Patent ID: 7565323

Claim:
A computer-readable storage medium including computer executable instructions executed by a processor on a computer, the instructions comprising: generating a single computer system identifier (ID) for identifying a computer system, the single computer system ID being comprised of a concatenation of a plurality of hardware device identifier portions, the computer system comprising a plurality of components, each component having a unique identifier, wherein the single computer-system ID is stored on the computer system after being generated during the installation of a software product on the computer system, wherein the single computer system ID comprises the concatenation of the plurality of hardware device identifier portions during the installation of the software product on the computer system, each hardware device identifier portion associated with a single component of the computer system wherein the single computer system ID represents the computer system plurality of components and wherein the single computer system ID comprises a variable number of bits; wherein the single computer system ID differentiates the computer system from other computer systems based on a particular component having a unique identifier, wherein the particular component is one of the plurality of components; and wherein the plurality of hardware device identifier portions identifying a plurality of hardware devices comprises all members of a group comprising a CD-ROM device portion identifying a CD-ROM device of the computer system; a disk adapter portion identifying a disk adapter of the computer system; a disk device portion identifying a disk device of the computer system; a display adapter portion identifying a display adapter of the computer system; a first drive serial portion identifying a disk drive of the computer system; a MAC address portion identifying a MAC address of the computer system; a processor serial number portion identifying a processor serial number of the computer system; a processor type portion identifying a processor type of the computer system; a RAM size portion identifying a RAM size of the computer system; and a SCSI adapter portion identifying a SCSI adapter of the computer system.