Patent ID: 7660871

Claim:
A computer system for installing a computer network service component on a client associated with a user, wherein the user subscribes to a computer network service, the system comprising: a graphical user interface (GUI) that guides the user through an installation process for one or more service components associated with a computer network service, wherein the GUI receives a service installation request from the user, the service installation request comprising a request for the one or more service components; a subscription database comprising a subscribed services list, wherein the subscribed services list comprises subscriber status information corresponding to the user, wherein said subscriber status information comprises information indicating the service components that the user is permitted to receive based on the user's subscription; an installation engine that manages the distribution of computer network service components to the client, the installation engine communicating with the user interface and the subscription database, wherein the installation engine references an available components list to identify a set of components that are available to the user, and further wherein the installation engine compares the available components list against the subscribed services list to identify a set of eligible components, the eligible components comprising available components that the user is permitted to receive, wherein the installation engine provides the set of eligible components to the GUI, which displays the set of eligible components to the user; and a local installation server that receives a selection of at least one of the set of eligible components from the user and retrieves the at least one eligible component from a component store, wherein the local installation server provides the at least one eligible component to the installation engine for installation onto the client.