Versioning model for software program development
First Claim
1. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure for containing version information of a software item, comprising:
- a first data field containing data representing a version-independent identifier that is unchanged by revisions and upgrades performed on the software item;
a second data field containing data representing a version-specific identifier that is unchanged by revisions but changed by upgrades performed on the software item; and
a third data field containing data representing a revision number that is increased by each revision performed on the software item.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for generating run-time images of a software program, such as an operating system, builds a run-time image from a plurality of selected software program components, each of which is a discrete packet of functionality. Each component not only specifies its properties and resources but also provides script for its own build behavior. To build the run-time image, a configuration is constructed to include instances of selected components, and the scripts of the instances are invoked such that each component instance builds itself into the run-time image. A general framework is provided for managing the components and the build process. A prototyping scheme is provided for a component to inherit its properties, resources, and script from other components. Each component may also specify dependency data in terms of component inclusion in the run-time image and the orders in which the components are built into the run-time image. A versioning scheme facilitates the tracking of various revisions and upgrades of components.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure for containing version information of a software item, comprising:
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a first data field containing data representing a version-independent identifier that is unchanged by revisions and upgrades performed on the software item;
a second data field containing data representing a version-specific identifier that is unchanged by revisions but changed by upgrades performed on the software item; and
a third data field containing data representing a revision number that is increased by each revision performed on the software item. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of specifying version information for a software item, comprising the steps of:
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including a version-independent identifier in description data of the software item, the version-independent identifier being unchanged by revisions and upgrades to the software item;
including a version-specific identifier in the description data of the software item, the version-specific identifier being unchanged by revisions but changed by upgrades to the software item; and
including a revision number in the description data of the software item, the revision number being increased by each revision to the software item. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of modifying version information of a software item, comprising the steps of:
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modifying the software item, the software item having description data representing a version-independent identifier unchanged by revisions and upgrades to the software item, a version-specific identifier unchanged by revisions but changed by upgrades to the software item, a revision number, and a release flag indicating that the software item has been released;
incrementing the revision number;
checking whether the release flag is set; and
changing the version-specific identifier to a new value if the release flag is set. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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Specification