Patent ID: 7603452
Filing Date: 2009-10-13
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A system for enforcing the operation environment of a client computer in a computer network, the client computer running one or more software applications, the software applications running in compliance with the enforced operation environment, the operation environment being enforced using a set of configuration rules, the system comprising: a. a configuration rule database for storing the configuration rules; b. one or more server computers connected through the computer network, the server computer interacting with the configuration rules database for updating the client computers with latest configuration rules; and c. an agent that resides and runs on the client computer, the agent enforcing the operation environment of the software application on the client computer using the configuration rules, wherein the agent comprises means for modifying the operation environment so as to prevent use of the software application when the agent is not running on the client computer, the system further comprising means for identifying which client computers in the computer network are not running the agent comprising: means for analyzing the traffic generated from each client computer for a special traffic pattern generated at regular time intervals, wherein if a client computer does not generate the special traffic pattern, the agent is not running on the client computer.