Abstract:
A system is provided for setting up what is in effect a “plug and play” local area network for small businesses comprising a server computer and a plurality of client computers. The server computer is preloaded with a network operating system, an operating system for each of the client computers and substantially all application programs to be used by the client computers. There is a programmed interactive display interface in the server computer for interactively prompting a user to make a sequence of data entries relative to the computing needs of the client computers and the users of the client computers. The server computer is then physically interconnected with the client computers. Then means in the server computer allocate the client operating systems and the application programs as needed by the user of the client computers based upon the set up resulting from the prompted data entries.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09/118,208, (pending) entitled “CONFIGURING COMPUTER NETWORK OPERATIONS BASED UPON THE CORRELATION OF A SEQUENCE OF INTERACTIVE DISPLAY USER ENTRIES APPARENTLY UNRELATED TO COMPUTER OPERATIONS” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09,118,207, (pending) entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CREATING A PRELOAD IMAGE” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     In addition, the following applications are also related to the present invention: 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09/118,559, (pending) entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CREATION OF A NETWORK COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT”. 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09/118,557, (pending) entitled “DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM, METHOD, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR AUTOMATING ACCOUNT CREATION IN A NETWORK”. 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09/118,293, (pending) entitled “COMPUTER SOFTWARE SYSTEM FOR ELIMINATING OPERATING SYSTEM MULTIPLE LOGINS UNDER REMOTE PROGRAM LOAD WITH NETWORK PROVIDER DYNAMIC LINK LIBRARY”. 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09/118,210, (pending) entitled “CONFIGURING COMPUTER NETWORK OPERATIONS BASED UPON A SEQUENCE OF INTERACTIVE USER ENTRIES INTO A NETWORK SERVER COMPUTER WITH A ONE TIME ENTRY OF DATA COMMONLY REQUIRED BY MULTIPLE CLIENTS”. 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09/118,560, (pending) entitled “NETWORK WITH STORAGE OF ALL CLIENT COMPUTER PROGRAMS IN SERVER COMPUTER HAVING CUSTOMIZED CLIENT GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES WITH MAXIMUM SHARING OF STORED PORTIONS OF INTERFACES COMMON TO A PLURALITY OF CLIENTS”. 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09/118,292, U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,779, entitled “SERVER AND COMPUTER NETWORK THAT PERMIT A CLIENT TO BE EASILY INTRODUCED INTO THE COMPUTER NETWORK”. 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09/118,209 (pending) entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ALLOWING A USER TO ROVE AMONG VARIOUS CLIENTS IN A NETWORK WHILE MAINTAINING INDIVIDUAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE PREFERENCES”. 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09/118,558, (abandoned) entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ALLOWING A USER TO ROVE AMONG VARIOUS CLIENTS IN A NETWORK WHILE MAINTAINING INDIVIDUAL HARDWARE PREFERENCES”. 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09/118,555, (pending) entitled “AUTOMATIC CLEANUP OF USER DATA IN A NETWORK ENVIRONMENT”. 
     The present patent application is related to Ser. No. 09/118,556, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,100 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING AND INITIALIZING THE ADDITION OF A NEW CLIENT MACHINE IN A NETWORK”. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a system, method and program for the configuration of a computer network and particularly a local network of server computers and client computers in a manner which is expeditious and involves very little down time of the network or its components. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Computers and their application programs are used in all aspects of business, industry and academic endeavors. In recent years, there has been a technological revolution driven by the convergence of the data processing industry with the consumer electronics industry. This advance has been even further accelerated by the extensive consumer and business involvement in the Internet. As a result of these changes, it seems as if virtually all aspects of human productivity in the industrialized world require human/computer interaction. The computer industry has been a force for bringing about great increases in business and industrial productivity. Almost every week seems to bring computer industry advances which promise even further increases in productivity. These advances offer to drive down business and industry costs and increase efficiency in addition to increasing productivity. In addition, the cost of “computer power” continues to drop as result of rapid advances in computer related technologies. 
