System and method for performing serialization of devices

1. A method comprising:

communicatively connecting an appliance to one or more agents to enable said appliance to provide electronic assets comprising configuration information to said one or more agents for enabling said one or more agents to apply said electronic assets to devices, said appliance being communicatively connectable through a network interface to a controller that is geographically remote from said appliance, said one or more agents being separate from said controller and from said appliance;

said appliance using a serialization schema to generate serial numbers for at least one agent to apply said serial numbers to a particular type of device bound to said appliance;

upon receiving a request for one or more serial numbers for said particular type of device from a requesting agent, said appliance providing, through an electronic interface with said one or more agents, the electronic interface being independent of said network interface;

receiving, from said requesting agent, an agent log of electronic assets and devices to which said electronic assets were applied;

storing an appliance log; and

sending said agent log and said appliance log to said controller.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the serialization schema defines generation of serial numbers within a subset of serial numbers able to be represented in a serial number field.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said agent log comprises log data from said requesting agent indicative of application of serial numbers to said particular type of device.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising providing said log data to said controller to enable said controller to monitor said providing.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said log data comprises a location on a die associated with said serial numbers or a time stamp associated with a time at which said serial numbers were added to said device.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising sending a log report to said controller indicative of receipt of said serialization schema.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, from said controller, values indicating a credit count corresponding to a number of serial numbers; and

metering, within a hardware security module, said serial numbers, said metering comprising:

decreasing, based on providing said one or more serial number, said credit count; and

stopping, based on said credit count falling below a determined value, providing said one or more serial number.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said serialization schema is stored within a hardware security module, and wherein said appliance generates said serial numbers within the hardware security module.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said electronic interface comprises local communications network connecting said appliance and said one or more agents.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said serialization schema defines a range of serial numbers by:

defining a range of base values allowed in said schema,

defining a format for said base values, and

defining a total number of characters for each serial number.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said serial numbers are generated by:

for each base value:

determining the base value is within said range,

representing said base value in said format,

truncating or padding a resultant string according to said total number of characters, and

inserting, based on an indication that a static string is to be inserted, said static string in said resultant string to obtain said serial number.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed cause an appliance to:

communicatively connect said appliance to one or more agents to enable said appliance to provide electronic assets comprising configuration information to said one or more agents for enabling said one or more agents to apply electronic assets to devices, said appliance being communicatively connectable through a network interface to a controller that is geographically remote from said appliance, said one or more agents being separate from said controller and from said appliance;

use a serialization schema to generate serial numbers for at least one agent to apply said serial numbers to a particular type of device bound to said appliance; and

upon receiving a request for one or more serial numbers for said particular type of device from a requesting agent, provide from said appliance through an electronic interface with said one or more agents, the electronic interface being independent of said network interface;

receive, from said requesting agent, an agent log of electronic assets and devices to which said electronic assets were applied;

store an appliance log; and

send said agent log and said appliance log to said controller.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 12 , further comprising instructions for sending a log report to said controller indicative of receipt of said serialization schema.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 12 , wherein said serialization schema defines a range of serial numbers by:

defining a range of base values allowed in said schema,

defining a format for said base values, and

defining a total number of characters for each serial number.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 14 , wherein said serial numbers are generated by:

for each base value:

determining the base value is within said range,

representing said base value in said format,

truncating or padding a resultant string according to said total number of characters, and

inserting, based on an indication that a static string is to be inserted, said static string in said resultant string to obtain said serial number.

16. An appliance device comprising a processor, memory and being communicatively connectable to a controller and one or more agents, said processor, when operating:

communicatively connects said appliance to one or more agents to enable said appliance to provide electronic assets comprising configuration information to said one or more agents for enabling said one or more agents to apply said electronic assets to devices, said appliance being communicatively connectable through a network interface to a controller that is geographically remote from said appliance and said one or more agents being separate from said controller and from said appliance;

uses a serialization schema to generate serial numbers for at least one agent configured to apply said serial numbers to a particular type of device bound to said appliance;

upon receiving a request for one or more serial numbers for said particular type of device from a requesting agent, provides from said appliance through an electronic interface with said one or more agents, the electronic interface being independent of said network interface;

receive, from said requesting agent, an agent log of electronic assets and devices to which said electronic assets were applied;

store an appliance log; and

send said agent log and said appliance log to said controller.

17. A method comprising:

communicatively connecting a controller to an appliance via a network interface, said controller providing configuration information to said appliance, wherein said configuration information and communicatively connecting to said appliance enables electronic assets to be provided by said appliance to one or more agents to enable said appliance to provide said electronic assets to said one or more agents for enabling said one or more agents to apply said electronic assets to devices, said appliance being geographically remote from said controller and said one or more agents being separate from said controller;

receiving at least one of an appliance log from said appliance or an agent log from said agent, the at least one of said appliance log or said agent log comprising a specification of electronic assets and devices to which said electronic assets were applied; and

storing a controller log and said at least one of said appliance log or said agent log.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein said configuration information enables said appliance to generate serial numbers for at least one agent to apply to a particular type of device bound to said appliance such that upon receiving a request for one or more serial numbers for said particular type of device from a requesting agent, said appliance can provide said one or more serial numbers to said requesting agent and meter said serial numbers, and wherein said electronic assets comprise said serial numbers.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed cause a computing device to:

communicatively connecting a controller to an appliance via a network interface, said controller providing configuration information to said appliance, wherein said configuration information and said communicatively connecting to said appliance enables electronic assets to be provided by said appliance to one or more agents to enable said appliance to provide said electronic assets to said one or more agents for enabling said one or more agents to apply said electronic assets to devices, said appliance being geographically remote from said controller and said one or more agents being separate from said controller;

receiving at least one of an appliance log from said appliance or an agent log from said agent, the at least one of said appliance log or said agent log comprising a specification of electronic assets and devices to which said electronic assets were applied; and

storing a controller log and said at least one of said appliance log or said agent log.

20. A controller device comprising a processor, memory and being communicatively connectable to one or more appliances, said processor, when operating:

communicatively connects a controller to an appliance via a network interface, said controller operational to provide electronic assets comprising configuration information to said appliance, wherein said configuration information and communicatively connecting to said appliance enables said electronic assets to be provided by said appliance to one or more agents to enable said appliance to provide said electronic assets to said one or more agents for enabling said one or more agents to apply said electronic assets to devices, said appliance being geographically remote from said controller and said one or more agents being separate from said controller;

receiving at least one of an appliance log from said appliance or an agent log from said agent, the at least one of said appliance log or said agent log comprising a specification of electronic assets and devices to which said electronic assets were applied; and

storing a controller log and said at least one of said appliance log or said agent log.