation packages and the configuration program using optical mass memories and corresponding data storage media to each computer in the group.

16. A computer system comprising:

a mass memory configured to store installation packages for all software products of a predetermined set of software products and a configuration program; and

a network device configured to connect the computer system via a network connection with a database system;

wherein the installation program is configured to;

request a user to enter an identification after the computer system has been transferred from a group of similarly prepared computers to a location within a working environment and has been set-up at the location within a working environment;

transmit the user identification via the network device and the network connection to the database system;

receive a user-specific configuration file from the database system via the network connection in response to the transmission of the user identification, the user-specific configuration file specifying a subselection of software products from the predetermined set; and

install the subselection of software products specified in the user-specific configuration file on the computer system using the installation packages stored on the mass memory of the computer system.

17. The computer system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the computer system is configured to automatically start the configuration program after the computer system has been switched on.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a configuration program for a user-specific configuration of an individual computer, the individual computer comprising a network device and a mass memory, the mass memory storing installation packages for all software products of a predetermined set of software products and the configuration program, wherein the configuration program, when executed by the individual computer, causes the individual computer to perform the functions of:

requesting a user to input an identification after the individual computer has been transferred from a group of similarly prepared computers to a location within a working environment and has been set-up at the location within a working environment;

transmitting the user identification via the network device to a database system over a network connection;

receiving a user-specific configuration file from the database system via the network connection in response to the transmission of the user identification, the user-specific configuration file specifying a subselection of software products from the predetermined set; and

installing the subselection of software products specified in the user-specific configuration file on the individual computer using the installation packages stored on the mass memory of the individual computer.