System and method for restoring desktop components using distributed desktop packages

• US 20040113943A1
• Filed: 12/17/2002
• Published: 06/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cooper, Michael Richard, Rankin, Charles Vaughn, Kersten, Jason Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,310,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A system and method that centrally manages desktop packages is provided allowing the administrator to recover component files previously sent to servers located throughout the organization. Applications are assigned to users and workstations. Self-contained desktop packages are transmitted to servers. The servers, in turn, provide the desktop packages to clients. The packages and the components included in the packages include unique identifiers used to identify the packages and components. A manifest is maintained detailing the individual components included in each of the self-contained desktop files. When a disaster event occurs at the administrator'"'"'s computer system, the administrator retrieves the self-contained desktop files from the servers to which the packages were previously transmitted. The administrator repopulates the component libraries by unpacking the components from the self-contained desktop files. The administrator uses the manifest to determine whether additional self-contained package files need to be retrieved from other servers.

Claims

1. A method for a first computer system to recover component files, said method comprising:

packaging one or more component files into one or more self-contained package files;

transmitting the self-contained package files to one or more secondary computer systems over a computer network;

identifying a disaster event during which one or more of the component files becomes no longer available from the first computer system;

requesting one or more of the self-contained package files from one or more of the secondary computer systems in response to the identified disaster event;

receiving self-contained package files from one or more of the secondary computer systems in response to the request;

unpacking the components from the received self-contained package files; and

storing the components on a nonvolatile storage device accessible from the first computer system.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

creating a manifest file detailing the component files included in each of the self-contained package files;

comparing the component files included in the manifest file with the component files existing following the disaster event; and

identifying the self-contained package files to request from the second computer systems based upon the comparison.

3. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

creating a manifest file for each of the self-contained package files, the manifest file detailing the component files included in the self-contained package file; and

packaging the manifest file in the self-contained package file along with the component files.

4. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

assigning a unique identifier to each of the component files and to each of the self-contained package files.

5. The method as described in claim 4 further comprising:

receiving a list of the unique identifiers from the secondary computer systems;

comparing the received list of unique identifiers with self-contained package files that exist on the first computer system following the disaster event; and

identifying the self-contained package files to request from the second computer systems based upon the comparison.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the first computer system is used by an administrator to create the self-contained packages files, wherein each of the self-contained package files corresponds to a role performed by a user in organization.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the secondary computer systems are server computer systems that provide the self-contained package files to one or more client computer systems based upon roles performed by users of the client computer systems.

8. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

selecting the component files to be included in the self-contained package files, wherein at least one of the component files includes programming code adapted to be launched from a desktop shell that is adapted to run on a plurality of operating systems; and

storing the self-contained package file in a library of package files, wherein each of the package files is adapted to be transmitted to a client computer system.

9. The method as described in claim 1 wherein at least one of the component files is selected from the group consisting of an icon file, an image file, an application extension file, a screen appearance file, a national language translation file, a client configuration file, and the server configuration file.

10. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the disaster event is selected from the group consisting of a nonvolatile storage device failure, a deletion of one or more component files, a deletion of one or more self-contained package files, a computer system failure, a natural disaster, a fire, and a flood.

11. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory area accessible by the processors;

a nonvolatile storage device accessible by the processors;

an operating system executed by the processors for managing the information handling system;

a network interface accessible by the processors for connecting information handling system to a computer network; and

a recovery tool for recovering component files, the recovery tool including;

means for packaging one or more component files into one or more self-contained package files stored on the nonvolatile storage device;

means for transmitting the self-contained package files to one or more computer systems over the computer network;

means for requesting one or more of the self-contained package files from one or more of the computer systems in response to an identified disaster event;

means for receiving self-contained package files from one or more of the computer systems in response to the request;

means for unpacking the components from the received self-contained package files; and

means for storing the components on the nonvolatile storage device.

12. The information handling system as described in claim 11 further comprising:

means for creating a manifest file detailing the component files included in each of the self-contained package files;

means for comparing the component files included in the manifest file with the component files existing following the disaster event; and

means for identifying the self-contained package files to request from the second computer systems based upon the comparison.

13. The information handling system as described in claim 11 further comprising:

means for creating a manifest file for each of the self-contained package files, the manifest file detailing the component files included in the self-contained package file; and

means for packaging the manifest file in the self-contained package file along with the component files.

