Update installer with process impact analysis

• US 10,268,473 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2017
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Thomas, Satish, Basu, Arijit, Nachimuthu, Arunpriyaa, Srinivasan, Sri, Premo, Nathan S., Gorn, Dmitry
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivera, Anibal
• Application Number:
  US15/610,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20170308372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3624 by performing operations on the source code, e.g. via a compiler
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3672 Test management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/254 Extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in data warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/78 Methods to solve the "Year 2000" [Y2K] problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

An update installer generates an update display for a user that displays available updates associated with a target application. The user can select updates, and the update installer accesses processes corresponding to the target application and displays an impact analysis indicating the impact that the selected updates will have on the target application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating a representation of a user interface display that identifies a plurality of application updates associated with a target application in a computer system and includes;

one or more update selection user input mechanisms actuatable to select and unselect application updates from the plurality of application updates; and

an update installation user input mechanism;

prior to installing any of the plurality of application updates to the target application,

based on an indication of first user actuation of the one or more update selection user input mechanisms, selecting a set of the application updates from the plurality of application updates;

generating a representation of a first visual impact indicator on the user interface display that indicates a degree to which the selected set of the application updates will impact the target application;

based on an indication of second user actuation of the one or more update selection user input mechanisms, modifying the selected set of the application updates from the plurality of application updates; and

generating a representation of a second visual impact indicator on the user interface display that indicates a degree to which the modified set of the application updates will impact the target application; and

based on an indication of user actuation of the update installation user input mechanism, installing the modified set of application updates to the target application in the computer system.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first visual impact indicator indicates a degree to which the set of updates impact the target application, and the second visual impact indicator indicates a degree to which the modified set of application updates impact the target application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second visual impact indicator includes

a process identifier corresponding to each of a plurality of different computing processes associated with the target application, each process identifier specifically identifying the corresponding computing process, and

a relative impact indicator visually associated with each of the process identifiers, each relative impact indicator indicating an impact that the modified set of application updates will have on the computing process corresponding to the associated process identifier, relative to an impact the second application update will have on another of the computing processes associated with the target application.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 wherein each relative impact indicator comprises a color-coded element indicating whether the corresponding process identifier identifies a computing process that will be affected by the modified set of application updates to a high degree, a medium degree, or a low degree, relative to the other computing process.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the representation of the second visual impact indicator is configured to display each relative impact indicator adjacent the associated process identifier.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the second visual impact indicator comprises a details display configured to display information indicative of how the modified set of application updates will affect each computing process.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein each process identifier comprises a hierarchical display having a parent node that identifies the corresponding computing process and one or more child nodes that identify which of the updates in the modified set of application updates affect the computing process identified by the parent node.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein each relative impact indicator indicates a number of the application updates that will be applied to the computing process corresponding to the associated process identifier.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first user actuation selects two or more of the plurality of application updates.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein modifying comprises removing at least one of the updates in the selected set.

11. A computing system comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing instructions executable by the processor, wherein the instructions, when executed, configure the computing system to;

generate a representation of a user interface display that identifies a plurality of application updates associated with a target application in a computer system and includes;

one or more update selection user input mechanisms actuatable to select and unselect application updates from the plurality of application updates; and

an update installation user input mechanism;

prior to installing any of the plurality of application updates to the target application,

based on an indication of first user actuation of the one or more update selection user input mechanisms, select a set of the application updates from the plurality of application updates;

generate a representation of a first visual impact display that includes a first heat map representation that graphically represents an impact of the selected set of application updates relative to a plurality of computing processes associated with the target application, the heat map comprising a process identifier corresponding to each computing process and a color-coded element associated with the corresponding computing process, and indicative of an impact of the selected application update on the corresponding computing process;

based on an indication of second user actuation of the one or more update selection user input mechanisms, modify the selected set of the application updates from the plurality of application updates; and

generate a representation of a second heat map representation that graphically represents an impact of the modified set of application updates relative to the plurality of computing processes; and

based on an indication of user actuation of the update installation user input mechanism, generate an instruction to install the modified set of application updates to the target application in the computer system.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the heat map comprises a matrix having the color-coded elements arranged in rows and columns.

13. The computing system of claim 11, wherein each color-coded element indicates a degree of impact of the selected set of application updates on the corresponding computing process relative to another computing process.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein each color-coded element indicates whether the corresponding computing process will be affected by the selected set of application updates to a high degree, a medium degree, or a low degree, relative to the other computing process.

15. The computing system of claim 11, wherein each color-coded element indicates a number of updates, in the selected set of updates, that will affect the corresponding computing process.

16. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the color-coded elements are generated based on a predefined threshold.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the predefined threshold is based on an indication of a user preference.

18. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the first user actuation selects two or more of the plurality of application updates.

19. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the selected set is modified by removing at least one of the updates in the selected set.