Method of managing a software item on a managed computer system

• US 8,370,953 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dell Marketing LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Marketing USA LP
• Inventors: Rive, Russell S., Rive, Peter Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nirav B.
• Application Number:
  US13/281,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20120042388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 726/22, 726 26- 33, 705 57- 59, 705/51, 717168-173, 717174-178, 713/189, 713/191, 713/193, 713/194, 713/187, 713/165, 713/166
• US Class Current: 726/26
• 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 data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• 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 managed computer system, connectable to a management computer system that manages at least one current software item on the managed computer system, the managed computer system including:

a processor executing instructions for;

an inventory module to receive a request from the management computer system to generate a software inventory list that includes current software items on the managed computer system, and software inventory list to be communicated to the management computer system; and

an uninstall module to selectively disable an unauthorized software item by using an uninstall package, associated with the unauthorized software item and received from the management computer system, the uninstall package being one of a plurality of uninstall packages available at the management computer system;

wherein the unauthorized software item is identified by a user interface configured to;

display software items in a display window; and

receive an allow input from a user to identify if a software item is authorized on the managed computer system, and receive a disallow input from a user to identify if a software item is unauthorized on the managed computer system.

2. The managed computer system of claim 1, wherein the uninstall module is to receive the uninstall package including at least one of a generic uninstall package or a custom uninstall package.

3. The managed computer system of claim 1, wherein the uninstall module is to selectively disable the unauthorized software item by one of uninstalling the unauthorized software item, deleting the unauthorized software item, or reconfiguring the unauthorized software item.

4. The managed computer system of claim 1, wherein the unauthorized software item comprises one of an executable file, a configuration file, a driver, or a media file.

5. The managed computer system of claim 1, wherein the unauthorized software item is identified at the management computer system by comparing the software inventory list with a software reference list.

6. The managed computer system of claim 5, wherein the software reference list comprises a list of software items that are not authorized to be on the managed computer system.

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

8. The managed computer system of claim 5, wherein the software reference list corresponds to a job responsibility that is associated with a user of the managed computer system.

9. A computer system comprising:

a processor operable to execute software;

memory operable to store software;

a software reference list stored in the memory and identifying one or more unauthorized software items;

a comparator component executing on the processing resources and operable to compare one or more current software item identifiers retrieved from a managed computer system with the software reference list to identify that the one or more current software items are unauthorized software items for the managed computer system;

an uninstall component operable to automatically, in response to detecting by the comparator component of one or more unauthorized software items, communicate an uninstall package to the managed computer system for uninstalling the unauthorized software item, the uninstall package operable to selectively disable an unauthorized software item; and

a user interface is configured to;

display software items in a display window; and

receive an allow input from a user to identify if a software item is authorized on the managed device, and receive a disallow input from a user to identify if a software item is unauthorized on the managed device.

10. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising a user interface operable to display plural software items and to accept allow inputs to indicate the software items are authorized and to include authorized software items in the software reference list.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the software reference list corresponds to a job responsibility that is associated with a user of the managed computer system.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the user interface provides a plurality of user selectable job descriptors that each identifies a job responsibility.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the software reference list comprises a list of software items that are authorized to be on the managed computer system.

14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the software reference list comprises a list of software items that are not authorized to be on the managed computer system.

15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the unauthorized software item comprises one of an executable file, a configuration file, a driver, or a media file.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the uninstall package is communicated to the managed computer system at a scheduled time.

17. A method of managing software items on a managed computer system, the method comprising:

displaying software items in a display window;

receiving an allow input from a user to identify if a software item is authorized on the managed computer system;

receiving a disallow input from a user to identify if a software item is unauthorized on the managed computer system;

creating a software reference list from at least the software items having an allow input;

retrieving from the managed computer system a plurality of current software item identifiers that identify current software items on the managed computer system;

comparing the current software item identifiers with the software reference list to identify one or more unauthorized software items;

communicating an uninstall package to the managed computer system to uninstall the one or more unauthorized software items; and

selectively disabling the one or more unauthorized software items by using the uninstall package.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising communicating the uninstall package to the managed computer system at a scheduled time.