TRANSFER OF CONTROL OF CONFIGURATION SOURCES

• US 20170235583A1
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahmed, Tanvir, Kaufman, Peter J., Flanagan, Dennis Edward, Lahiri, Shayak, Vasudevan, Janani, Spaith, John Chadwell
• Granted Patent: US 10,628,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/24 Resetting means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0876 Aspects of the degree of configuration automation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• 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: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A configuration control transfer (“CCT”) system controls the transferring of control of configuration information of a device from a current configuration source to a target configuration source. A CCT server of the CCT system may send to the device a message requesting the configuration information of the device. In response, a CCT client of the CCT system collects the configuration information of the device and sends the collected configuration information to the CCT server. If the second configuration source can support the configuration information of the current configuration source, the CCT server requests that the device transfer control of the configuration information from the current configuration source to the target configuration source. The CCT client then transfers control of the configuration information to the target configuration source as the new current configuration source and un-enrolls the device from the former current configuration source.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computing system for transferring control of configuration information of a device from at least one first configuration source to a second configuration source, the method comprising:

requesting the configuration information of the device, the configuration information of the device currently under control of the at least one first configuration source;

receiving the requested configuration information of the device;

determining whether the second configuration source is able to support the configuration information of the first configuration source; and

based at least on a determination that the second configuration source is able to support the configuration information of the device, requesting that the device transfer control of its configuration information from the first configuration source to the second configuration source.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

prior to requesting the configuration information of the device, receiving a request to enroll the device with the second configuration source; and

based at least on the determination that the second configuration source is able to support the configuration information of the device,

requesting that the device be un-enrolled from the first configuration source; and

enrolling the device with the second configuration source.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one first configuration source is one of a plurality of first configuration sources that control configuration information of the device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising based at least on determining that the second configuration source is unable to support the configuration information of the device, determining whether to enroll the device with the second configuration source.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether to enroll the device with the second configuration source includes prompting a person to indicate whether to enroll the device with the second configuration source.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether to enroll the device with the second configuration source includes applying rules to determine whether to enroll the device with the second configuration source.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the received configuration information of the device is in a format compatible with the Open Mobile Alliance Device Management protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising after requesting that the device transfer control of its configuration information from the at least one first configuration source to the second configuration source, sending to the device a modification to the configuration information of the device.

9. A method performed by a device for transferring control of configuration information of the device from at least one first configuration source to a second configuration source, the method comprising:

requesting to enroll the device with the second configuration source;

sending to the second configuration source configuration information of the device;

receiving from the second configuration source a request to transfer control of the configuration information of the device from the at least on first configuration source to the second configuration source; and

based at least on receiving the request to transfer control of the configuration information of the device from the at least one first configuration source,

transferring control of the configuration information of the device to the second configuration source; and

un-enrolling the device from the at least one first configuration source.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising prior to sending the configuration information of the device, receiving from the second configuration source a request for the configuration information of the device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising requesting an enrollment system of the device to extract configuration information of the device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising organizing the extracted configuration information into a standard format.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the standard format is a format compatible with the Open Mobile Alliance Device Management protocol.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the transferring of control includes requesting a centralized enrollment system of the device to transfer the control of the configuration information of the device to the second configuration source.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the transferring of control includes requesting a centralized enrollment system of the device to un-enroll the device from the first configuration source.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising after transferring control of the configuration information of the device to the second configuration source, receiving from the second configuration source a modification to the configuration information of the device.

17. One or more computer-readable storage mediums storing computer-executable instructions for controlling one or more computing systems to transfer control of configuration information of a device from a first configuration source to a second configuration source, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

computer-executable instructions of a client component that, when executed by the device,

send to the second configuration source a request to enroll the device with the second configuration source and configuration information of the device that is controlled by the first configuration source;

receive from the second configuration source a confirmation of enrollment; and

based at least on receiving the confirmation of enrollment, transfer control of configuration information of the device to the second configuration source and un-enrolls the device from the first configuration source.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage mediums of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprise computer-executable instructions of a server component that, when executed by a computing system

receive from the device the request to enroll the device with the second configuration source and configuration information of the device that is controlled by the first configuration source;

determine whether the second configuration source is able to support configuration information of the device; and

based at least on determining that the second configuration source is able to support configuration information of the device send to the device the confirmation of enrollment.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage mediums of claim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions of the server component that, when executed by a computing system, further based at least on determining that the second configuration source is unable to support the configuration information of the device, determine whether to enroll the device with the second configuration source even though the second configuration source is unable to support the configuration information of the device.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage mediums of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions of the client component that, when executed by a computing system, further interact with a centralized enrollment system to extract configuration information of the device and transfer control of configuration information the device from the first configuration source to the second configuration source.