14. The information handling system as described in claim 11 further comprising:

means for assigning a unique identifier to each of the component files and to each of the self-contained package files.

15. The information handling system as described in claim 14 further comprising:

means for receiving a list of the unique identifiers from the secondary computer systems;

means for comparing the received list of unique identifiers with self-contained package files that exist on the first computer system following the disaster event; and

means for identifying the self-contained package files to request from the second computer systems based upon the comparison.

16. The information handling system as described in claim 11 wherein the first computer system is used by an administrator to create the self-contained packages files, wherein each of the self-contained package files corresponds to a role performed by a user in organization.

17. The information handling system as described in claim 11 wherein the secondary computer systems are server computer systems that provide the self-contained package files to one or more client computer systems based upon roles performed by users of the client computer systems.

18. The information handling system as described in claim 11 further comprising:

means for selecting the component files to be included in the self-contained package files, wherein at least one of the component files includes programming code adapted to be launched from a desktop shell that is adapted to run on a plurality of operating systems; and

means for storing the self-contained package file in a library of package files stored on the nonvolatile storage device, wherein each of the package files is adapted to be transmitted to a client computer system.

19. The information handling system as described in claim 11 wherein at least one of the component files is selected from the group consisting of an icon file, an image file, an application extension file, a screen appearance file, a national language translation file, a client configuration file, and the server configuration file.

20. The information handling system as described in claim 11 wherein the disaster event is selected from the group consisting of a nonvolatile storage device failure, a deletion of one or more component files, a deletion of one or more self-contained package files, a computer system failure, a natural disaster, a fire, and a flood.

21. A computer program product stored on a computer operable media for locking a desktop shell adapted to operate on a plurality of operating system platforms, said computer program product comprising:

means for packaging one or more component files into one or more self-contained package files;

means for transmitting the self-contained package files to one or more secondary computer systems over a computer network;

means for identifying a disaster event during which one or more of the component files becomes no longer available from the first computer system;

means for requesting one or more of the self-contained package files from one or more of the secondary computer systems in response to the identified disaster event;

means for receiving self-contained package files from one or more of the secondary computer systems in response to the request;

means for unpacking the components from the received self-contained package files; and

means for storing the components on a nonvolatile storage device accessible from the first computer system.

22. The computer program product as described in claim 21 further comprising:

means for creating a manifest file detailing the component files included in each of the self-contained package files;

means for comparing the component files included in the manifest file with the component files existing following the disaster event; and

means for identifying the self-contained package files to request from the second computer systems based upon the comparison.

23. The computer program product as described in claim 21 further comprising:

means for creating a manifest file for each of the self-contained package files, the manifest file detailing the component files included in the self-contained package file; and

means for packaging the manifest file in the self-contained package file along with the component files.

24. The computer program product as described in claim 21 further comprising:

means for assigning a unique identifier to each of the component files and to each of the self-contained package files.

25. The computer program product as described in claim 24 further comprising:

means for receiving a list of the unique identifiers from the secondary computer systems;

means for comparing the received list of unique identifiers with self-contained package files that exist on the first computer system following the disaster event; and

means for identifying the self-contained package files to request from the second computer systems based upon the comparison.

26. The computer program product as described in claim 21 wherein the first computer system is used by an administrator to create the self-contained packages files, wherein each of the self-contained package files corresponds to a role performed by a user in organization.

27. The computer program product as described in claim 21 wherein the secondary computer systems are server computer systems that provide the self-contained package files to one or more client computer systems based upon roles performed by users of the client computer systems.

28. The computer program product as described in claim 21 further comprising:

means for selecting the component files to be included in the self-contained package files, wherein at least one of the component files includes programming code adapted to be launched from a desktop shell that is adapted to run on a plurality of operating systems; and

means for storing the self-contained package file in a library of package files, wherein each of the package files is adapted to be transmitted to a client computer system.

29. The computer program product as described in claim 21 wherein at least one of the component files is selected from the group consisting of an icon file, an image file, an application extension file, a screen appearance file, a national language translation file, a client configuration file, and the server configuration file.

30. The computer program product as described in claim 21 wherein the disaster event is selected from the group consisting of a nonvolatile storage device failure, a deletion of one or more component files, a deletion of one or more self-contained package files, a computer system failure, a natural disaster, a fire, and a flood.