Method and apparatus for creation of customized install packages for installation of software

• US 20060123414A1
• Filed: 12/03/2004
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Van Oosten, James Lee, High, Robert Howard Jr., Kapoor, Rohit V., Fors, Tim Alan
• Granted Patent: US 10,162,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

An install factory creates install packages used to install complex applications onto multiple data processing systems in a reliable and reproducible manner. The install factory takes a variety of inputs to build a custom installation package. The custom install package may be used repeatedly for installs, using the same install package, a full install on a first data processing system, an updated install on a second data processing system, a fix or service pack on a third data processing system, and also configure an application on a fourth data processing system. Thereafter, all data processing systems have the desired level of the application installed. In addition, the install factory may create install packages that are modified in accordance with user preferences.

Claims

1. A method for creating customizable install packages, the method comprising:

obtaining an at least one asset selected from the group consisting of an existing installation, third party additions, a functional install image and a maintenance package; and

generating a build definition from the at least one asset; and

building the customizable install package from the generated build definition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining an at least one asset further comprises:

selecting definitions to be included in the customizable install package; and

specifying at least one type of a full install, maintenance install or third party additions install.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a specification of the full install further comprises:

specifying a location of an existing installation;

selecting features to be installed and default values for install time parameters; and

obtaining existing product binaries.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a specification of the maintenance install further comprises including maintenance packages for a predetermined maintenance level.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a specification of the third party additions install further comprises obtaining at least one of:

EARs and other modules to be deployed;

additional install files;

desired scripts and classes to be executed during install; and

configuration instances to be restored.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising installing the customizable install package on a target data processing system using an installer responsive to the created customizable install package.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the build definition is saved to file.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the build definition is defined using a markup language.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the selection and specification is provided by at least one of a GUI and a command line interface.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein building the customizable install package from the generated build definition is accomplished by an install generation bean.

11. A computer program product for directing a data processing system to create customizable install packages, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to obtain an at least one asset selected from the group consisting of;

an existing installation, third party additions, a functional install image and a maintenance package;

computer readable program code configured to generate a build definition from the at least one asset; and

computer readable program code configured to build the customizable install package from the generated build definition.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program code configured to obtain an at least one asset further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to select definitions to be included in the customizable install package; and

computer readable program code configured to specify at least one type of a full install, maintenance install or third party additions install.

13. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein a specification of the full install further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to specify a location of an existing installation;

computer readable program code configured to select features to be installed and default values for install time parameters; and

computer readable program code configured to obtain existing product binaries.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein a specification of the maintenance install further comprises computer readable program code configured to include maintenance packages for a predetermined maintenance level.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein a specification of the third party additions install further comprises computer readable program code configured to obtain at least one of:

EARs and other modules to be deployed;

additional install files;

desired scripts and classes to be executed during install; and

configuration instances to be restored.

16. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising computer readable program code configured to install the customizable install package on a target data processing system and responsive to the created customizable install package.

17. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising computer readable program code configured to save the build definition to a file.

18. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the build definition is defined using a markup language.

19. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the computer readable program code for the selection and the specification further comprises computer readable program code for at least one of a GUI and a command line interface.

20. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising computer readable program code configured to build the customizable install package from the generated build definition.

21. A computer program product for installing an application having an identical service level in each data processing system in a set of data processing systems, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code comprising;

first computer readable program code configured to detect the presence of an application on each data processing system;

second computer readable program code configured to perform a full install of the application on each data processing system in a first subset of data processing systems, said first subset contained in the set of data processing systems;

third computer readable program code configured to perform a first change to the application installed on each data processing system in a second subset of data processing systems, said second subset contained in the set of data processing systems; and

wherein after the first, second, and third computer readable program code have been executed, the application installed in each data processing system in the set of data processing systems has an identical service level, the service level selected from the group consisting of the version of the application, the configuration of the application, the level of maintenance of the application, and combinations thereof.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the set of data processing systems further comprises a third subset of data processing systems having a second version of the application installed, and wherein the computer program product further comprises:

fourth computer readable program code configured to perform a second change on each data processing system that has a second version of the application installed;

wherein after the first, second, third, and fourth computer readable program code have been executed, the application installed in each data processing system in the set of data processing systems has an identical service level, said service level selected from the group consisting of the version of the application, the configuration of the application, the level of maintenance of the application, and combinations thereof.

23. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the set of data processing systems further comprises a third subset of data processing systems having a second version of the application installed, and wherein the computer program product further comprises:

fourth computer readable program code configured to delete the second version of the application from each data processing system in the third subset;

fifth computer readable program code configured to install the full version of the application in each data processing system in the third subset; and

wherein after the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth computer readable program code have been executed, the application installed in each data processing system in the set of data processing systems has an identical service level, said service level selected from the group consisting of the version of the application, the configuration of the application, the level of maintenance of the application, and combinations thereof.

24. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein at least two data processing systems in the set of data processing systems are connected via a network.

25. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein a user adds additional instructions for adjusting the second and third computer readable program code.

26. A computer program product for installing a first service level of an application in a first subset of data processing systems contained in a set of data processing systems and a second service level of an application in a second subset of data processing systems contained in the set of data processing systems, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code comprising;

first computer readable program code configured to detect the presence of an application on each data processing system in the set of data processing systems;

second computer readable program code configured to perform a first type of install of the application on each data processing system in the first subset of data processing systems; and

third computer readable program code configured to perform a second type of install of the application on each data processing system in the second subset of data processing systems;

wherein, after the computer program product executes the first, second, and third computer readable program code, the first service level of the application is installed in each data processing system of the first subset of data processing systems, wherein the service level is selected from the group consisting of the version of the application, the configuration of the application, the level of maintenance of the application, and combinations thereof; and

wherein, after the computer program product executes the first, second, and third computer readable program code, the second service level of the application is installed in each data processing system of the second subset of data processing systems; and

wherein the first and second service levels are selected from the group consisting of the version of the application, the configuration of the application, the level of maintenance of the application, and combinations thereof.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the first service level of the application is a full installation of the application and the second service level of the application is a partial installation of the application.

28. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the set of data processing systems further comprises a third subset of data processing systems, and wherein the computer program product further comprises:

fourth computer readable program code configured to perform a third type of install of the application on each data processing system in the third subset of data processing systems;

wherein, after the computer program product executes the first, second, third, and fourth computer readable program code, the second service level of the application is installed in each data processing system of the second subset of data processing systems, and the third service level of the application is installed in each data processing system of the third subset of data processing systems; and

wherein the first, second, and third service levels are selected from the group consisting of the version of the application, the configuration of the application, the level of maintenance of the application, and combinations thereof.

29. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein at least two data processing systems in the set of data processing systems are connected via a network.

30. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein a user adds additional instructions for adjusting the second and third computer readable program code.

31. A method of installing a same service level of an application in each data processing system in a set of data processing systems, the method comprising:

detecting the presence of a service level of the application on each data processing system in the set of data processing systems;

installing a full version of the application on each data processing system having an absence of a version of the application installed;

installing an updated version of the application on each data processing system having a first version of the application installed;

wherein a same service level of the application is installed on each data processing system after installing the full version and installing the updated version have been performed;

wherein the service level is selected from the group consisting of a version of the application, a configuration of the application, a level of maintenance of the application, and combinations thereof.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein detecting the presence of a service level of the application on each data processing system in the set of data processing systems, installing a full version of the application on each data processing system having an absence of the version of the application installed, and installing an updated version of the application on each data processing system having a first version of the application installed are performed by a single computer program.

33. The method of claim 31 further comprising adjusting installing a full version of the application on each data processing system having an absence of the version of the application installed and installing an updated version of the application on each data processing system having a first version of the application installed according to user defined parameters.

34. The method of claim 31 further comprising connecting at least two of the data processing systems via a network.