Remote configuration, provisioning and/or updating in a layer two authentication network
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorHormuzd M. Khosravi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device capable of remote configuration, provisioning and/or updating comprising a network detector capable of detecting a network regardless of the state of the operating system on the device, wherein the network requires layer two authentication, and an Embedded Trust Agent capable of generating an authentication credential for layer two authentication and communicating the authentication credential via a layer two authentication protocol without a functioning operating system.
Claims14
A method comprising:
- determining whether remote configuration, provisioning or updating or combinations thereof requires accessing a network wherein the network requires layer two authentication;
- generating a first authentication credential for layer two authentication wherein the first authentication credential comprises:
- a self-signed certificate based at least in part on a Trusted Root Certificate wherein said Trusted Root Certificate is known to at least one device on the network,
- a username and password wherein the user name and password are known to at least one device on the network, or
- posture credentials wherein the posture credentials are known to at least one device on the network, or combinations thereof
- accessing the network wherein accessing comprises authenticating to the network using the first authentication credential;
- and
- proceeding with remote configuration, provisioning or updating, or combinations thereof and wherein such remote configuration, provisioning or updating occurs substantially without any user intervention.
An apparatus comprising:
- a device capable of remote configuration, provisioning or updating, or combinations thereof, the device comprising;
- a network detector capable of detecting a network, wherein the network requires layer two authentication;
- and
- an Embedded Trust Agent (ETA) capable of,
- generating a first authentication credential for layer two authentication;
- communicating the authentication credential via a layer two authentication protocol;
- and
- functioning whether or not an associated operating system is running.
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the ETA is further capable of generating a second authentication credential based at least in part on information received during provisioning, configuring or updating, or combinations thereof
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.