Granted Patent B2

US 8,738,822 · App. 11/121,506 · Granted May 27, 2014

Abstract

Claims (63)

1. A system, comprising:

a component of a computer system, the component including a hardware device and a software application;

a processor;

a validator module for controlling the processor to generate a control identity, the control identity for binding together the component and the computer system; and

a store for storing the control identity;

wherein the validator module is arranged to define a binding configuration for the component, the binding configuration representing a weighted combination of a set of hardware elements and a set of software elements needed within the computer system for operation of the component, and is arranged to prompt the processor to establish whether instances of the hardware elements and software elements are present in the computer system;

wherein the validator module assigns to each category of element that is established to be present an identity value and adds the identity value to data representing the binding configuration to define the control identity;

wherein the binding configuration comprises a list of identifiers for each category of element, wherein the list of identifiers includes a weight value representing a level of difficulty to modify the category of elements, a volatility indicator representing an indication as to whether elements in the category may change during performance, and an essentiality indicator representing an essentiality of the category of elements for operation of the component, wherein the essentiality represents whether the component is operable without the category of elements;

wherein the validator module causes the control identity to be transferred to the store;

and wherein the validator module is arranged to cause the processor to generate a new control identity on each occasion that the component is loaded into the computer system;

compare the new control identity with the previous the control identity for establishing whether the component may be permitted to operate in the computer system; and

permit the component to operate in the computer system upon determining that elements identified as essential to the operability of the component are present in the computer system.

2. A system according to claim 1 in which the binding configuration is determined according to a selected platform.

3. A system according to claim 1 in which the list of identifiers further comprises: a type number representing the category of elements and a masking value representing a general indicator for respective ones of a plurality of elements in the category.

4. A system according to claim 1 in which the combination of the binding configuration and the identity value for each category of element comprises a category identity, and in which the control identity comprises a list of the category identities.

5. A system according to claim 1 further comprising signaling means for communicating the presence of the component to the processor and for initiating the generation of a control identity when the component is loaded into the computer system.

6. A system according to claim 1 in which the validator module converts each control identity into a score value for comparing the same.

7. A system according to claim 1 in which the validator module comprises a software algorithm.

8. A system according to claim 1 in which the store is a secure store.

9. A system according to claim 1 further comprising means for issuing a repair request and means for resetting the control identity in response to the repair request.

10. A system, comprising:

a component of a computer system, the component including a hardware device and a software application;

a processor;

a validator module for controlling the processor to generate a control identity, the control identity for binding together the component and the computer system; and

a store for storing the control identity;

the validator module comprising:

means for defining a binding configuration for the component, the binding configuration representing a weighted combination of a set of hardware elements and a set of software elements needed within the computer system for operation of the component;

means for establishing whether instances of the hardware elements and software elements are present in the computer system;

means for assigning to each category of element that is established to be present an identity value;

means for adding the identity value to data representing the binding configuration to define the control identity;

wherein the binding configuration comprises a list of identifiers for each category of element, wherein the list of identifiers includes a weight value representing a level of difficulty to modify the category of elements, a volatility indicator representing an indication as to whether elements in the category may change during performance, and an essentiality indicator representing an essentiality of the category of elements for operation of the component, wherein the essentiality represents whether the component is operable without the category of elements;

means for causing the control identity to be transferred to the store;

means for generating a new control identity on each occasion that the component is loaded into the computer system;

means for comparing the new control identity with the previous the control identity for establishing whether the component may be permitted to operate in the computer system; and

means for permitting the component to operate in the computer system upon determining that elements identified as essential to the operability of the component are present in the computer system.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium bearing a program, the program comprising:

code for generating a control identity for binding together a component of a computer system and the computer system, the component including a hardware device and a software application;

code for defining a binding configuration for the component, the binding configuration representing a weighted combination of a set of hardware elements and a set of software elements needed within the computer system for operation of the component;

code for establishing whether instances of the hardware elements and software elements are present in the computer system;

code for assigning to each category of element that is established to be present an identity value;

code for adding each identity value to data representing the binding configuration to define the control identity;

wherein the binding configuration comprises a list of identifiers for each category of element, wherein the list of identifiers includes a weight value representing a level of difficulty to modify the category of elements, a volatility indicator representing an indication as to whether elements in the category may change during performance, and an essentiality indicator representing an essentiality of the category of elements for operation of the component, wherein the essentiality represents whether the component is operable without the category of elements;

code for causing the control identity to be transferred to the store;

code for generating a new control identity on each occasion that the component is loaded into the computer system;

code for comparing the new control identity with the previous the control identity for establishing whether the component may be permitted to operate in the computer system; and

code for permitting the component to operate in the computer system upon determining that elements identified as essential to the operability of the component are present in the computer system.

12. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating a control identity for binding together a component of a computer system and the computer system, the component including a hardware device and a software application;

defining a binding configuration for the component, the binding configuration representing a weighted combination of a set of hardware elements and a set of software elements needed within the computer system for operation of the component;

establishing whether instances of the hardware elements and software elements are present in the computer system;

assigning to each category of element that is established to be present an identity value;

adding the identity value to data representing the binding configuration to define the control identity;

wherein the binding configuration comprises a list of identifiers for each category of element, wherein the list of identifiers includes a weight value representing a level of difficulty to modify the category of elements, a volatility indicator representing an indication as to whether elements in the category may change during performance, and an essentiality indicator representing an essentiality of the category of elements for operation of the component, wherein the essentiality represents whether the component is operable without the category of elements;

storing the control identity;

generating a new control identity on each occasion that the component is loaded into the computer system;

comparing the new control identity with the previous the control identity for establishing whether the component may be permitted to operate in the computer system; and

permitting the component to operate in the computer system upon determining that elements identified as essential to the operability of the component are present in the computer system.

13. A computer-implemented method according to claim 12 comprising determining the binding configuration according to a selected platform.

14. A computer-implemented method according to claim 12 wherein the list of identifiers further comprises: a type number representing the category of elements and a masking value representing a general indicator for respective ones of a plurality of elements in the category.

15. A computer-implemented method according to claim 12 in which the combination of the binding configuration and the identity value for each category of element comprises a category identity, and in which the control identity comprises a list of the category identities.

16. A computer-implemented method according to claim 12 further comprising communicating the presence of the component and initiating the generation of the control identity when the component is loaded into the computer system.

17. A computer-implemented method according to claim 12 comprising converting each control identity into a score value for comparing the same.

18. A computer-implemented method according to claim 12 further comprising resetting the control identity in response to a repair request.

Assignments (25)