System and method for manipulating offline software

• US 20030233644A1
• Filed: 06/17/2002
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Harikrishnan, Seetharaman, Cohen, Jason, Burkhardt, Ryan, Yaryan, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 7,062,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

A system and method for manipulation of offline software. A software driver executing on a computer accesses and modifies target software while the target software is in an offline state. The software driver allows installation and configuration of an operating system and/or associated application programs to the target software when an operating system associated with the target software is not executing.

Claims

1. A system for manipulation by a computer of target software stored on one or more target computer-readable media, said target software having an online state and an offline state, said system comprising a driver executing on the computer to provide access to the target software, said driver comprising one or more redirect components for manipulating the target software when the target software is offline, said manipulating occurring in response to at least one command received from a user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the target software comprises an operating system, and wherein the target software is online when the operating system is executing.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the target software comprises an application program, and wherein the target software is online when the application program is executing.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer and the target software are connected to a data communication system, and wherein the driver executes on the computer to provide access to the target software via the data communication system.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a graphical user interface, wherein the command comprises input from the user via the graphical user interface.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver, responsive to user input, manipulates at least one system setting for the target software.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the target software comprises at least one file, and wherein the driver, responsive to user input, manipulates the target software by modifying the file.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the target computer-readable media comprise one or more files, wherein the driver modifies the files.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the driver adds to or deletes from the files.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver comprises computer-executable instructions for storing, in a queue accessible by the computer, a list of one or more tasks associated with execution of the command.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the driver further comprises computer-executable instructions for modifying the list of tasks stored in the queue to direct the tasks to operate on the target computer-readable media.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the driver further comprises computer-executable instructions for committing the queue to perform each of the modified tasks.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer-executable instructions for storing and modifying are executed when the target software is in the online state.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver comprises a service component for adding a service to the target software by installing one or more files associated with the service to the target computer-readable media.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver comprises a registry component for updating at least one system setting of the target software by modifying one or more files on the target computer-readable media.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver comprises a file component for performing file input and file output operations on the target computer-readable media.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver comprises a device component for adding at least one device driver to the target software by installing one or more files associated with the device driver to the target computer-readable media.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the device driver is a mass storage device controller.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the device component is associated with a hardware device.

20. A method for manipulation by a computer of target software stored on one or more target computer-readable media, said target software having an online state and an offline state, said method comprising accessing the target computer-readable media when the target software is offline in response to at least one command received from a user.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the target software comprises an operating system, and wherein said accessing comprises accessing the target computer-readable media when the operating system is unexecuted.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the target software comprises an application program, and wherein said accessing comprises accessing the target computer-readable media when the application program is unexecuted.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the computer and the target software are connected to a data communication system.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising generating a list of one or more tasks associated with execution of the command.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising storing the list of tasks in a queue accessible by the computer.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising modifying the list of tasks stored in the queue to direct the tasks to operate on the target computer-readable media.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising committing the queue to perform each of the modified tasks.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the target computer-readable media comprise one or more files, and wherein accessing comprises modifying the files.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein modifying comprises adding to or deleting from the files.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein accessing comprises manipulating at least one system setting for the target software.

31. The method of claim 20, further comprising identifying the target software from the command.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the command comprises one or more command-line options, and wherein identifying comprises parsing the command-line options.

33. The method of claim 20, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 20.

34. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure representing a queue for use by a computer in manipulating target software stored on one or more target computer-readable media, said target software having an online state and an offline state, said manipulating occurring when the target software is in the offline state and responsive to at least one command received from a user, said data structure comprising a queue field storing a list of one or more tasks associated with execution of the command.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the target software comprises an operating system, and wherein the target software is online when the operating system is executing.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the target software comprises an application program, and wherein the target software is online when the application program is executing.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the computer and the target software are connected to a data communication system.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the computer modifies the list of tasks stored in the queue field to direct the tasks to operate on the target computer-readable media.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the computer commits the queue to perform each of the modified tasks stored in the queue field.

40. A system for adding, by a computer, one or more drivers to target software stored on one or more target computer-readable media, said target software having an online state and an offline state, said system comprising:

a user interface associated with the computer and adapted for creating a system preparation file comprising a list of the drivers to be added to the target software responsive to user input; and

a software tool executing on the computer, said software tool responsive to the user interface to install the drivers listed in the system preparation file to the target software when the target software is in the offline state.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the target software comprises an operating system, and wherein the target software is online when the operating system is executing.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the target software comprises an application program, and wherein the target software is online when the application program is executing.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein the computer and the target software are connected to a data communication system.

44. The system of claim 40, wherein the software tool comprises a command-line interface for parsing command-line options, said command-line options comprising a path to the system preparation file and a path to the target computer-readable media.

45. The system of claim 40, wherein the system preparation file stores identification data for each of the drivers, and wherein the software tool is further adapted for enabling the drivers by adding the identification data from the system preparation file to a device database stored on the target computer-readable media.

46. The system of claim 40, wherein the system preparation file stores configuration information for each of the drivers, and wherein the software tool is further adapted for configuring the drivers according to the configuration information.

47. The system of claim 40, wherein the software tool is further adapted to update one or more system settings for the target software relating to the installed drivers.

48. The system of claim 40, wherein the drivers comprise a mass storage device controller.

49. The system of claim 40, wherein the user interface is a graphical user interface