     Despite all of these advantages there still remains great resistance in all industries and business fields to new computer systems and significant system upgrades which offer much in productivity increases. This resistance results from past experience which equates to installing new computer systems or significant upgrades in existing systems with large amounts of down time, during which the business, manufacturing facility or individual worker functions are inoperative or operate at diminished levels. When a business or production facility is trying to decide whether to install a new computer system, the concern about down time, the possible loss of business, as well as stress on the workers involved very often outweighs the cost of the installation in influencing the decision. The concern about business and production delays resulting from installation has become so great that fewer and fewer small businesses are trying to make system and program changes on their own. This concern is even greater when the business is considering the installation of a computer network. While many businesses would likely be much more productive if their computers were interconnected with each other, the thought of a network may be very frightening to many small businesses without too much computer experience. They are likely to consider the concepts to be learned and the technology required to connect two or more computers in a network as too complex, time consuming or error prone to be attempted by the average small business user or owner. 
     The professional computer service industry which carries out and supports installations and upgrades for the business and industrial sector has been rapidly expanding over the past decade. However, even with such computer professional support, the threat of such down time, coupled with the costs of such professional services caused by installation delays remains of great concern. 
     There is a substantial challenge in the installation of computer network systems for small businesses. In this marketplace, we are dealing with a group whose available time is being stressed to its limits by the pressures of current economic systems. Even though the network computer systems procurable by these business people may offer eventual salvation to their other business stresses, the prospect of a new computer installation is often quite ominous to them. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a solution to the above problems by providing to small businesses and like enterprises what is practically a “plug and play” network set up and configured to their business needs. A network of a server computer and a plurality of client computers is shipped to the small business with the server computer already preloaded with a network operating system, an operating system for each of said client computers and substantially all application programs to be used by said client computers. Display interface means are provided in said server computer for interactively prompting a user to make a sequence of data entries relative to the computing needs of said client computers and the users of said client computers. Thus, the users or their business manager, essentially unpacks the server and makes the above sequence of simple data entries. Then the server is interconnected with the client computers and the network is up and ready to go. The server computer has means for allocating the client operating systems and said application programs to the clients and users based upon the above data entries. These allocations are usually responsive to user interactive entries on the interconnected client computers in response to specific needs of users as indicated by profiles of application programs allocated for each user based upon said data entries, which profiles are stored under the control of the server computer. Among the programs allocated would be Internet access programs, as well as E-Mail programs. 
     The system of the present invention also provides for means through the display interface to the server computer for adding an additional client computer to said network by prompting a user to make a sequence of data entries relative to the computing needs of said additional client computer and the users of said client computer. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a generalized diagranmmatic view of a network of server and client computers which may be configured according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an interactive data processor controlled workstation display system including a central processing unit which is capable of serving as the primary server of this invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of an interactive dialog screen on the network server introducing the data entry screens to configure the network installation of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is the diagrammatic view of an interactive dialog panel for entering company/business information; 
     FIG. 5 is the diagrammatic view of the dialog panel for entry of business address information; 
     FIG. 6 is a dialog panel for the entry of user information for the selection of an Internet provider for the business setting up the local network; 
     FIG. 7 is a dialog panel for the entry of information setting up the appropriate telephone modem connections to the Internet provider already selected through the panel of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a dialog panel for the entry of data for the setting up of E-Mail services; 
     FIG. 9 is a dialog panel for adding users to the network configuration; 
     FIG. 10 is a dialog panel for organizing users according to work groups; 
     FIG. 11 is a dialog panel for providing first in/last out employee information to provide time for backup and other off-time functions; 
     FIG. 12 is a dialog panel for the setting up of data security; 
     FIG. 13 is a dialog panel for the entry of user data for interactively establishing a time period for full system backup consistent with the employee demographic data previously entered; 
     FIG. 14 is a dialog panel for establishing user profiles, as well as user vision levels so as to set screen resolution; 
     FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the basic elements of the program in the server computer which enables the server to control the data entry described with respect to FIGS. 3 through 14 and subsequently allocate programs; 
     FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the general steps involved in the set up of networks in accordance with the present invention; and 
     FIGS. 17 and 18 make up a flowchart of a simplified run illustrating the program of FIG.  15 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to FIG. 1 there is shown a representative diagram of a local network which may be set up in accordance with the present invention. The server computer  50  which has a plurality of client computers: clients  53 ,  54  and  55 . As will be subsequently described with respect to FIGS. 3 through 14, all configuration entries and settings are made into and stored in server  50  through its display interface  51 . All programs for the network and for the computers in the network are also loaded into server  50  and stored in storage facility  59  which is a diagrammatic representation of the primary server storage capability, usually on an associated disk drive. As will be seen from the subsequent description, all of the programs to be used in the overall network are stored in association with server  50 , e.g. in its storage facility  59 , and then distributed as needed to the network users who will sign on to the client computers  53  through  55 . The server  50  will allocate the appropriate programming applications to the signed on users at the appropriate client computers. In the preferred operations, there will essentially be no operating systems or programs stored in the client computers other than just basic utilities needed to physically turn on and run the computers. 
