Method and apparatus for simplifying the deployment and serviceability of commercial software environments

• US 20060047974A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mummert, Todd W., Alpern, Bowen L., Bala, Vasanth, Auerbach, Joshua S., George, Jobi, Pigott, Michael A., Frauenhofer, Thomas V.
• Granted Patent: US 7,506,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A method for executing on a first computer an application having an installed image prepared on a second computer, wherein the installed image is virtually installed on the first computer, is disclosed. The method includes emulating on the first computer a native environment of the second computer. The method further includes detecting an operation of the application upon data, wherein the operation requires an operation on data located on the first computer, and wherein a copy of the data is located in the virtually installed image. The method further includes directing the operation of the application to operate on the data located in the virtually installed image.

Claims

1-35. -35. (canceled)

36. A method for executing on a first computer an application having an installed image prepared on a second computer, wherein the installed image is virtually installed on the first computer and wherein the installed image does not include the operating system of the second computer, the method comprising:

emulating on the first computer a part of an environment native to the second computer;

detecting a request by the application for program data located in the second computer, wherein a copy of the program data is located in the virtually installed image on the first computer; and

directing the application to operate on the copy of the program data located in the virtually installed image on the first computer.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the step of detecting further comprises:

detecting a request by the application for program data located in the second computer, wherein a copy of the program data located in the virtually installed image includes any one of executable files, dynamically linked libraries, code files, configuration files, other data files, components of archival files, directories, registry entries and environment variables of the virtually installed image.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein a code file includes a Java class file.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein a component of an archival file includes any one of a zip file entry and a Jar file entry.

40. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

detecting a request by the application for program data located in the second computer, wherein a copy of the program data is not located in the virtually installed image but is located elsewhere on the first computer; and

directing the application to operate on the program data located in the first computer.

41. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

detecting a request by the application for program data located in the second computer, wherein a copy of the program data is located in the virtually installed image but is not located on the first computer;

receiving a copy of the program data and storing it in the virtually installed image on the first computer; and

directing the application to operate on the copy of the program data located in the first computer.

42. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

detecting a request by the application to modify program data located in the second computer, wherein a copy of the program data is located in the virtually installed image on the first computer and wherein the first computer creates a second copy of the program data; and

directing the application to operate on the second copy of the program data on the first computer.

43. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

detecting a request by the application for program data located in the second computer, wherein a copy of the program data is located in the virtually installed image on the first computer and wherein a second copy of the program data exists on the first computer; and

directing the application to operate on the second copy of the program data on the first computer.

44. The method of claim 36, wherein the element of emulating further comprises:

emulating on the first computer a platform native to the second computer.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the element of emulating further comprises:

emulating on the first computer a virtual machine of the application.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the element of emulating further comprises:

emulating on the first computer other applications interacting with the application.

47. A method for indexing software asset information, the method comprising:

dividing a software asset into one or more components;

storing the components;

storing a plurality of symbols associated with the components, wherein each symbol includes a reference to at least one component;

determining whether any two or more of the components that were stored are identical to each other; and

modifying references of symbols corresponding to components that are identical, such that symbols corresponding to components that are identical reference one instance of the component.

48. The method of claim 47, the method further comprising:

determining whether any two or more of the components that were stored are functionally equivalent to each other; and

modifying references of symbols corresponding to components that are functionally equivalent, such that symbols corresponding to components that are functionally equivalent reference one instance of the component.

49. The method of claim 47, the method further comprising:

executing the software asset by referencing some subset of the plurality of symbols.

50. The method of claim 47, the method further comprising:

obtaining from another computer a component of the software asset when a request for the component is detected.

51. The method of claim 47, the method further comprising:

obtaining from another computer a component of the software asset before a request for the component is detected.

52. The method of claim 47, wherein the element of dividing further comprises:

dividing a software asset into one or more components, wherein each component is a shard.

53. The method of claim 47, the method further comprising:

generating a signature for each of the components, based on content of each component.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the element of generating comprises:

generating a hash signature for each of the components, based on content of each component.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the element of generating comprises:

generating a cryptographically secure hash signature for each of the components, based on content of each component.

56. The method of claim 53, the method further comprising:

generating a unique identifier for the software asset, wherein the unique identifier is based upon the signatures of each component of the software asset.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the element of generating a unique identifier comprises:

storing the plurality of symbols in a manifest; and

generating a signature for the manifest, wherein the signature is based on content of the manifest.

58. The method of claim 56, the method further comprising:

associating support information with each unique identifier.

59. A method for indexing software asset information for a plurality of software assets, the method comprising:

dividing the plurality of software assets into one or more components;

storing the components;

storing a plurality of symbols associated with the components, wherein each symbol includes a reference to at least one component;

determining whether any two or more of the components that were stored are identical to each other; and

modifying references of symbols corresponding to components that are identical, such that symbols corresponding to components that are identical reference one instance of the component.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the element of dividing further comprises:

dividing the plurality of software assets into one or more components, wherein each component is a shard.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the element of storing the components further comprises:

storing a plurality of symbols associated with the components, wherein each symbol includes a reference to at least one component and wherein at least one component corresponds to at least one function call of a software asset.

62. The method of claim 59, the method further comprising:

generating a hash signature for each of the components, based on content of each component.

63. The method of claim 62, the method further comprising:

generating a unique identifier for the plurality of software assets, wherein the unique identifier references the hash signatures of each component of the plurality of software assets.

64. The method of claim 63, the method further comprising:

associating support information with each unique identifier.

65. The method of claim 63, the method further comprising:

storing the plurality of symbols in a manifest; and

generating a hash signature for the manifest, wherein the hash signature is based on content of the manifest.

66. A method for remotely interacting with an application executing on a first computer, wherein the application includes an installed image prepared on a second computer, the installed image is virtually installed on the first computer, the method comprising:

emulating on the first computer a part of an environment native to the second computer;

providing a network interface on the first computer for allowing a second application to interact with the emulating element; and

receiving data via the network interface from the second application for directing operation of the emulating element.

67. The method of claim 66, further comprising:

sending diagnostic data regarding the emulating element to the second application via the network interface.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein the element of receiving further comprises:

receiving troubleshooting data from the second application for directing operation of the emulating element.