Method of building dynamic installation packages using a declarative authoring tool

• US 20050055692A1
• Filed: 04/29/2004
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pichetti, Luigi, Lupini, Francesco, Secomandi, Antonio
• Granted Patent: US 7,503,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

A method (300) of building a package for installing a software application on a data processing system with a distributed architecture is proposed. The installation package is built using an authoring tool based on a declarative model. In the proposed method, a descriptor is used to define (309) a desired configuration of the system (specifying the software products to be installed for each role that can be played by the different target computers of the system). The installation package is build declaring a discoverer element (312), a producer element (315) and a consumer element (318) into the wizard tree (while the product tree is left empty). During the installation process, the discoverer element detects (330-332) a current configuration of the system (including the role assigned to each target computer). The producer creates (337-351) a working queue dynamically, inserting the installation operations that are needed for reaching the desired configuration from the current configuration of the system. The producer then executes (357-372) the installation operations defined in the working queue. In this way, the installation operations are determined at runtime (according to the actual structure of the system wherein the software application must be installed).

Claims

1-13. -13. cancelled

14. A method of installing a software application on a data processing system according to installation elements being previously declared, the method including the steps of:

a discoverer element detecting a current configuration of the system,

a producer element creating a working structure dynamically, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching a target configuring defined in a specification element from the current configuration, and

a consumer element executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the system includes a plurality of processing entities each one associated with at least one of a plurality of predefined roles and wherein the target configuration of the system includes a target configuration for each role, the step of detecting the current configuration of the system including:

detecting the at least one role of each entity.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the target configuration for each role includes the definition of at least one software product to be installed, the definition of each software product including an indication of first installation operations for installing the software product when a previous version of the software product is already installed and an indication of second installation operations for installing the software product otherwise, and wherein the step of detecting the current configuration of the system includes:

detecting the software products installed on each entity.

17. The method according to claim 14, further including the step of:

a console element interactively controlling execution of the installation operations indicated in the working structure.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of controlling execution of the installation operations includes:

storing an indication of each installation operation failed during the installation process, and

repeating the execution of each failed installation operation.

19. The method according to claim 14, further including the step of:

entering at least one input parameter for the creation of the working structure, each input parameter being entered by means of a panel element or being entered by means of a dynamic panel generated by the producer otherwise.

20. A computer program, directly loadable into a working memory of a data processing system, for performing a method of installing a software application on the data processing system according to installation elements being previously declared when the program is run on the system, the method including the steps of:

a discoverer element detecting a current configuration of the system,

a producer element creating a working structure dynamically, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching a target configuring defined in a specification element from the current configuration, and

a consumer element executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure.

21. A program product comprising a computer readable medium on which a program is stored, the program being directly loadable into a working memory of a data processing system for performing a method of installing a software application on the data processing system according to installation elements being previously declared when the program is run on the system, wherein the method includes the steps of:

a discoverer element detecting a current configuration of the system,

a producer element creating a working structure dynamically, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching a target configuring defined in a specification element from the current configuration, and

a consumer element executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure.

22. A package including a computer program, directly loadable into a working memory of a data processing system, for performing a method of installing a software application on the data processing system according to installation elements being previously declared when the program is run on the system, the method including the steps of:

a discoverer element detecting a current configuration of the system,

a producer element creating a working structure dynamically, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching a target configuring defined in a specification element from the current configuration, and

a consumer element executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure.

23. An installation product comprising a computer readable medium on which a package is stored, the package including a computer program directly loadable into a working memory of a data processing system for performing a method of installing a software application on the data processing system according to installation elements being previously declared when the program is run on the system, the method including the steps of:

a discoverer element detecting a current configuration of the system,

a producer element creating a working structure dynamically, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching a target configuring defined in a specification element from the current configuration, and

a consumer element executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure.

24. An apparatus for installing a software application on a data processing system according to installation elements being previously declared, the apparatus including a specification element for defining a target configuration of the system, a discoverer element for detecting a current configuration of the system, a producer element for creating a working structure dynamically, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching the target configuring from the current configuration, and a consumer element for executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the system has a distributed architecture with a plurality of computers, the apparatus being provided on one of the computers.