     FIG. 2 is a diagram of a display interface workstation which can function as the primary server  50 . A central processing unit (CPU), such as in one of the PC Server series of workstations available from International Business Machines Corporation, or the Poweredge 2200 (“Poweredge 2200” is a trademark of Dell Corporation) server from Dell Corporation is provided and interconnected to various other components by system bus  12 . An operating system  41  runs on CPU  10  and provides control and is used to coordinate the function of the various components of FIG.  2 . Operating system  41  may be one of the commercially available network operating systems such as Microsoft&#39;s Windows NT™, IBM&#39;s NetView™ or Novell&#39;s NetWare™. UNIX or AIX Network operating systems may also be used. The programming application for controlling all of the entries and consequent allocation of operating systems and application programs to client computers to be subsequently described for FIGS. 3 through 14, application  40 , runs in conjunction with operating system  41  and provides output calls to the operating system  41 , which implement the various functions to be performed by the application  40 . A read only memory (ROM)  16  is connected to CPU  10  via bus  12  and includes the basic input(output system (BIOS) that controls the basic computer functions. Random access memory (RAM)  14 , which will provide for a portion of the basic storage of entries to be subsequently described; I/O adapter  18  and communications adapter  34  are also interconnected to system bus  12 . It should be noted that software components, including the operating system  41  and the application  40 , are loaded into RAM  14 , which is the computer system&#39;s main memory when the operating system and application programs are activated. I/O adapter  18  conventionally communicates with the disk storage device  20 , i.e. a hard drive which will also be involved in the subsequently described storage. Communications adapter  34  interconnects bus  12  with the rest of the local network described in FIG. 1 enabling the data processing system to communicate with its client computers to control entry configurations and the allocation of programs to be subsequently described. I/O devices are also connected to system bus  12  via user interface adapter  22  and display adapter  36 . Keyboard  24 , trackball  32 , mouse  26  and speaker  28  are all interconnected to bus  12  through user interface adapter  22 . It is through such input devices that the user interactive functions involved in the present invention may be implemented. Display adapter  36  includes a frame buffer  39 , which is a storage device that holds a representation of each pixel on the display screen  38 . Images may be stored in frame buffer  39  for display on monitor  38  through various components such as a digital to analog converter (not shown) and the like. By using the aforementioned I/O devices, a user is capable of inputting information to the system through the keyboard  24 , trackball  32  or mouse  26  and receiving output information from the system via speaker  28  and display  38 . 
     It should be noted that the operating systems and all application programs to be allocated to the client computers will be stored mainly in disk storage  20  and, when calls are made to distribute such programs to a particular client, a copy of the program will be transmitted to the client through I/O adapter to system bus  12  through communications adapter  34  through the Local Network connection. The operating system copy or application program copy to be used by the client will be received in the RAM of the client and then used by the client in a conventional manner as if the program came from the client&#39;s own disk storage. In this connection, it should be noted that the client computer will have the same general configuration as the server computer shown in FIG. 2, except that the client will not need a disk storage device since all software is being stored on the server. Also, the client computer may be any standard PC such as those available from International Business Machines Corporation or Dell Corporation. The operating systems for the client PCs may be any standard PC operating system such as the OS/2™ operating system available from International Business Machines Corporation, Microsoft Windows 95™, as well as UNIX or AIX PC operating systems. 
