Abstract:
Installation and configuration of user-specific software and a computer system is performed such that individual computers in a group is prepared by transmitting the installation packages for a predetermined set of software products and a configuration program to the individual computers. In response to a computer being started for the first time, the configuration program loads a user-specific configuration file from a database system. According to the information contained in the configuration file, software products are subsequently installed and configured on the computer on a user-specific basis using the installation packages.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/DE2004/002104, filed on Sep. 22, 2004, entitled “Method for a User-Specific Configuration of a Computer from a Group of Prepared Computers,” which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Application No. DE102004015834.7 filed on Mar. 31, 2004, entitled “Method for a User-Specific Configuration of a Computer from a Group of Prepared Computers,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     Methods for user-specific configurations of computers are used, in particular, when a large number of computers are intended to be newly used in a working environment or are intended to be replaced. In this case, a working environment is, for example, a company or an institution which may comprise a plurality of sites.  
         [0003]     The full set of software products used within the working environment is referred to below as a software pool. Only a selection of the software products in the software pool is typically installed on the individual computers at individual workstations within the working environment. In addition, the software products installed are frequently configured on a user-specific basis. An example which may be mentioned is a program for sending e-mails which, in addition to the user name, must be informed of the e-mail address, a signature and the protocol being used. Settings of the operating system likewise are provided on a user-specific basis; for example, the address of the nearest network printer needs to be specified or the network drives to be included need to be mentioned.  
         [0004]     The following three methods are known, inter alia, for a user-specific configuration of computers within a working environment.  
         [0005]     New computers or computers to be replaced can be set up on site without additional preparation. A selection of software from the software pool is then installed manually and on site using installation media, for example CDs or DVDs, followed by the subsequent configuration of the operating system and the software products. This procedure of single-terminal installation is not practical where a relatively large number of computers is to be set up. Additionally, single-terminal installation blocks the workstation on site for the entire duration of the set up and configuration of the new computer.  
         [0006]     A second method likewise involves setting up the computers on site without any additional preparation but then allowing installation and configuration to take place via a network, the data for installing the software products also being transmitted via the network. Since installation and configuration are centrally controlled via the network, this method is associated with a considerably lower personnel requirement.  
         [0007]     The document US 2003/0046682 A1 describes network installation which comprises automatic initial installation and additional subsequent installation operations which makes it possible to centrally record the installation progress and to store the latter for documentation and backup purposes.  
         [0008]     Such network installation is less susceptible to errors and is more economical than single-terminal installation. One disadvantage of this method is that a large volume of data must be transmitted via the network. This is problematic, in particular, when a large number of computers is intended to be installed simultaneously or the network has only a narrow transmission bandwidth. By way of example, this type of installation is prohibited for external locations of a working environment which are connected to the network via telephone lines.  
         [0009]     A third possibility is for the supplier to individually install and configure the corresponding software products on each computer. The computer is only then set up on site. In this case, the outlay is lowest on site but this gives rise to great logistic problems at the supplier&#39;s premises since each computer has to be individually packaged and sent.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0010]     A method is described which achieves a user-specific software installation and configuration of a computer system which can be performed in a rapid and practical manner even with a large number of computers or where there are network connections having a narrow bandwidth. In particular, the described method relates to the installation and configuration of user-specific software and computer system which can be performed in a rapid and practical manner even with a large number of computers or with network connections having a narrow bandwidth. According to the method, the installation and configuration of user-specific software and computer system is performed such that:  
         [0011]     each computer in the group is prepared by transmitting all of the installation packages for a predetermined set of software products, i.e., software pool, and a configuration program to the mass memory of the computer;  
         [0012]     a database system containing user-specific configuration files is provided, the configuration files mentioning a subselection of software products from the predetermined set and, if appropriate, specifying a list of parameters needed for the user-specific configuration of the software products;  
         [0013]     the user-specific configuration file is transmitted to the configuration program; and  
         [0014]     the configuration program installs the software products mentioned in the configuration file using the installation packages and, if appropriate, configures them using the specified parameters.  
