Abstract: A system including a server, a computer system, and a device coupled to a port of the computer system is provided. The server includes a script associated with an identifier. The device includes the identifier. The computer system is configured to read the identifier from the device, provide the identifier to the server, and cause a script associated with the identifier to be executed to cause one or more software components to be installed onto the computer system.

Abstract: A system including a server, a computer system, and a device coupled to a port of the computer system is provided. The server includes a script associated with an identifier. The device includes the identifier. The computer system is configured to read the identifier from the device, provide the identifier to the server, and cause a script associated with the identifier to be executed to cause one or more software components to be installed onto the computer system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically detecting the prevalence of local area network operating system services and network frame type protocols that are being used on a network to which a computer system is being attached. When a computer system is newly attached to a network, the present invention transmits specific operating system broadcast inquiries using various frame type protocols across the network. The present invention then counts the network operating system specific responses for each of these supported frame types. These response counts indicate the prevalence of each network operating system and the prevalence of the network frame type protocol supported by each network operating system. The computer system then configures itself according to the most prevalent network operating system and frame type being used in the network, and thus a system administrator is not required to manually configure each computer being added to a network.