     There will now be described a simple illustration of the present invention with respect to the display screens of FIGS. 3 through 14. When the screen images are described it will be understood that these may be rendered by storing an image and text creation programs, such as those in any conventional window operating system in the RAM  14  of the system of FIG.  2 . The operating system is diagrammatically shown in FIG. 2 as operating system  41 . Display screen images are presented to the viewer on display monitor  38  of FIG.  2 . In accordance with conventional techniques, the user may control the screen interactively through a conventional I/O device, such as mouse  26  of FIG. 2 which operates through user interface  22  to call upon programs in RAM  14  cooperating with the operating system  41  to create the images in frame buffer  39  of display adapter  36  to control the display on monitor  38 . As has been set forth hereinabove, all of the programs to be used by all of the users in the network of FIG. 1 are stored in server  50  and its associated storage facility  59 . Now with respect to FIGS. 3 through 14, we will describe how information is solicited from users so that the application programs and operating systems stored in the server computer may be allocated among the users of the client computers in the network. The illustration will involve allocations within a small business network. Please note with respect to FIG. 1, the data entry panels shown in FIGS. 3 through 14 will be interactively shown to users on display  51  of server  50 . The entries may be made by the employees or users themselves or by some sort of supervisory personnel. For the present illustration, we will assume that the entries are made to display  51  by an office supervisor setting up the network. 
     The introductory screen panel of FIG. 3 advises the user that what in effect will be noncomputer related information will be solicited and that this information will be used to configure the company&#39;s computer network. Then the screen panel of FIG. 4 solicits company and user information including password  60 . Next, the screen panel of FIG. 5 gets information about address, phone and facsimile numbers. The screen panel of FIG. 6 prompts the user to price out a variety of Internet services, select a service and to enter user or company credit card information via data entry fields  61  and  62 . If the user did not have a provider already selected, then before selecting the type of service, the operator would be prompted via the screen panel of FIG. 7, to enter state and county of residence  80  so that he may be provided a list of providers in that region for provider selection and then a list of local telephone numbers for calling up his provider through his modem, and he is prompted to select an appropriate provider telephone to dial  81 . Next, the operator is prompted via the screen panel of FIG. 8 for E-Mail address information including the selection of an Internet domain  82 . Then, FIG. 9 shows a display panel through which the current users  65  may be organized and new users may be entered through data entry fields  63  and  64 . FIG. 10 is a display panel through which the users  65  may be assigned to functional groups  66  so that this information may be used to allocate program resources. Next, the user may be prompted with a panel, FIG. 11, which will be used to allocate system backup. It prompts for employee start/leave information via data entry fields  67  and  68  so that this information may be used to set likely computer quiescent periods for backing up stored computer data. Such quiescent periods may also be used for other off use functions such as defragmentation of files stored on disk drives, the general cleaning up of files and other housekeeping functions such as the running of antivirus routines. 
     The user may also be presented with a data security display panel, FIG. 12, in which data encryption key entries  69  and  70  are prompted for. The operator is then prompted, the screen panel of FIG. 13, to select day  91  and hour  92  times during which the whole local network may be subjected to a full backup to tape of all data entered through any of the systems drives. In the data entry panel of FIG. 14, group and job function information entries  71  and  72  are prompted for which will be used to allocate programs for the particular user. Also the employee&#39;s computer hours are solicited  73  and, particularly, graphic hours  74  are important since the system may use this information in an algorithm for setting aside storage space to store and support the user&#39;s activities. The panel or a like panel may be used to automatically adjust the displays to the user&#39;s vision requirements. This illustration shows a simple routine where the viewer is prompted to read the smallest print in group  75  and indicate it by an appropriate selected entry  76 . The system will then provide an appropriate screen resolution to compensate for eyesight variations. 
     Now, with respect to FIG. 15 there will be generally described the basic elements of the program in the server computer which enables the server to control the data entry and network installation operations described with respect to FIGS. 3 through 14. The server  50 , FIG. 1, is set up to store all programs and operations to be used by a variety of users on the client computers in the network, step  101 . A program is set up on the server  50  to display on display  51  a sequence of dialog panels to prompt user entries to provide information covering the needs of all client computers and their users with respect to computer operations, step  102 . FIGS. 3 through 14 are illustrative of such panels. Then there is set up in the system, step  103 , a series of appropriate algorithms for converting the entries, such as those in the panels of FIGS. 3 through 14 into means for allocating appropriate operating systems and application programs for user and client functions. These algorithms are just simple routines of the type that any computer could use to convert entered data into computer operations. Next, step  104 , routines are set up for allocating the computer operating systems and application programs stored in the server computer to clients according to the algorithms of step  103 . Program routines are set up, step  105 , for running the client computers, e.g.  53 ,  54  and  55 , by providing the client computers and users of the operating systems and application programs as needed or called for according to the algorithms described in steps  103  and  104 . Routines are set up in the server computer for storing the whole local network being set up, profiles for users and for groups or classes of such users, step  106 , which will be used for determining the application programs to be allocated. FIGS. 9 and 10 show the data entry for creating such profiles. Lastly, step  107 , a process is set up for Internet connection. 