         [0015]     A very high data transmission rate can be realized when transmitting the installation packages while preparing the computers so-called refueling stations. The method uses this high data rate and combines it with the flexibility of network installation. The set of software products which is used overall within a working environment typically has a clear size. The data rate at which the installation packages can be transmitted to the mass memories, for example the hard disks, of the computers while preparing the computers is, at data rates up to 150 Mbyte/s, approximately 120 times higher than typical network data rates, e.g., 10 Mbit/s, more than 10 times higher than the data rates in conventional fast networks, e.g., 100 Mbit/s, and even higher than the data rates in so-called gigabit networks, e.g., 1000 MBit/s. A larger volume of data than in other methods is transmitted in the described method since the computers are also provided with those installation packages which are not needed afterward during user-specific configuration. Nevertheless, the time expenditure is lower overall and is additionally incurred outside the actual working environment, thus representing an additional advantage for the user.  
         [0016]     The above and still further features and advantages of the described method will become apparent upon consideration of the following definitions, descriptions and descriptive figures of specific embodiments thereof. While these descriptions go into specific details of the described method, it should be understood that variations may and do exist and would be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the descriptions herein. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]     The method is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments, where:  
         [0018]      FIG. 1  diagrammatically shows an exemplary embodiment of the described method. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]     The left-hand side of  FIG. 1  illustrates a preparation station  1  which has the installation packages  2  for the predetermined one set of software products and a configuration program  3 . A computer  5  and a computer  6  are shown, by way of example, from a group of computers  4 , each computer having a mass memory  7  and a network device  8 . The mass memories  7  of the computers  5  and  6  are connected to the preparation station  1  via a data line having a high data rate  9 .  
         [0020]     The right-hand side of  FIG. 1  illustrates the computer  5  on site where it is connected, by way of its network device  8 , to a database system  11  containing configuration files  12  via a network connection  10 .  
         [0021]     In order to prepare the group of computers  4 , the installation packages  2  and the configuration program  3  are compiled in the preparation station  1 . The computers  5  and  6  are then connected to the preparation station  1  via the data line having a high data transmission rate  9 . The installation packages  2  and the configuration program  3  are then transmitted to the mass memories  7  of the computers  5  and  6 .  
         [0022]     The computers  5  and  6  can be connected, and the data can be transmitted, in different ways. On the one hand, as illustrated in the case of the computer  6 , contact can be made with external interfaces. Such an interface may also be the network device  8 , for example. On the other hand, it is conceivable, as illustrated in the case of the computer  5 , to remove the mass memory  7  from the computer  5  for a short time and to use the mass memory&#39;s own interface to transmit data. In this case, such interfaces, for example SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) or parallel or serial ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment), have the highest data rates of up to 133 Mbyte/s (parallel ATA) or 150 Mbyte/s (serial ATA) and are the preferred solution. In another embodiment, data can be transmitted using optical mass memories and corresponding data storage media such as CDs or DVDs instead of the data line having a high data rate  9  between the preparation station  1  and the group of computers  4 .  
         [0023]     After this preparation step, the individual computers in the group of computers  4  are transferred to their locations within the working environment. Since the computers are not yet different, on a user-specific basis, at this point in time, there is no need to assign a computer to a particular location or user and distribution may be effected in an arbitrary manner.  
         [0024]     As shown in the right-hand part of  FIG. 1 , the network device  8  of the computer  5  is connected to the database system  11  via the network connection  10  after the computer has been set up at its location. The configuration program  3  is contained in the mass memory  7  of the computer  5  and is set up in such a manner that it automatically starts when the computer  5  is switched on. The configuration program  3  then asks the user to input his user identifier. The database system  11  is informed of this user identifier via the network device  8  and the network connection  10 . A configuration file  12  is stored in the database system  11  for each valid user identifier, the configuration file then being transmitted back from the database system  11  to the computer  5  and the configuration program  3  via the network connection  10 . The configuration file  12  contains the names of the software products which are intended to be installed on the computer  5  for the corresponding user in accordance with his user identifier. In addition, there is, if appropriate, a list of parameters which are needed for the user-specific configuration of the installed software products. These may be, for example, the e-mail address, the protocol being used or a signature for a program for sending e-mails; they may be particular text format models for a text processing program and may be, for example, the network address of the database being used for a database program. The parameter lists may likewise contain settings and values for configuring the operating system. In this case, one example which could be mentioned would be the name and address of network drives or the location, name and address of network printers.  
