Patent ID: 7409463

Claim:
A method for automatically provisioning a networked device with one or more software programs comprising the: associating with a first user and a first networked client device at least one computer-readable user-organizational role definition file, containing at least one software package identifier according to an organizational role to be performed by said user; initializing said first networked client device for use in said organization by said user for said user-organizational role by installing one or more software packages on said networked client device according to said software package identifiers in said user-organizational role definition file; storing said user-organizational role definition file on or in said associated first networked client device using a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol directory service protocol such that said user-organizational role definition file is modifiable by said first user using said networked device, and such that a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol server may monitor status of said user-organizational role definition file; subsequent to said initialization of said first networked client device, providing on-demand reconfiguration responsive to detection of modification by said first user of said user-organizational role definition file through monitoring by said Lightweight Directory Access Protocol server by: reevaluating software package requirements of said first networked client device with respect to said first user's modified role definition; installing on said first networked client device via said Lightweight Directory Access Protocol one or more software packages required by said first user according to a modified first user's organizational role as reflected in said modified user-organizational role definition file; and uninstalling from said first networked client device via said Lightweight Directory Access Protocol one or more software packages no longer required by said first user according to a modified organizational role as reflected in said first user's modified user-organizational role definition file; and recovering one or more licenses by a license management system corresponding to said uninstalled software packages such that recovered licenses may be reassigned to second and subsequent users of second and subsequent networked client devices during repetition of said steps of initialization and providing on-demand reconfiguration.