System and method for installing a software application

• US 20060123413A1
• Filed: 11/28/2005
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Truntschka, Carole, Collet, Jean-Luc, Coulomb, Beatrice, Martin, Sophie
• Application Number:
  US11/287,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20060123413A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A method is provided for detecting and storing all the actions performed, and modifications made to the Windows Registry and file system of a first computer, during the installation of a software application thereon. The data are collated into a single package for subsequent export to a second computer. On receipt of the package by the second computer the process of installing the software application is re-enacted on the second computer using the data stored in the package.

Claims

1. A method of installing a software application on a recipient computer comprising the steps of:

(a) using an installation program to install the software application onto a donor computer;

(b) detecting one or more changes made to a registry of the donor computer during the installation of the software application thereon;

(c) detecting one or more changes made to a file system of the donor computer during the installation of the software application thereon;

(d) storing in a list, the changes made to the registry and the file system of the donor computer;

(e) removing from the list, one or more system variables that are specific to the donor computer;

(f) transmitting the list to the recipient computer;

(g) changing a registry of the recipient computer in accordance with the changes made to the donor computer'"'"'s registry and stored in the list; and

(h) changing a file system of the recipient computer in accordance with the changes made to the donor computer'"'"'s file system and stored in the list.

2. A method of installing a software application to a recipient computer as claimed in claim 1 comprising the further step (d1) of storing in the list one or more files added to the donor computer'"'"'s file system.

3. A method of installing a software application to a recipient computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein one or more system variables that are specific to the donor computer are replaced in the list in step (e) with variables that are not specific to a particular computer.

4. A method of installing a software application to a recipient computer as claimed in claim 1 comprising the further step (d2) of storing in the list, a license number of the software application.

5. A method of installing a software application to a recipient computer as claimed in claim 1 comprising the further step (d3) of storing in the list, a license number of an installation manager of the software application.

6. A method of installing a software application to a recipient computer as claimed in claim 1 comprising the further step (d4) of storing in the list, files related to the software application.

7. A method of installing a software application to a recipient computer as claimed in claim 6 wherein the files related to the software application include library files, executable files and data files.

8. A system comprising means adapted for carrying out each step of the method according to claim 1.

9. A networked system comprising a shared file system resource and a plurality of computers connected thereto wherein the networked system comprises means adapted for carrying out each step of the method according to claim 1 and wherein the shared file system resource is the donor computer and the plurality of computers connected thereto are recipient computers.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the donor and recipient computers employ the same version of the same operating system.

11. A computer program product stored on a medium readable by a computer machine, the computer program product tangibly embodying readable program means for causing the computer machine to perform the method according to claim 1.

12. A computer program product as claimed in claim 11 wherein the process of detecting changes made to the registry and the file system of the donor machine is performed by a spying daemon operating through a Win32 API.