Abstract: A method of obtaining information about usage of application executable files and associated software program in a network of computers or on an individual computer is provided. The method involves collecting information about last use of software programs, and associated executable files, on a computer or a set of managed computers from various resources on the computers. The information that is collected includes file name, directory, date and time the executable was last started, a security identifier of the last user, the method of last use, whether the executable was found to be running at the time it was found, and whether the executable is registered to run as a service. From this information, a list is generated regarding software items, and the list is merged such that a given executable has a single software item on the list. Reports are produced detailing information about one or more software items on the list. The reports may be displayed in a graphic user interface designed for that purpose.

Abstract: A computer information database system manages computer profile data for a set of computers. A profile group managing server coupled to the database manages the database such that there is a multiple node tree structure of groups for the set of computers in which each node is a group level and a top level is a root, based upon primary grouping criteria that correspond to selected computer profile data. Included in a database mapping table are fields that correspond to ranges of values for computer profile data of interest corresponding to primary grouping criteria including ranges that extend between a selected high and a selected low value. The ranges for any or all of the grouping criteria may be altered. The data in the database can be manipulated to produce summaries and reports of attributes of the computers in a given group.

Abstract: A security control verification and monitoring subsystem of a managed computer system performs security control verification operations regularly and for each security control verification operation determines the applicable security benchmark level for use by a given computer. The subsystem assigns security risk categories to groups of computers based, for example, on overall system or group administrator supplied potential impact settings and/or system type and business or information type selections. The subsystem further associates the security risk categories with security benchmark levels based on mapping information supplied by the overall system or group administrator. The subsystem then directs the computer to benchmark definition files based on the assigned security risk category, the associated security benchmark level and attributes of the computer.

Abstract: A user access security subsystem of a computer information database system utilizes computer grouping criteria and user type criteria to control user access to both computer profile data and system administrative features. Computer grouping criteria determine profile data access for the respective users. User type criteria determine which administrative features are accessible to the respective users, thus what administrative authority is delegated to the users. Combining computer grouping and user type criteria restricts a given user to exercising the delegated administrative authority only with respect to the particular grouping of computers to which the user has been granted access through the associated login group. To maintain access security, a given user may grant to another only those access rights that are equal to or more restrictive than the given user's rights. The subsystem enforces access restrictions by tailoring the user interface based on the associated login group and user type.

Abstract: A method of obtaining information about usage of application executable files and associated software program in a network of computers or on an individual computer is provided. The method involves collecting information about last use of software programs, and associated executable files, on a computer or a set of managed computers from various resources on the computers. The information that is collected includes file name, directory, date and time the executable was last started, a security identifier of the last user, the method of last use, whether the executable was found to be running at the time it was found, and whether the executable is registered to run as a service. From this information, a list is generated regarding software items, and the list is merged such that a given executable has a single software item on the list. Reports are produced detailing information about one or more software items on the list. The reports may be displayed in a graphic user interface designed for that purpose.

Abstract: A computer information database system manages computer profile data grouping the plurality of computers in groups that are nodes of a tree in accordance with user-specified grouping criteria that are respective values of computer profile data of interest, and manipulating the database data to produce summaries of attributes of the computers in a given group and in the groups in the subtree that has the given group as its root. The grouping criteria may be ranges of values for primary grouping criteria, particular values for primary and secondary grouping criteria, ranges of values for both primary and secondary grouping criteria, and so forth. The system uses a group mapping database table that includes profile value-to-match fields for the primary grouping criteria and, as appropriate, the secondary grouping criteria. To use ranges of values, the group mapping database table includes for each range an associated low limit profile value field and a high limit profile value field.

Abstract: A network includes one or more client computers which can retrieve Web pages and supplemental content items, such as advertisements, from one or more server computers, for display or other processing. Each Web page can have fixed content, one or more fixed URL's identifying supplemental content items to be, for example, displayed at particular locations on the Web page, and one or more sets of conditional items, with each conditional item set comprising content item(s) or content item identifier(s), such as URL's, and personal selection criteria to be used in selecting one of the content item(s) or identifier(s) to be, for example, displayed at a respective location on the Web page. When a client computer receives a Web page from a server computer, it (that is, the client computer) will, for example, display the fixed Web page content and, obtain supplemental content items identified by the fixed URL's to be displayed along with the fixed content.