     FIG. 16 gives a simplified routine for setting up the local network in accordance with this invention. All of the operating systems to be used are loaded into the server computer storage, step  160 . Next, the program used in the present invention to prompt for data entries and to allocate accordingly (to be described with respect to FIGS. 17 and 18) is loaded into the server, step  161 . Then this loaded program is run, step  162 , to enter data, after which the client computers are hooked into the server merely by connecting their appropriate physical connections, step  163 . When these connections are completed, then the client computers in the set up network may be run and the server will distribute the appropriate operating systems and application programs to the users of the client computers as needed, step  107 . 
     Now with respect to FIGS. 17 and 18, there will be described a modified program run to illustrate many of the steps involved in the prompts, data entries and storage of the entries described above for FIGS. 3 through 14. In this illustrative program run, not all of the possible combinations of data entries will be described. However, it should be readily understood how other selections and data entries discussed with respect to the present invention may be similarly prompted for, selected, stored and used in routines for allocating application programs and operating systems. In the program run, the operator is prompted for user data on name, ID and password, step  110 , and then the user is prompted to price out an Internet service provider. If an Internet service provider is selected via decision step  112 , Yes (using the display panel of FIG.  6 ), then the Internet service is set up by having the user set up, step  113 , the appropriate provider telephone connections (display panel of FIG. 7) and set up for E-Mail connections, step  130 , using the display panel of FIG.  8 . After the Internet service is set up or if none is selected, step  112 , the operator is prompted for the various employee numbers which may be expected at the client computer sites, step  114 . This data is stored in connection with the server, step  115 . Then appropriate algorithms may be run for allocating resources to the various client computers based upon employee numbers, step  116 . Next, step  117 , data is prompted for relative to the profession or type of work of the employee or user. The employee or user may be assigned to a work group for program allocation purposes based upon his type of work, step  118  (see FIGS. 9 and 10 for data entry screens). All of the individual data entered in response to prompts regarding a particular employee or user is stored as a user profile, step  119 , and the flow goes to point “A” in FIG.  18 . 
     Step  120 , employee arrival/departure information is prompted for (via display panel  11 ) and this information is stored in the server, step  121 . Then an algorithm is run to set up various system backup times based upon the stored arrival/departure information, step  122 . In addition, based upon this employee arrival/departure information, algorithms may be run to set file cleaning processes in employee off hours, step  123 , and to set defragmentation of disk drive files, step  124 . Next, the user is prompted to set up for data security, step  125 , including the selection of a password (data panel of FIG.  12 ). Prompts are run, step  126 , which use entries about work habits to determine user times in text producing hours and graphics producing hours and an algorithm is set up to convert such information into the allocation of disk drive storage space. Then, as shown in FIG. 14, a series of prompts is used to test user vision levels, step  127 , and this information is used in an algorithm, step  128 , to adjust screen resolution levels to compensate for vision limitations, step  128 . 
     One described and claimed implementation of the present invention is as an application program made up of programming steps or instructions. Such a program  40  would be resident in RAM  14  of the server, FIG. 2, during computer operations. Until required by the computer system, the program instructions may be stored in another readable medium, e.g. in disk drive  20  or in a removable memory such as an optical disk for use in a CD-ROM computer input or in a floppy disk for use in a floppy disk drive computer input. Further, the program instructions may be stored in the memory of another computer prior to use in the system of the present invention and transmitted over a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet when required by the user of the present invention. One skilled in the art should appreciate that the processes controlling the present invention are capable of being distributed in a variety of computer readable media forms. 
     Although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and intent of the appended claims.