Method for resolving dependency conflicts among multiple operative entities within a computing environment

• US 20040015946A1
• Filed: 12/07/2001
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Teʼeni, Moddy, Shufer, Ilan
• Granted Patent: US 7,140,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44552 Conflict resolution, i.e. enabling coexistence of conflicting executables

Abstract

An improved method to set up automatically a computer system configuration in association with a system upgrade that involves the installation of a set of operative elements necessary for the reliable operation of the same. The correct, operative combination of hardware, system and application software components is accomplished by inter-component dependency checking and improved conflict resolving procedures in association with specific dependency rules tables and an ordered database that stores definitions of components and relationships thereof.

Claims

1. A method of updating upgrading a computer system comprising a central processing unit, a storage device and a communication device by automatically establishing an operatively correct combination of a set of components in a computing environment of said computer system, said method comprising:

obtaining control tables from a storage device a computer system, said control tables comprising information necessary for execution of an upgrade of said computer system;

setting up result tables on said storage device, to hold information resulting from said automatic establishing;

examining said control tables for dependency conflicts arising among said components in said control tables;

identifying said dependency conflicts arising among said components in said control tables; and

resolving said dependency conflicts among said components in said control tables, thereby creating result-related actions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining control tables further comprises:

obtaining a system information table comprising a set of operative components installed in said computer system;

obtaining a system upgrade table comprising a required set of operative components to be installed in said computer system;

obtaining a component objects table comprising a set of installation-related components;

obtaining a component database that contains a structured index of said component objects table;

obtaining a rules table comprising installation-related dependency rules referring to said components to be installed in said computer system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said setting up result tables further comprises:

building a resolved system upgrade actions table for storing dependency conflict-free system upgrade actions;

building a second system upgrade table for storing unexamined system upgrade actions;

building a third system upgrade table;

copying said system upgrade table into said second system upgrade table.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said resolving further comprises:

obtaining from said second system upgrade table a system upgrade action;

disassembling said system upgrade action obtained from said second system upgrade table into at least one action containing at least one component and at least one upgrade operation;

inserting said at least one action into said third system upgrade table;

obtaining said at least one action from said third system upgrade table;

checking xor rules for said at least one action;

handling user preferences concerning the execution of each member of said at least one action arising from dependency resolving;

checking add-remove rules for said at least one action;

inserting said at least one action to said resolved system upgrade actions table;

removing said at least one action from said resolved system upgrade table thereby indicating that said system upgrade action is dependency conflict-free.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said checking xor rules further comprises:

examining said system information table in combination with at least one resolved system upgrade action corresponding to at least one action;

obtaining at least one xor rule from said xor rules table concerning said at least one action;

combining said at least one xor rule with said at least one action;

checking said combined said at least one xor rule and said at least one action in regard to existence in said system information table;

checking said combined said at least one xor rule and said at least one action in regard to existence in said resolved system upgrade actions table;

removing actions from said combined said at least one rule and said at least one action which do not appear in said system information table and said resolved system upgrade actions table.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said checking add-remove rules further comprises:

obtaining at least one action-related add-remove rule from said add-remove rules table;

resolving added install actions required by said at least one action;

creating a list of at least one install action corresponding to said at least one action related add-remove rule;

resolving added replace actions required by said at least one action; and

creating a list of at least one update action corresponding to said at least one action related add-remove rule.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said handling user preferences further comprises:

obtaining at least one user preference record relating to at least one lock placed on said at least one action and containing a user authorization mechanism concerning utilization of prior versions;

determining a mode of operation;

examining said at least one action in association with said at least one user preference record and said mode of operation;

determining whether said at least one user preference record is an impediment to said resolving; and

enabling manual removal of at least one user preference record.

8. The method of claim 7, where said at least one user preference record is enabled to be removed is an impediment to said resolving.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprises inserting resolve-related actions into said result tables.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying a user of said computer system of resolve-related actions thereby accomplishing a real system upgrade by outputting content of said result tables.

11. The method of claim 1, where said set of components comprises hardware components, software components and system components.

12. The method of claim 2, where said component database is organized in a tree-like hierarchical data structure.

13. The method of claim 2, where said component database comprises component indices connected according to the explicit dependency-relationships among said set of components.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein said installation related dependency rules in said rules table are encoded into a specific formal logic-like format.

15. The method of claim 3, wherein said component database is linked to said rules table by component indices.

16. The method of claim 3, wherein said second system upgrade table is a temporary table.

17. The method of claim 3, wherein said second system upgrade table comprises unexamined system upgrade actions.

18. The method of claim 3, wherein said third system upgrade table is a temporary table.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein installation preferences are determined according to pre-determined values assigned to recommended upgrade actions.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein installation-specific handler rules are utilized to determine a necessity for the presence of specific sofware modules.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein specific working rules are uutilized to determine an order of installation for said components.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein resolver modules provide non-binary parameters to associated modules in order to improve on inter-module communication.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein in addition to an indication concerning the ssuccess/failure of a specific operation resolver modules provide additional information in order to improve inter-module communication.

24. The method of claim 1, further utilizing combined tree search methods.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein specific information concerning an optimal installation process is stored within a structure of a vtree in order to improve on the execution time of the method.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein an installation preference is determined according to pre-determined values assigned to recommended upgrade actions are tree-sructure specific.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein a result list is ordered in accordance with dependencies and type of said components.