Managing client configuration settings in a network environment
View Patent ↗A GUI (Graphical User Interface) Manager is used by a network administrator to fill-in predefined templates. The administrator does not need to compile, debug or write a single line of scripting code. The GUI manager has a “select the box” and “point and click” and “fill-in the blank” approach for selecting computer settings. The predefined configuration and/or template(s) are used by a logon script program on a client system to manage the configuration of resources on at least one client. There are three levels of resources that can be managed. The first type of resource is an operating system. The second type of resource is an application resource. And the third type of resource is to redirect a resource on the client to a resource on a network such as a drive letter mapping.
1. A method in a client-server environment, to manage a configuration of resources on at least one client, the method on a client system comprising:
receiving a set of one or more configuration files from a server, the set of configuration files are identical to the set of configuration files received by other client systems attached to the server, and wherein the set of configuration files were previously built through use of a graphical interface, and without a need to create client specific logon scripts, and the set of configuration files contains at least one defined configuration setting; and
in response to a logon authentication and at least one predefined runtime condition of at least one of a site and a domain being validated, executing an application program that takes the set of one or more configuration files and applies the defined configuration setting to the client system so as to automatically configure at least one configuration setting for at least one user on the client system, and wherein the application executes after the client system boots-up, loads an operating system and before an operating system shell is presented to the user.
2. The method in a client-server environment of claim 1 , wherein the predefined runtime condition further includes at least one of a user name and a workstation name being validated.
3. The method in a client-server environment of claim 1 , wherein the predefined runtime condition further includes at least one of a MAC address, a TCP/IP address, and a host address being validated.
4. The method in a client-server environment of claim 1 , wherein the predefined runtime condition further includes at least an operating system version being validated.
5. A method in a client-server environment, to manage a configuration of resources on at least one client, the method on a server system comprising:
presenting a graphical user interface to a user containing user selectable items representing one or more configuration settings for at least one user on at least one client system and wherein the settings are customized without a need to create client specific logon scripts;
receiving one or more user selections on the graphical user interface;
storing the one or more user selections in a set of one or more configuration files so as to automatically configure for at least one user on the client system, at least one configuration setting, wherein the set of configuration files are identical to configuration files received by other client systems attached to a server; and
transferring the set of one or more configuration files from the server over to the client system so at to cause an application program to take the set of one or more configuration files and apply at least one of the configuration settings to the client system so as to automatically configure for at least one user on the client system, at least one configuration setting, in response to at least one of a site and a domain being validated, and wherein the application executes after the client system boots-up, loads an operating system and before an operating system shell is presented to the user.
6. A client system to manage the configuration of at resource in a client-server environment comprising:
network interface circuit receiving a set of one or more configuration files from a server, the set of configuration files are identical to configuration files received by other client systems attached to the server, and wherein the set configuration files containing one or more defined configuration settings, wherein the configuration files were previously built through use of a graphical interface, and without a need to create client specific logon scripts; and
in response to a logon authentication and at least one predefined runtime condition of at least one of a site and a domain being validated, network interface circuit executing an application program that takes the set of one or more configuration files and applies the defined configuration setting to the client system so as to automatically configure at least one configuration setting for at least one user on the client system, and wherein the application executes after the client system boots-up, loads an operating system and before an operating system shell is presented to the user.
7. The client system of claim 6 , wherein the predefined runtime condition further includes at least one of a user name and a workstation name.
8. The client system of claim 6 , wherein the predefined runtime condition further includes at least one of a MAC address, a TCP/IP address, and a host address being validated.
9. The client system of claim 6 , wherein the predefined runtime condition further includes at least an operating system version being validated.