Portable desktop device and method of host computer system hardware recognition and configuration

• US 9,026,776 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2013
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kingston Digital, Inc. (Kingston Technology Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Imation Corporation (Glassbridge Enterprises, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamid, Laurence
• Primary Examiner(s): Choudhury, Zahid
• Application Number:
  US13/958,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• 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 2221/034 Test or assess a computer or a system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A portable desktop device and method for host computer system hardware recognition and configuration are provided. The portable desktop device causes on a first boot, the host computer system to recognize hardware devices connected thereto, and to configure hardware configuration files of the portable desktop O/S in accordance with the recognized hardware. Once the hardware configuration files have been configured, the system is rebooted. On the second boot, the host computer determines that the portable desktop has been configured for its hardware, and initiates start-up of the portable desktop.

Claims

1. A portable desktop device having a security specification, the device comprising:

hardware for coupling to a host system connected to a number of hardware devices; and

memory storage comprising;

a portable desktop storage block with a portable desktop operating system for execution on the host system;

a configuration block for execution on a first boot of the host system, wherein the host system recognizes at least one of the hardware devices and configures at least one hardware configuration file in the memory storage, in accordance with the at least one recognized hardware device; and

a boot process block for execution by the host system, wherein;

on the first boot, the host system sets a previously configured flag indicating that the portable desktop device is other than configured to a value indicating that the portable desktop device has been configured;

the host system reboots to execute the portable desktop operating system on a second boot of the host system, wherein hardware devices which meet the security specification are enabled and hardware devices which fall below the security specification are disabled, based on the at least one hardware configuration file; and

on the second boot of the host system, the host system resets the previously configured flag to the value indicating that the portable desktop device is other than configured.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a processor on the portable desktop device, wherein the host system invokes a security process on the processor for authentication of a user of the portable desktop device.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising authentication hardware on the portable desktop device for the authentication of the user, wherein the security process is configured to notify the host system whether the authentication has failed or succeeded.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one recognized hardware device comprises a hard drive and the configuration block is configured to disable the hard drive, in accordance with the security specification.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the configuration block is configured to restrict operation of at least one of the hardware devices based on a security concern, in accordance with the security specification.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the security concern comprises the at least one disabled hardware device being unknown or a hardware driver for the at least one disabled hardware device being uncertified, unavailable or unsupported.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second portable desktop storage block in the memory storage, each of the portable desktop storage blocks having its own portable desktop operating system for operating separate portable desktop environments on the host system.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein users of each portable desktop environment are separated, such that each user can access one of the portable desktop environments without knowledge of other such portable desktop environments.

9. A method of operating a host computer with a portable desktop device having a security specification, the method comprising:

on a first boot of the host computer from the portable desktop device;

recognizing a number of hardware devices connected to the host computer;

configuring a hardware configuration file for a portable desktop operating system stored in memory of the portable desktop device, in accordance with the recognized hardware devices; and

setting a flag indicating that the portable desktop device is other than configured to a value indicating that the portable desktop device has been configured;

rebooting the host computer to execute the portable desktop operating system for operation of a portable desktop environment on a second boot from the portable desktop device; and

on the second boot of the host computer from the portable desktop device;

operating a subset of the recognized hardware devices in the portable desktop environment, wherein operation of at least one hardware device that meets the security specification is enabled and operation of at least one hardware device that falls below the security specification is restricted, based on the hardware configuration file; and

resetting the flag to indicate that the portable desktop device is other than configured.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising disabling any hard drives of the host computer during operation of the portable desktop environment on the host computer.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether any of the recognized hardware devices has a security concern, wherein operation of at least one such hardware device is restricted based on the security concern.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the security concern comprises the at least one such hardware device being unknown.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the security concern comprises a hardware driver for the at least one such hardware device being uncertified, unavailable or unsupported by the desktop environment.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein operating the subset of the recognized hardware devices comprises disabling operation of the at least such one hardware device.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising checking the hardware configuration file for minimal functionality according to a threshold stored with the security specification.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising ceasing recognizing the hardware devices in a case where the host computer has other than the minimal functionality.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising invoking a security process for authentication of a user of the portable desktop device, wherein the host computer invokes the security process for execution on the portable desktop device and the security process notifies the host computer whether the authentication has succeeded.

18. A portable storage device comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program data stored thereon, the program data executable on a host processor to perform a method comprising:

recognizing a number of hardware devices connected to the host processor;

configuring a hardware configuration file for a portable desktop operating system stored in memory of the portable storage device, in accordance with the recognized hardware devices;

setting a flag indicating that the portable storage device is other than configured to a value indicating that the portable storage device has been configured;

rebooting the host processor to execute the portable desktop operating system for operation of a portable desktop environment on the host processor;

enabling operation of at least one of the recognized hardware devices that meets a security specification for the portable storage device, based on the hardware configuration file;

restricting operation of at least one of the recognized hardware devices that falls below the security specification, based on the hardware configuration file; and

resetting the flag to indicate that the portable storage device is other than configured.

19. The device of claim 18, the method further comprising disabling operation of at least one of the recognized hardware devices that falls below the security specification, based on the hardware configuration file.

20. The device of claim 18, the method further comprising disabling a hard drive of the host processor during operation of the portable desktop environment, in accordance with the security specification.