Computer system for deploying software on multiple computers

• US 20060195839A1
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hughes, Troy W., Lin, YiCheng Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/068,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195839A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

A method for deploying operation systems on multiple test computers is provided. A user interface also provides unified management of the multiple computers. A custom bootable removable media, such as a compact disc, is loaded on or is otherwise associated with each of the multiple computers. The computers are connected, for example, by a network, to a database and a test lab manager. The custom bootable removable media includes a build script. A user computer provides settings to the build script, for example by a template and via the server. The build script utilizes the settings to configure a disc for each of the client computers, and then installs an operating system on the disc in accordance with the settings.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a computer; and

a removable computer media installed on the computer and having computer-executable components thereon, comprising;

an operating system component comprising a bootable portion configured to boot the computer; and

an installation component configured to, responsive to receiving an installation request from a remote computer, install an operating system on the computer.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the removable computer medium comprises a CD-ROM.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the removable computer medium comprises a member of the set of a flash memory card, a digital versatile disc, and a digital video tape.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the installation component further comprises a configuration component for configuring hardware on the computer prior to installing the operating system.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the configuration component is configured to format a hard drive on the computer.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the configuration component is configured to partition a hard disk on the computer.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the removable computer media includes further computer-executable components comprising a registration component that is configured to register the computer with a test management system, and wherein the installation request is received from a user of the test management system.

8. A computer system, comprising:

a test management component; and

a plurality of test computers, each computer having installed thereon a removable computer media having computer-executable components thereon, the components comprising;

an operating system component comprising a bootable portion configured to boot the computer; and

an installation component configured to, responsive to receiving an installation request from the test management component, install an operating system on the computer.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the removable computer medium comprises a CD-ROM.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the installation component further comprises a configuration component for configuring hardware on the computer prior to installing the operating system.

11. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the configuration component is configured to format a hard drive on the computer, partition a hard disk on the computer, and subsets thereof.

12. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the removable computer media includes further computer-executable components comprising a registration component that is configured to register the computer with the test management system.

13. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising a user interface through which a user may provide configuration settings to the installation component for each of the computers.

14. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising a user interface through which a user may provide a request to the installation component, after the operating system has been installed, to clean install an operating system on one or more of the plurality of computers.

15. A method of remotely installing an operating system on a plurality of computers, comprising:

installing a removable computer media having computer-executable components thereon, the components comprising;

an operating system component comprising a bootable portion configured to boot the computer; and

an installation component configured to, responsive to receiving an installation request from the test management component, install an operating system on the computer;

requesting, via a remote call, a batch install of the operating system on each of the plurality of computers; and

responsive to the remote call, the installation component installing the operating system on each of the plurality of computers.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, prior to installing the operating system, requesting via a second remote call, configuration of each of the plurality of computers, and responsive to the second remote call, configuring hardware on each of the computers.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the remote call and the second remote call are made together via a user interface.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein configuring hardware comprises partitioning a hard disk, formatting a partition, and subsets thereof.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising, prior to requesting the remote call, registering each of the plurality of computers with a management system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein registering occurs as a consequence of installing the removable computer media.