System and method of capacity management

1. A method for providing a system name of a computer system, comprising:

generating a system ID key based on a system type of the computer system using an external key generator module, wherein the system ID key comprises a system name;

installing the system ID key on the computer system in an active operating state by:

extracting the system name from the system ID key;

updating operating system structures for immediate use of the system name;

writing a machine name index into halt/load parameters that are implemented by the computer system for subsequent restarts of the computer system after suspending the computer system, wherein the machine name index identifies a location of the system name in a system registry; and

writing the system name into the system registry from the system ID key.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the system ID key is provided to the computer system through a wide area network from the external key generator module.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the system type includes the number of processors enabled by the system ID key, whether the computer system is a billed by metering or capacity on demand, a marketing title, or hardware components enabled by the system ID key.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the system ID key includes virtual serial numbers to be assigned to hardware components of the computer system.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the system ID key is adapted to enable or disable hardware components of the computer system reflecting a client selected computer system configuration.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein writing the system name into the system registry from the system ID key, comprises:

saving the system name extracted from the system ID key to a data structure in high memory;

writing the system name from the data structure into systems management; and

saving the system name to the system registry.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

restarting the computer system from the suspended state using the halt/load parameters;

locating, by the halt/load parameters, the location of the system name in the system registry; and

displaying the system name in an operating system running on the computer system.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the external key generator module is maintained and controlled by a vendor of the computer system.

9. A method for providing an immediate uninterrupted installation of a unique system identity, a system name, a product line, and a number of visible processors of a computer system, comprising:

generating a system ID key based on a system type of the computer system, a number of processors enabled in the computer system, and a product line of the computer system, wherein the system ID key comprises a unique system identity, a system name, a product line, and a number of visible processors from the system ID key;

installing the system ID key to the computer system in an active operating state by:

extracting the unique system identity, the system name, the product line, and the number of visible processors from the system ID key;

updating operating system structures for immediate use of the unique system identity, system name, product line, and pool of visible processors;

writing a machine name index into halt/load parameters that are implemented by the computer system for subsequent restarts of the computer system after suspending the computer system, wherein the machine name index identifies a location of the system name, product line, and number of visible processors in a system registry; and

writing the system name, product line, and number of visible processors into the system registry from the system ID key.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the system ID key may be provided to the computer system through a wide area network from the external key generator module.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the system type may be the number of processors enabled by the system ID key, whether the computer system is a billed by metering or capacity on demand, a marketing title, or hardware components enabled by the system ID key.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the system ID key further includes virtual serial numbers to be assigned to hardware components of the computer system.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the system ID key is further able to enable or disable hardware components of the computer system reflecting a client selected computer system configuration.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein writing the system name into the system registry from the system ID key comprises:

saving the system name, product line, and number of visible processors extracted from the system ID key to a data structure in high memory;

writing the system name, product line, and number of visible processors from the data structure into systems management;

saving, by the systems management, the system name, product line, and number of visible processors to the system registry.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

restarting the computer system from the suspended state using the halt/load parameters;

locating, by the halt/load parameters, the location of the system name, product line, and number of visible processors in the system registry; and

displaying the correct system name, product line, and number of visible processors in an operating system running on the computer system.