Secure method for system attribute modification
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJoseph Wayne Freeman, Chad Lee Gettelfinger, Steven Dale Goodman, William Fred Keown JR., Eric Richard Kern, Randall Scott Springfield
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosed methods enable users to securably modify system attributes of completed computer systems, without requiring that the system be returned to their manufacturer or that the system be “overhauled.” The methods of the present invention permit manufacturing cost savings and efficiencies, while allowing existing built inventory to be modified to meet current market demands without the need to recall built systems back to the origin of manufacture.
Claims20
A method for securably updating one or more system attributes of a completed client computer having a BIOS, comprising the steps of:
- signing a public key of a secure server with a private key of said BIOS prior to completion of client computer manufacture to create an encrypted public key and an embedded private key stored at said server,
- receiving at the secure server a transmitted request packet requesting system attribute modification for the client computer,
- encrypting received request packet at the secure server with server's private key to create an encrypted packet,
- transmitting a return packet to client computer comprising said encrypted packet, said server's public key, and server instructions,
- decrypting server's public key at client computer and comparing return packet with transmitted request packet are equivalent, and
- in response to an equivalent comparing step, executing said server instructions at client computer so as to modify client computer's boot block to update client computer's system attributes.
A secure method for remotely updating one or more system attributes of one or more client computers from a client computer site, comprising the steps of:
- signing a public key of a manufacturing server with a private key of each BIOS of said one or more client computers prior to manufacture completion of each client computer to create an encrypted public key and an embedded private key stored at said manufacturing server, identifying a single client computer of the one or more client computers to facilitate initial and terminal communication between the manufacturing server and the one or more client computers,
- initiating a secure communication session between the manufacturing server and the single client computer,
- receiving at the manufacturing server a transmitted request packet from the one or more client computers requesting a specific system attribute modification for each of the one or more client computers, respectively,
- encrypting each received request packet at the secure server with a server private key to create an encrypted packet for each of the one or more client computers, respectively, transmitting a unique return packet to each of the one or more client computers, respectively, comprising said encrypted packet, said server public key, and said server instructions,
- decrypting said server public key at each of the one or more client computers, respectively, and comparing, for each of the one or more client computers, that the unique return packet and the transmitted request packet are equivalent,
- in response to an equivalent comparing step for each of the one or more client computers, executing said server instructions at each of the one or more client computers, respectively, so as to modify each of the one or more client computers' boot block to update each of the one or more client computers' system attributes, and
- terminating the secure communication session between the manufacturing server and the single client computer.
A method for a retail environment having one or more client computers to securably update the one or more client computers to reflect current customer system configuration interests, comprising the steps of:
- signing a public key of a secure server with a private key of BIOS of said one or more client computers prior to completion of said one or more client computers manufacture to create an encrypted public key and an embedded private key stored at said server for each of said one or more client computers,
- assessing system attributes having a configuration desirable by a select customer base,
- identifying one or more client computers in a retail environment to be updated,
- receiving at the secure server a transmitted request packet requesting system attribute modification for the one or more identified client computers,
- encrypting received request packet at the secure server with server's private key to create an encrypted packet for each of the one or more identified client computers,
- transmitting a return packet to client computer comprising said encrypted packet, said server's public key, and said server instructions to each of the one or more identified client computers,
- decrypting, at each of the one or more identified client computers, server's public key at a respective identified client computer and comparing return packet with transmitted request packet are equivalent, and
- in response to an equivalent comparing step, executing said server instructions at each of the one or more identified client computers client computers so as to modify each respective client computer's boot block to update each respective identified client computer's system attributes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.