Patent ID: 7191438

Claim:
A method of providing a lockeddown client environment in a client-server architecture of a computer network, said method including the steps of: checking an asset database accessible via said computer network using a personal computer capable of connecting to said computer network and booted using a personalized network boot disk for a user to validate settings for configuration of said personal computer, said asset database containing information about the configuration of one or more personal computers, said personal computer being personal to only the user and being permanently assigned to only the user; if said settings are validated, creating a lockeddown build for said personal computer, said creating step including the sub-steps of: initializing said personal computer for installation of a user environment dependent upon said personalized network boot disk; installing an operating system and hardware drivers on said personal computer via said computer network dependent upon said asset database, said operating system adapted to enable security of installed software on said personal computer against unauthorised modification and to prevent bypassing said operating system; creating a computer account for said personal computer in said computer network; pre-writing preference files onto the personal computer and then locking down the preference files on a local storage device of the personal computer; installing preconfigured application software on said personal computer from a repository in said computer network dependent upon said asset database, said personal computer being configured so that the preference files on the local storage device compel the user to store all user data used by said application software only remotely at a network server via said computer network and no user data used by said application software application can be stored on any local storage device of the personal computer, said application software adapted to be updated over the computer network using remote management software; and updating a master logfile at said server accessible via said computer network to record said personal computer configuration.