Technical support for software products

• US 20040153764A1
• Filed: 12/09/2002
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paradkar, Mahesh S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,165,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring

Abstract

A computer software program is used to capture configuration values of predetermined parameters of vendor software and an operating system on which the vendor software is installed. Configuration values of predetermined parameters can be collected from more than one computer in a networked environment. A collated report of configuration values from the customer computer systems is sent to the vendor for diagnosis of the technical problem experienced by the customer.

Claims

1. A method of recording configuration parameters of operating system software and application software installed on computer systems, the method comprising the steps of:

(i) generating, for a first computer system, a record of configuration values of predetermined parameters relating to said application software installed on said first computer system, and operating system software on which said application software is installed;

(ii) generating, for at least one further computer system operatively connected to said first computer system, a record of configuration values of predetermined parameters relating to said application software installed on said first computer system, and operating system software on which said application software is installed;

(iii) transmitting said record of said configuration values recorded in step (ii) from said at least one further computer system to said first computer system; and

(iv) transmitting said records of configuration values relating to said first computer system and said at lease one further computer system from said first computer system.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

transmitting a computer software program to a first customer computer system for initiating execution of steps (i) to (iv).

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said computer software program can execute on any operating system software on which said application software can be installed.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said computer software program records parameters of the operating system software on which said application software is installed.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said computer software program records configuration parameters of each installed version of said application software.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said records are transmitted to a customer support person by electronic mail.

7. A computer software program for recording configuration parameters of operating system software and application software installed on computer systems, the computer software program comprising:

a database for storing configuration parameters of said application software and said operating system software on which said application software is installed;

code means for recording values of configuration parameters of said application software and said operating system software;

code means for collecting said recorded values of said configuration parameters from multiple computer systems; and

code means for transmitting said collated configuration values from said multiple computer systems for analysis of said recorded values.

8. The computer software program as claimed in claim 7, wherein said computer software program can execute on any operating system software on which said application software can be installed.

9. The computer software program as claimed in claim 7, wherein said computer software program records parameters of the operating system software on which said application software is installed.

10. The computer software program as claimed in claim 7, wherein said computer software program records configuration parameters of each installed version of said application software.

11. The computer software program as claimed in claim 7, wherein said records are transmitted to a customer support person by electronic mail.

12. A computer system having installed thereon the computer software program of claim 7.

13. A method of maintaining a computer software program for recording configuration parameters of operating system software and application software installed on a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining a table of parameters of operating system software and application software, and configuration values of said parameters required to ensure operation of said application software on said operating system software;

analysing a new release of said application software or operating system software on which said application software operates;

determining whether said new release necessitates a change of any of said parameters or configuration values of said application software or said operating system said to ensure operation of said new release; and

recording any appropriate additions, deletions or modifications of said parameters or configuration values in said table.