computer science

Trusted Computing Group

Trusted Computing Group is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Trusted Computing Group rather than just read about it. In short: The Trusted Computing Group is a group formed in 2003 as the successor to the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance which was previously formed in 1999 to implement Trusted Computing concepts across personal computers. Members include Intel, AMD, IBM, Microsoft, and Cisco.

Key takeaways

Trusted Computing Group belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Trusted Computing Group to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Trusted Computing Group from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Trusted Computing Group is a group formed in 2003 as the successor to the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance which was previously formed in 1999 to implement Trusted Computing concepts across personal computers. Members include Intel, AMD, IBM, Microsoft, and Cisco. The core idea of trusted computing is to give hardware manufacturers control over what software does and does not run on a system by refusing to run unsigned software.

History

On October 11, 1999, the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (abbreviated as TCPA), a consortium of various technology companies including Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, and Microsoft, was formed in an effort to promote trust and security in the personal computing platform. In November 1999, the TCPA announced that over 70 leading hardware and software companies joined the alliance in the first month. On January 30, 2001, version 1.0 of the Trusted Computing Platform Specifications was released. IBM was the first original equipment manufacturer to incorporate hardware features based on the specifications with the introduction of its ThinkPad T30 mobile computer in 2002. In 2003, the TCPA was succeeded by the Trusted Computing Group, with an increased emphasis on mobile devices. Membership fees vary by level. Promoters pay annual membership fees of $30,000, contributors pay $15,000, and depending upon company size, adopters pay annual membership fees of either $2,500 or $7,500.

Overview TCG's most successful effort was the development of a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), a semiconductor intellectual property core or integrated circuit that conforms to the specification to enable trusted computing features in computers and mobile devices. Related efforts involved Trusted Network Connect, to bring trusted computing to network connections, and Storage Core Architecture / Security Subsystem Class, to bring trusted computing to disk drives and other storage devices. These efforts have not achieved the same level of widespread adoption as the trusted platform module.

Criticism

The group historically faced opposition from the free software community on the grounds that the technology had a negative impact on the users' privacy and can create customer lock-in, especially if it is used to create DRM applications. It received criticism from the Linux and FreeBSD communities, as well as the software development community in general.

ISO standardization In 2009, ISO/IEC release trusted platform module standards

ISO/IEC 11889-1:2009 Information technology—Trusted Platform Module—Part 1: Overview ISO/IEC 11889-2:2009 Information technology—Trusted Platform Module—Part 2: Design principles ISO/IEC 11889-3:2009 Information technology—Trusted Platform Module—Part 3: Structures ISO/IEC 11889-4:2009 Information technology—Trusted Platform Module—Part 4: Commands

References

External links Official website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Trusted Computing Group

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Trusted Computing Group claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Trusted Computing Group before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Trusted Computing Group ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Trusted Computing Group

In research: Trusted Computing Group appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Trusted Computing Group in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Trusted Computing Group is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2003 establishments in Oregon, American companies established in 2003, Companies based in Beaverton, Oregon, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Trusted Computing Group outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Trusted Computing Group in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Trusted Computing Group means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Trusted Computing Group out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Trusted Computing Group in simple terms?

Why does Trusted Computing Group matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Trusted Computing Group?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Trusted Computing Group.