Automated enrollment of a computer system into a service network of computer systems

US5349674A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Nathanial Calvert · Rochester, US
• John L. Koehler · Rochester, US
• Erik Duane Lindberg · Rochester, US
• Mark McKelvey · Rochester, US
• Steven P. Mervosh · Rochester, US
• Jeffrey A. Newton · Rochester, US
• George B. Scarborough · Rochester, US
• Ruth A. Upchurch · Rochester, US
• Sandra D. Westling · Rochester, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 17, 1990
• Grant date: Sep 20, 1994
• Expiry date: Aug 17, 2010

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F11/32
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A service network has several computer systems connected together. A computer system can either be a "Service Requestor" (SR), a "Service Provider" (SP), or a hybrid of the two, a "Service Provider/Requestor" (SP/R). The service network is built by an enrollment process that adds computer systems into the service network. A SP (or SP/R acting as an SP) already in the network can initiate the enrollment of an SR (or SP/R acting as an SR) into the network. In addition, a SR (or SP/R acting as an SR) can initiate a request for enrollment into the network. If such a request is initiated, it must be approved automatically or with human intervention.