FILTERING A LIST OF AVAILABLE INSTALL ITEMS FOR AN INSTALL PROGRAM BASED ON A CONSUMER'S INSTALL POLICY

• US 20080028389A1
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: TESAURO, JAMES S., GENTY, DENISE M., GUNNING, MARK B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,748,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

An install program is enabled for a user to configure at least one location of at least one policy system that is to be accessed via a network to gather at least one install policy, where the install policy specifies a policy for filtering out a selection of install items from among multiple items installable by the install program. In addition, the install program retrieves the install policy from each accessed location when filtering a list of the items installable by the install program to only include a particular selection of install items for the client system as directed by accessed install policies.

Claims

1. A method for filtering a selection of install items from among a plurality of items installable by an install program, comprising:

enabling, in an install program, a user to configure at least one location of at least one policy system that is to be accessed to gather at least one install policy to a client system, wherein said at least one install policy specifies a policy for filtering out a selection of install items from among a plurality of items installable by said install program; and

retrieving, by said install program, said at least one install policy from said at least one location when filtering a list of said plurality of items installable by said install program to only comprise a particular selection of install items for said client system as directed by said at least one install policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of items installable by said install program comprise a plurality of patches to one or more applications.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a list of already installed items at said particular client system; and

filtering said list of said plurality of items installable by said install program to remove said list of already installed items; and

filtering said filtered list of said plurality of items installable by said install program to comprise said particular selection of install items for said client system as directed by said at least one install policy.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to accessing a plurality of separate install policies from a plurality of separate locations, combining said plurality of install policies into a combined install policy according to at least one precedence rule.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically triggering said install program to install said particular selection of install items at said client system as directed by said at least one install policy.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting said user with a selectable list of said particular selection of install items and a selectable option to trigger installation within a display area;

responsive to a user selection of only a second selection of said particular selection of install items and a user selection of said selectable option to trigger installation, triggering said install program to install only said second selection of said particular selection of install items; and

responsive to a user selection of said selectable option to trigger installation, triggering said install program to install said particular selection of install items.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, within a graphical user interface, an option for a user to select to configure said at least one location of said at least one install policy; and

responsive to a user selection of said at least one location of said at least one install policy within said graphical user interface, automatically configuring said at least one location of said at least one install policy in said install program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a software provider provides said install program for applying patches to at least one application provided by said software provider and said user is a customer with said at least one application already installed on said client system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

distributing said install program across a plurality of systems comprising said client system and a provider server system; and

at said provider server system, accessing said user configuration of said at least one location of said install policy, retrieving said at least one install policy from said at least one location, and filtering said list of said plurality of install items according to said at least one install policy to create said particular selection of install items; and

at said client system, installing said particular selection of install items.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one install policy comprises at least one rule for at least one install item indicating at least one of automatically installing said at least one install item, disallowing installation of said at least one install item, and a priority level for said at least one install item.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one install policy comprises at least one rule for combining said at least one install policy with another install policy.

12. A method for controlling an installation of a selection of install items from among a plurality of items installable by an install program, comprising:

retrieving, by an install program, a first list of at least one server accessible via a network that facilitates access to at least one install policy;

retrieving, by said install program, a separate install policy from each said server in said first list;

combining, by said install program, each separate install policy into a combined install policy according to at least one selection of precedence rules;

filtering, by said install program, a list of a plurality of install items installable by said install program to determine a particular selection of install items as directed by said combined install policy;

presenting, by said install program, said user with said particular selection of install items for selection by said user for directing said install program which of said plurality of items to install at a particular client system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

filtering, by said install program, said particular selection of install items to remove any of said install items already installed at said particular client system.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein combining, by said install program, each separate install policy into a combined install policy according to at least one selection of precedence rules, further comprises:

detecting said at least one selection of precedence rules designating a prioritization for selecting from among at least one rule assigned to each install item within each separate install policy, wherein each said at least one rule for each install item specifies at least one of automatically installing said at least one install item, disallowing installation of said at least one install item, and a priority level for said at least one install item; and

selecting, for each said install item, a particular rule within a highest priority from among each separate rule assigned to each install item.

15. A system for managing the filtering of a selection of install items from among a plurality of items installable by an install controller, comprising:

at least one computer system enabled to communicatively connect to at least one other computer system over a network;

an install update controller distributed across said at least one computer system, wherein said install update controller is enabled to direct an install controller to install a particular selection of install items from among a plurality of items installable by said install controller;

said install update controller comprising means for enabling a user to configure at least one location of at least one other system that is to be accessed to gather at least one install policy, wherein said at least one install policy specifies a policy for filtering items out of said plurality of items installable by said install controller, wherein said at least one install policy specifies filtering policies separate from a second policy set by a provider of said install update controller; and

said install update controller comprising means for retrieving said at least one install policy from said at least one location when filtering a list of said plurality of items installable by said install program to only comprise said particular selection of install items as directed by said at least one install policy.

16. The system of claim 15, said install update controller further comprising means, responsive to accessing a plurality of separate install policies from a plurality of separate locations, for combining said plurality of install policies into a combined install policy according to at least one precedence rule.

17. The system of claim 15, said install update controller further comprising means for automatically triggering said install controller to install said particular selection of install items at a client system accessible via said network as directed by said at least one install policy.

18. The system of claim 15, said install update controller further comprising:

means for directing display, within a graphical user interface accessible to said user, an option for said user to select to configure said at least one location of said at least one install policy; and

means, responsive to a selection by said user of said at least one location of said at least one install policy within said graphical user interface, for automatically configuring said at least one location of said at least one install policy in said install program.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein said at least one install policy comprises at least one rule for at least one install item indicating at least one of automatically installing said at least one install item, disallowing installation of said at least one install item, and a priority level for said at least one install item.

20. A system for controlling access by an install program to at least one separate install policy, comprising:

a policy server communicatively connected over a network to a plurality of client systems within a network environment, said policy server comprising a plurality of separate install policies for distribution to separate install programs associated with said plurality of client systems, wherein each said separate install program is configurable by a user to a location of an install policy for filtering a list of installable items by each said separate install program;

said policy server comprising a hierarchical mapping of said plurality of client systems, wherein each of said plurality of client systems is mapped to one of a plurality of hierarchical levels within said network environment;

said policy server comprising a listing of at least one separate install policy from among said plurality of separate install policies associated with each of said plurality of hierarchical levels; and

said policy server, responsive to receiving a request for at least one install policy by a particular install program associated with a particular client system from among said plurality of client systems, for determining a particular hierarchical level of said particular client system within said hierarchical mapping, for accessing a selection of at least one separate install policy associated with said particular hierarchal level according to said listing, and for delivering said selection of at least one separate install policy to said install program.