26. A method of building a package for installing a software application on a data processing system, the package being built using a tool based on a declarative model requiring the declaration of installation elements to be embedded in the package for use during an installation process, wherein the method includes the steps of:

declaring a specification element defining a target configuration of the system,

declaring a discoverer element for detecting a current configuration of the system during the installation process,

declaring a producer element for creating a working structure dynamically during the installation process, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching the target configuring from the current configuration,

declaring a consumer element for executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure during the installation process, and

embedding the declared elements into the package.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the system includes a plurality of processing entities each one associated with at least one of a plurality of predefined roles, the target configuration of the system including a target configuration for each role and the current configuration including the at least one role of each entity.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the target configuration for each role includes the definition of at least one software product to be installed, the definition of each software product including an indication of first installation operations for installing the software product when a previous version of the software product is already installed and an indication of second installation operations for installing the software product otherwise, and wherein the current configuration of the system includes an indication of the software products installed on each entity.

29. The method according to claim 27, further including the step of:

declaring a console element for interactively controlling execution of the installation operations indicated in the working structure during the installation process.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the console element is suitable to store an indication of each installation operation failed during the installation process and to repeat the execution of each failed installation operation.

31. The method according to claim 26, wherein the installation process requires entering at least one input parameter for the creation of the working structure, each input parameter being entered by means of a panel element declared during the building of the package or being entered by means of a dynamic panel generated by the producer during the installation process otherwise.

32. The method according to claim 26, wherein the tool is based on a definition structure for defining the installation operations and an execution structure for executing the installation operations, each step of declaring including inserting the corresponding element into the definition structure.

33. A package for installing a software application on a data processing system, the package being built using a tool based on a declarative model requiring the declaration of installation elements to be embedded in the package for use during an installation process, wherein the package embeds a specification element defining a target configuration of the system, a discoverer element for detecting a current configuration of the system during the installation process, a producer element for creating a working structure dynamically during the installation process, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching the target configuring from the current configuration, and a consumer element for executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure during the installation process.

34. An installation product comprising a computer readable medium on which a package for installing a software application on a data processing system is stored, the package being built using a tool based on a declarative model requiring the declaration of installation elements to be embedded in the package for use during an installation process, wherein the package embeds a specification element defining a target configuration of the system, a discoverer element for detecting a current configuration of the system during the installation process, a producer element for creating a working structure dynamically during the installation process, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching the target configuring from the current configuration, and a consumer element for executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure during the installation process.

35. An apparatus for building a package for installing a software application on a data processing system, the apparatus including a tool based on a declarative model requiring the declaration of elements to be embedded in the package for use during an installation process, a specification element defining a target configuration of the system, a discoverer element for detecting a current configuration of the system during the installation process, a producer element for creating a working structure dynamically during the installation process, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching the target configuring from the current configuration, and a consumer element for executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure during the installation process, wherein the tool includes means for declaring the specification element, the discoverer element, the producer element and the consumer element, and means for embedding the declared elements into the package.

36. An apparatus for building a package for installing a software application on a data processing system, the apparatus including a tool based on a declarative model requiring the declaration of elements to be embedded in the package for use during an installation process, a specification element defining a target configuration of the system, a discoverer element for detecting a current configuration of the system during the installation process, a producer element for creating a working structure dynamically during the installation process, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching the target configuring from the current configuration, and a consumer element for executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure during the installation process, wherein the tool includes a first section for declaring the specification element, the discoverer element, the producer element and the consumer element, and a second section for embedding the declared elements into the package.

37. A method of installing a software application on a data processing system using a package being built using a tool based on a declarative model requiring the declaration of installation elements to be embedded in the package for use during an installation process, wherein the package includes a specification element defining a target configuration of the system, a discoverer element, a producer element and a consumer element, the method including the steps of:

the discoverer element detecting a current configuration of the system,

the producer element creating a working structure dynamically, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching the target configuring from the current configuration, and

the consumer element executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure during the installation process.