Remote validation of installation input data

• US 20030159137A1
• Filed: 02/19/2002
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sizemore, Robert C., Drake, Daniel R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,954,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for improving installation of software packages by performing dynamic, remote validation of various installation data before building an installation image. The remote validation occurs in the target environment, such that the values for various installation parameters can be analyzed in the context of that target environment. Creation and distribution of the installation package can then be suppressed until the configuration parameters have acceptable values. This immediate feedback approach allows for a more efficient installation process. In preferred embodiments, structured markup language syntax is used to specify which configuration values are subject to remote validation. Structured markup language documents are preferably used to describe the data that is to be transmitted from a staging server to the remote environment, where an installation agent is adapted for processing the document and determining the corresponding validation routine(s) to be invoked on the remote system. Similarly, structured markup language documents are preferably used for describing results of the validation to the staging server.

Claims

1. A method of improving installation of software packages, comprising steps of:

obtaining input values corresponding to one or more installation parameters of an installation package;

determining one or more of the installation parameters which are subject to remote validation;

transmitting the obtained input values corresponding to the determined installation parameters to a remotely-located system for the remote validation; and

using a result of the remote validation when building the installation package.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprises the step of consulting a specification of which of the installation parameters are subject to remote validation.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the specification is encoded in a structured markup language.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the structured markup language is Extensible Markup Language (“

XML”

) or a derivative thereof.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the specification is part of an installation object defined for the installation package.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the remotely-located system, the transmitted input values;

performing the remote validation of the received input values; and

returning the result of the remote validation.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the performing step further comprises the step of identifying one or more remote validation routines corresponding to the received input values.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the identifying step is performed by an installation agent resident on the remotely-located system.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitted input parameters are encoded in a structured markup language.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the result of the remote validation is encoded in a structured markup language.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the using step further comprise the steps of:

building the installation package if the result if positive; and

repeating operation of the obtaining, transmitting, and using steps otherwise.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the remote validation is performed in context of the remotely-located system.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the remote validation uses information that is locally-available on the remotely-located system.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting the built installation package to the remotely-located system.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the transmitted installation package at the remotely-located system; and

installing the received installation package.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the using step further comprises the step of reflecting at least one of the obtained input values in the built installation package.

17. A system for improving installation of software packages, comprising:

means for obtaining input values corresponding to one or more installation parameters of an installation package;

means for determining one or more of the installation parameters which should be remotely validated;

means for transmitting the obtained input values corresponding to the determined installation parameters to a remotely-located system for the remote validation; and

means for using a result of the remote validation when building the installation package.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the means for determining further comprises means for consulting a specification of which of the installation parameters are subject to remote validation, wherein the specification is encoded in a structured markup language.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the specification is part of an installation object defined for the installation package.

20. The system according to claim 17, further comprising:

means for receiving, at the remotely-located system, the transmitted input values;

means for performing the remote validation of the received input values; and

means for returning the result of the remote validation.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the means for performing further comprises means for identifying a validation routine corresponding to the received input values.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the means for identifying is performed by an installation agent resident on the remotely-located system.

23. The system according to claim 17, wherein the transmitted input parameters are encoded in a first structured markup language document and the result of the remote validation is encoded in a second structured markup language document.

24. The system according to claim 17, wherein the means for using further comprises means for building the installation package only if the result indicates a successful validation at the remotely-located system, and wherein at least one of the obtained input values is reflected in the built installation package.

25. The system according to claim 17, wherein the remote validation is performed in context of the remotely-located system using information that is locally-available on the remotely-located system.

26. A computer program product for improving installation of software packages, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer-readable media and comprising:

computer-readable program code means for obtaining input values corresponding to installation parameters for an installation image;

computer-readable program code means for determining one or more of the installation parameters which are subject to remote validation;

computer-readable program code means for transmitting the obtained input values corresponding to the determined installation parameters to a remotely-located system for the remote validation; and

computer-readable program code means for using a result of the remote validation when building the installation image.

27. The computer program product according to claim 26, wherein the computer-readable program code means for determining further comprises computer-readable program code means for consulting a specification of which of the installation parameters are subject to remote validation, wherein the specification is part of an installation object defined for the installation image.

28. The computer program product according to claim 26, further comprising:

computer-readable program code means for receiving, by an installation agent resident at the remotely-located system, the transmitted input values;

computer-readable program code means for performing the remote validation of the received input values using a remote validation routine corresponding to each of the received input values; and

computer-readable program code means for returning the result of the remote validation.

29. The computer program product according to claim 26, wherein the transmitted input parameters and the result of the remote validation are encoded in a structured markup language.

30. The computer program product according to claim 26, wherein the computer-readable program code means for using further comprises:

computer-readable program code means for analyzing the result to determine whether the remote validation had a successful outcome; and

computer-readable program code means for building the installation image when the means for analyzing detects the successful outcome, wherein the built installation image reflects one or more of the obtained input values.