Authenticating maintenance access to an electronics unit via wireless communication

• US 7,607,014 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company), Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Malone, Christopher Gregory, Larson, Thane Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, SHIN HON
• Application Number:
  US11/171,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20070004381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 726/2, 726/4, 726/5, 726/26, 713/173, 713/186, 713/154
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly

Abstract

A maintenance control system comprises at least one electronics unit including a first wireless communicator, a second wireless communicator configured for association with an individual, and an authentication manager. The authentication manager authenticates access to the at least one electronics unit via wireless communication between the first wireless communicator and the second wireless communicator regarding a maintenance identifier stored within a memory of at least one of the first wireless communicator and the second wireless communicator.

Claims

1. A maintenance control system comprising:

an electronic access area;

a computer positioned in the electronic access area and including a first RFID communicator;

a tag including a second RFID communicator and configured to be physically associated with an individual;

a first access manager configured to grant access, upon presence of the second RFID communicator of the tag within the electronic access area, wherein the individual is granted access to perform maintenance on the computer upon verification of the identity of the individual via wireless communication between the first RFID communicator of the computer and the second RFID communicator of the tag regarding a maintenance access identifier stored within a memory of at least one of the first RFID communicator and the second RFID communicator; and

a mobile computing device including a third RFID wireless communicator in wireless communication with the second RFID wireless communicator of the tag and in communication with the first wireless RFID communicator of the computer, the mobile computing device including a second access manager configured to grant access to operate the mobile computing device to perform maintenance on the computer upon verification of the identity of the individual via wireless communication between the third RFID communicator of the mobile computing device and the second RFID communicator of the tag regarding the maintenance access identifier.

2. The maintenance control system of claim 1 wherein the maintenance access identifier comprises at least one of a personnel identifier, an identifier of the computer, and an identifier of the mobile computing device.

3. The maintenance control system of claim 1 wherein the respective first and second access managers comprise at least one of:

a level module configured to determine a level of computer access that is granted, the level including at least one of a unit, a system, a network, and a global system; and

a privilege module configured to determine a type of individual to which access is granted, the type including at least one of an original equipment manufacturer technician, an authorized third party technician manager, and an administrator;

a personnel database; and

an access database.

4. The maintenance control system of claim 1 wherein the respective first and second access managers comprise:

a comparator module configured to determine authentication by comparing the maintenance access identifier with a predetermined criteria of the respective first and second access mangers; and

an activator module configured to control access to the computer based upon the authentication determination by the comparator module.

5. The maintenance control system of claim 4 wherein the activator module comprises an enable function to selectively enable access to the computer.

6. The maintenance control system of claim 5 wherein the activator module comprises a warn function for producing a warning that authentication is not granted for the individual to at least one of the computer and the mobile computing device.

7. The maintenance control system of claim 1 wherein the respective first and second access managers comprise:

a register including an electronics tracking module and a personnel tracking module, which in combination, enable tracking of maintenance access by the individual to the computer.

8. The maintenance control system of claim 1, and further comprising:

a second computer, separate and external to the computer, in communication with the computer and configured to monitor access at the computer, the second computer including a database of personnel information and access information to enable the first access manager to control maintenance access to the computer.

9. A method of monitoring access to a server, the method comprising:

providing at least one server that includes a first RFID communicator;

storing control information on at least a second RFID communicator tag that is configured to be physically associated with an individual, wherein the control information controls access to at least one server and the control information includes a maintenance access identifier;

providing a mobile computing device that includes a third RFID communicator and that is configured to perform maintenance on the at least one server;

preventing access to the mobile computing by the individual unless the control information is authenticated via wireless communication between the second RFID communicator tag and a third RFID communicator of the mobile computing device; and

preventing access to the at least one server by the mobile computing device unless the control information is authenticated via wireless communication between the third RFID communicator of the mobile computing device and the first RFID communicator of the at least one server and authenticated via wireless communication between the second RFID communicator tag and the first RFID communicator of the at least one server.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein storing control information comprises storing a privilege identifier configured to determine a type of access, the type including at least one of an original equipment manufacturer technician, an authorized third party technician, and an administrator.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein storing control information comprises storing a level identifier configured to determine a level of access, the level including at least one of a unit, a local system, a network, and a global system.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein preventing access to the at least one server comprises automatically identifying, via the personnel identifier and the access identifier, the at least one server for which access is granted from among a plurality of servers wherein the plurality of servers includes a first portion for which access is not authorized for the individual and a second portion for which access is authorized for the individual, the second portion including the at least one server for which access is granted.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein communicating the information comprises:

electronically verifying authorization for access via the communicated information in addition to conditioning access via a physical access mechanism and via a password access mechanism.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein preventing access to the at least one server or the mobile computing device comprises:

querying at least one of the first RFID communicator, the second RFID communicator, and the third RFID communicator to obtain the maintenance access identifier; and

comparing the maintenance access identifier against a database of component information including at least one of;

verifying authorization for access; and

notifying an administrator regarding attempted access to the at least one server.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein preventing access to the at least one server comprises:

providing a manager in wired communication with a plurality of servers which includes the at least one server; and

arranging the manager to include an authenticator separate and external to the respective servers to control maintenance access to the respective server.

16. A computer network comprising:

a plurality of computers;

a plurality of computers, each computer including a first RFID communicator, wherein the first RFID communicator includes at least one of a RFID transceiver or a RFID transponder and stores a maintenance access identifier;

a tag including a second RFID communicator configured to be in wireless communication with the first RFID communicator, wherein the tag is configured to be physically associated with an individual,

a mobile computing device including a third RFID communicator configured to be in wireless communication with the first RFID communicator and the second RFID communicator, wherein the mobile computing device is configured to perform maintenance on the respective computers; and

a manager configured to control access to each respective computer via wireless communication regarding the maintenance access identifier,

wherein the manager is configured to grant access to the individual to operate the mobile computing device to perform maintenance on at least one of the respective computers upon verification of the identity of the individual via wireless communication between the third RFID communicator of the mobile computing device and the second RFID communicator of the tag regarding the maintenance access identifier, and upon verification of the identity of the individual via wireless communication between the third RFID communicator of the mobile computing device and the first RFID communicator of the respective computers regarding the maintenance access identifier.

17. The computer network of claim 16 wherein the plurality of computers comprises at least one server for which access is authenticated via the maintenance access identifier.

18. The computer network of claim 16 wherein the mobile computing device includes the manager.

19. The computer network of claim 16 wherein one of the respective computers includes the manager.

20. The computer network of claim 16 wherein an external computer that is external to the plurality of computers includes the manager and is in wireless communication with at least one of the mobile computing device or one of the respective computers.