# US 10,318,894 B2 · Conformance authority reconciliation

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- Number: US 10,318,894 B2
- Document ID: US10318894B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/205,586
- Filed: 2005-08-16
- Published: 2007-02-22
- Granted: 2019-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2005-08-16
- Assignees: Tripwire, Inc.
- Applicants: Robert A. DiFalco; Kenneth L. Keeler; Robert L. Warmack
- Inventors: Robert A. DiFalco; Kenneth L. Keeler; Robert L. Warmack
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10318894B2

## CPC

- G06Q 10/06: Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
- G06F 16/128: {Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion (error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operations or in hardware G06F11/14, G06F11/16)}
- H04L 41/0866: Checking the configuration
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

An automated method for facilitating management of a data processing environment is disclosed. In various embodiments, the method may include facilitating detecting of a change to an element of a data processing device of the data processing environment. In various embodiments, the method may further include facilitating reconciling the change with a conformance authority, the conformance authority having one or more guidelines. Other embodiments of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, apparatuses adapted to facilitate practice of the above-described method.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An automated, computer-implemented method for facilitating management of a data processing environment, the method comprising:
by a change detection agent, detecting a change to an element of a data processing device of the data processing environment by comparing a state of the data processing device to a baseline state of the data processing device;
separately from the detecting the change and also by the change detection agent, determining whether the detected change violates one or more guidelines of a conformance authority;
responsive to determining that the detected change violates at least one of the guidelines, performing one or more responses;
responsive to determining that the detected change does not violate the at least one of the guidelines, changing the baseline state to incorporate the change;
reporting the detected change together with a performance parameter of the data processing device; and
changing the one or more guidelines used by the change detection agent based on the reported performance parameter.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising, by the change detection agent, determining whether the one or more guidelines of the conformance authority relates to at least a subset of the element where the detected change was detected.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising determining one or more users associated with the detected change.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing device is a device selected from the group consisting of a networking device, a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular phone, a set top box, and a media player.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the method maintains or demonstrates control of one or more selected from the group consisting of an enterprise's information technology infrastructure, an enterprise's financial systems, an enterprise's financial data and an enterprise's business processes.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the method is part of an audit of an enterprise and provides an audit trail for the audit.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more guidelines specify multiple conforming values for the element.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more guidelines specify a search for an expression that should not exist in the element.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more responses include modifying a severity state of the change detected.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the conformance authority also has device start-up configuration guidelines, and wherein the method further comprises:
detecting a start-up configuration change to a second element of the data processing device; and
in response to detecting the start-up configuration change, determining if the start-up configuration change violates at least one of the device start-up configuration guidelines.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more responses comprises reverting the element of the data processing device to the baseline state.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more guidelines of the conformance authority are a subset of guidelines from the conformance authority specific for the data processing device.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the conformance authority is a policy-based management tool separate from the change detection agent.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the change detection agent is a dedicated change detection agent for the data processing device and performs the detecting, determining, performing, and changing only for the data processing device and not for any other data processing device in the data processing environment.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reported performance parameter represents a number of transactions per time period processed or network outages.

### Claim 16

One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:
by a change detection agent, detecting a change to an element of a data processing device of a data processing environment by comparing a state of the data processing device to a baseline state of the data processing device;
separately from the detecting the change and also by the change detection agent, determining whether the detected change violates one or more guidelines of a conformance authority;
responsive to determining that the detected change violates at least one of the guidelines, performing one or more responses;
responsive to determining that the detected change does not violate the at least one of the guidelines,
changing the baseline state to incorporate the detected change;
reporting the detected change together with a performance parameter of the data processing device; and
changing the one or more guidelines used by the change detection agent based on the reported performance parameter.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The media of claim 16, wherein the one or more responses include an alert response.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The media of claim 16, wherein the method maintains or demonstrates control of one or more selected from the group consisting of an enterprise's information technology infrastructure, an enterprise's financial systems, an enterprise's financial data and an enterprise's business processes.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The media of claim 16, wherein the one or more guidelines specify multiple conforming values for the element.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The media of claim 19, wherein the one or more guidelines specify a search for an expression that should not exist in the element.

### Claim 21 (depends on 19)

The media of claim 19, wherein the change detection agent is a dedicated change detection agent for the data processing device and performs the detecting, determining, performing, and changing only for the data processing device and not for any other data processing device in the data processing environment.

### Claim 22 (depends on 19)

The media of claim 19, wherein the reported performance parameter represents a number of transactions per time period processed or network outages.

### Claim 23 (depends on 16)

The media of claim 16, wherein the one or more responses include modifying a severity state of the change detected.

### Claim 24

The media of claim16, wherein the one or more guidelines include a device start-up configuration guideline that specifies a time-to-live (TTL) parameter.

### Claim 25 (depends on 16)

The media of claim 16, wherein the one or more responses comprises reverting the element of the data processing device to the baseline state.

### Claim 26 (depends on 16)

The media of claim 16, wherein the one or more guidelines of the conformance authority are a subset of guidelines from the conformance authority specific for the data processing device.

### Claim 27 (depends on 16)

The media of claim 16, wherein the conformance authority is a policy-based management tool separate from the change detection agent.