         [0025]     The configuration program  3  then uses the information contained in the configuration file  12  to install and configure the subselection of software products on the computer  5  with the aid of the installation packages  2 . The amount of information which must be transmitted in the configuration file  12  for this purpose using the network connection  10  is only a fraction of the quantity of data in the installation packages  2 . The configuration files  12  can be transmitted without any problems even in the case of a network connection  10  having only a low data transmission rate. This also applies when a large number of computers are simultaneously retrieving the configuration files  12  from the database system  11 .  
         [0026]     In one embodiment of the method according to the described device, after the software products mentioned in the configuration file  12  have been successfully installed, the configuration program  3  erases all of the installation packages  2  from the mass memory  7  of the computer  5 . The configuration program  3  then changes its setting in such a manner that it no longer automatically starts after the computer  5  has been switched on or it erases itself from the mass memory  7  of the computer  5 .  
         [0027]     In another embodiment, the configuration program  3  is designed in such a manner that, after the software products mentioned in the configuration file  12  have been installed, the installation packages  2  for these installed software products alone are removed from the mass memory  7  of the computer  5 .  
         [0028]     In this case, the configuration program  3  may also be designed in such a manner that, upon each further start of the computer  5 , it again uses the network device  8  and the network connection  10  to make contact with the database system  11 . If the database system  11  contains an updated version of the configuration file  12 , the latter is transmitted back to the computer  5  and the configuration program  3 . The configuration program  3  can then subsequently install software products which are mentioned in the newer version of the configuration file  12  and have hitherto not yet been installed and, if appropriate, can configure them using specified parameters, or can use new parameters to reconfigure software products which are mentioned and have already been installed, or can uninstall software products which are not mentioned in the configuration file and have already been installed. Therefore, the method according to the described device is not only suitable for the initial installation and configuration of a computer but can also be used to reconfigure the computer.  
         [0029]     In another embodiment, a portable data storage medium, for example a floppy disk or CD, can be used, instead of the network connection  10 , to transmit the user-specific configuration file  12  from the database system  11  to the computer  5 . Combination solutions are also correspondingly possible within a working environment such that all of the computers which have a network connection  10  are provided with the configuration file  12  via the network connection. In contrast, computers, for example in external locations, which do not have a network connection, are provided with the configuration file  12  using the portable data storage medium.  
         [0030]     Within each working environment, there will be a subset of the set of software products used overall, which subset can be found again during each user-specific installation. Such a set typically includes e-mail programs, text processing programs and an Internet browser. In such a case, it is possible to install these programs on all of the computers as early as in the preparation step. All other software products are transmitted to the mass memories  7 , as usual, in the form of installation packages  2 . The data can be transmitted in the form of individual files. It is likewise possible to transmit a complete replica of a mass memory  7  in the form of a so-called image file.  
         [0031]     If the computer  5  replaces a computer that has previously been used by the user, a further embodiment of the method according to the described device involves settings from the previous computer also being included in the configuration file  12 . In the event that the setting from the previous computer are known to the database system  11  in the form of backup files, for example, the database system  11  can automatically add this setting to the configuration files  12 . Settings for which such a method would be possible would be, e.g., the bookmarks of an Internet browser which the user has collected over time.  
         [0032]     While the described device has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Accordingly, it is intended that the present described device covers the modifications and variations of this described device provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.  
       List of reference signs  
       [0000]      1  Preparation station  
         [0000]      2  Installation packages  
         [0000]      3  Configuration program  
         [0000]      4  Group of computers  
         [0000]      5 ,  6  Computers  
         [0000]      7  Mass memory  
         [0000]      8  Network device  
         [0000]      9  Data line having a high data rate  
         [0000]      10  Network connection  
         [0000]      11  Database system  
         [0000]      12  Configuration file