Patent ID: 7739377

Claim:
A method, in a data processing system having at least one processor and a storage device, for performing an inventory scan of target data processing systems for ascertaining the presence therein of prerequisite resources, wherein said prerequisite resources are resources necessary for the execution, by the target data processing systems, of predetermined activities, the method comprising: generating, by the data processing system, a request for a target data processing system to perform a selected activity from said predetermined activities; selecting, by the data processing system, at least one signature of at least one prerequisite resource required for performing the selected activity, wherein said at least one signature includes location information identifying a location where the target data processing system is to search, in the target data processing system, for the at least one prerequisite resource to determine if the target data processing system has the at least one prerequisite resource; incorporating, by the data processing system, the selected at least one signature in the request; transmitting, by the data processing system, the request to the target data processing system, whereby the target data processing system, in response to receiving the request, performs a search for the at least one prerequisite resource, in the target data processing system, based on the location information in the at least one signature; and upon receiving, in the data processing system, from the target data processing system a result of the search of the at least one prerequisite resource, updating information, stored in the storage device of the data processing system, of presence of the at least one prerequisite resource in the target data processing system.