Systems and methods for correlating software inventory information with delivered software

• US 9,298,445 B1
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Chirhart, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Wing
• Application Number:
  US12/554,247
• Time in Patent Office: 2,398 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221, 709/222, 717/171, 717/172, 717/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A method for correlating software inventory information with delivered software. The method may include delivering a software application to a first client system. The method may also include receiving, from an agent that monitors installations on the first client system, application registration information written to the client system during installation of the software application. The method may further include identifying delivery information that corresponds to the software application and associating the application registration information with the delivery information. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for correlating software inventory information with delivered software, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

delivering, from a client-management system to a first client system, an update to a previously installed software entity;

receiving, at the client-management system, from an agent that monitors installations on the first client system, application registration information written to the first client system during installation of the update;

identifying, at the client-management system, delivery information from the client-management system, wherein;

the delivery information identifies the update;

the delivery information comprises a first delivery key that identifies at least one of a vendor name, a product name, or a product version of the update;

the delivery information does not match the application registration information;

associating, at the client-management system, the application registration information with the delivery information by creating a second delivery key that includes at least a portion of the application registration information, wherein associating the application registration information with the delivery information comprises associating the application registration information with the previously installed software entity;

delivering, from the client-management system, the update to a second client system by deploying the update to the second client system with both the first delivery key and the second delivery key such that delivering the update to the second client system does not result in duplicate application registration information being provided for the update in a registration area of the second client system as a result of the delivery information not matching an instance of the application registration information written to the second client system during installation of the update on the second client system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a request to perform an inventory scan on the first client system;

performing the inventory scan of the first client system, wherein the inventory scan identifies the application registration information written to the first client system;

determining that the application registration information written to the first client system is associated with the previously installed software entity;

in response to the determination, associating the update with the previously installed software entity in an inventory report for the first client system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the inventory scan identifies the application registration information written to the first client system by identifying entries in an add-remove programs registry of the first client system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the second client system and in response to having received the second delivery key, that a monitoring module, stored in memory of the second client system, does not need to monitor installation of the update on the second client system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the application registration information written to the first client system comprises information written to the first client system by the first client system to identify itself to the first client system;

receiving the application registration information comprises receiving the application registration information after the first client system has installed the update;

the delivery information comprises information provided with the update at the time the update is delivered;

delivering the update to the first client system comprises;

before delivering the update to the first client system, receiving user input that provides the delivery information;

including the delivery information with the update;

delivering the update including the delivery information to the first client system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a request to perform an inventory scan on an additional client system;

performing the inventory scan of the additional client system, wherein the inventory scan of the additional client system identifies an instance of the application registration information;

determining that the identified application registration information is associated with the delivery information;

using the delivery information, instead of the identified application registration information, to report that an instance of the update is installed on the additional client system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deploying the agent to the first client system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the application registration information written to the first client system comprises data written to an add-remove-programs region of a registry of the first client system.

9. The method of claim 1, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

10. A computer-implemented method for correlating software inventory information with delivered software, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

receiving, at a client system, a software application deployed from a client-management system, the software application comprising an update to a previously installed software entity;

initiating installation of the update on the client system;

detecting application registration information written to the client system during the installation of the update;

identifying delivery information from the client-management system, wherein;

the delivery information identifies the update;

the delivery information comprises a first delivery key that identifies at least one of a vendor name, a product name, or a product version of the update;

the delivery information does not match the application registration information;

associating the application registration information with the delivery information by creating a second delivery key that includes at least a portion of the application registration information such that the delivery information does not result in duplicate application registration information being provided for the update in a registration area of the client system as a result of the delivery information not matching the application registration information, wherein associating the application registration information with the delivery information comprises associating the application registration information with the previously installed software entity;

making the association of the application registration information and the delivery information available to at least one of;

an add-remove-programs scanner on the client system such that when the client system presents a listing of programs, the client system does not present duplicate program entries;

the client-management system that delivered the software application by sending the application registration information to the client-management system such that the client-management system may deliver the update to an additional client system by deploying the update to the additional client system with both the first delivery key and the second delivery key.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying a request to perform an inventory scan on the client system;

performing the inventory scan of the client system, wherein the inventory scan identifies the application registration information;

determining that the application registration information is associated with the previously installed software entity;

in response to the determination, associating the update with the previously installed software entity in an inventory report for the client system.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing the second delivery key on the client system;

making the second delivery key available to the add-remove-programs scanner on the client system.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein sending the application registration information to the client-management system comprises sending the second delivery key to the client-management system.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the delivery information comprises delivery information provided in metadata of an installation file of the update;

identifying the delivery information comprises;

scanning the installation file to gather the metadata from the installation file;

identifying the delivery information within the metadata.

15. The method of claim 10, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

16. A system for correlating software inventory information with delivered software, the system comprising:

a client-management subsystem comprising;

a deployment module, stored in memory of the client-management subsystem, programmed to deliver, from the client-management subsystem to a client subsystem, an update to a previously installed software entity;

a reception module, stored in the memory of the client-management subsystem, programmed to receive, from a monitoring module that is stored in memory of the client subsystem and that monitors installations on the client subsystem, application registration information written to the client subsystem during installation of the update;

a server-side association module, stored in the memory of the client-management subsystem, programmed to;

identify delivery information from the client-management subsystem, wherein;

the delivery information identifies the update;

the delivery information comprises a first delivery key that identifies at least one of a vendor name, a product name, or a product version of the update;

the delivery information does not match the application registration information;

associate the application registration information with the delivery information by creating a second delivery key that includes at least a portion of the application registration information, wherein;

associating the application registration information with the delivery information comprises associating the application registration information with the previously installed software entity;

the deployment module is further programmed to deliver the update to an additional client subsystem by deploying the update to the additional client subsystem with both the first delivery key and the second delivery key such that delivering the update to the additional client subsystem does not result in duplicate application registration information being provided for the update in a registration area of the additional client subsystem as a result of the delivery information not matching an instance of the application registration information written to the additional client subsystem during installation of the update

at least one hardware processor configured to execute the deployment module, the reception module, and the server-side association module.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising the client subsystem, wherein the client subsystem comprises:

an installation module, stored in the memory of the client subsystem, programmed to;

receive the update deployed from the client-management subsystem;

install the update on the client subsystem;

the monitoring module;

a transmission module, stored in the memory of the client subsystem, programmed to send the application registration information to the client-management subsystem;

at least one hardware processor configured to execute the installation module, the monitoring module, and the transmission module.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the client-management subsystem is further programmed to;

identify a request to perform an inventory scan on the client subsystem;

perform the inventory scan of the client subsystem, wherein the inventory scan identifies the application registration information;

determine that the application registration information is associated with the previously installed software entity;

in response to the determination, associate the update with the previously installed software entity in an inventory report for the client subsystem.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the inventory scan identifies the application registration information by identifying entries in an add-remove programs registry of the client subsystem.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the application registration information comprises data written to an add-remove-programs region of a registry of the client subsystem.