Method and System for Performing Inventory Scan

• US 20080168459A1
• Filed: 12/13/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: MacLellan, Scot, Benedetti, Fabio, Vitaletti, Marcello, Wagner, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,739,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/503 Resource availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine

Abstract

A method of performing an inventory scan of target data processing systems (115) for ascertaining the presence therein of prerequisite resources, wherein the prerequisite resources are resources necessary for the execution, by the target data processing systems, of predetermined activities. The method comprising: upon sending (525) to a target data processing system a request of performing an selected activity of the predetermined activities, associating (515,520) to the request at least one signature of at least one prerequisite resource different from the prerequisite resources required for performing the selected activity, wherein the signature includes information allowing the target data processing system locating where the prerequisite resource is to be searched. Upon receiving from the target data processing system a result of the search of the prerequisite resource, updating (560) information of presence of the prerequisite resource in the target data processing system.

Claims

1. A method of performing an inventory scan of target data processing systems for ascertaining the presence therein of prerequisite resources, wherein said prerequisite resources are resources necessary for the execution, by the target data processing systems, of predetermined activities, the method comprising:

upon sending to a target data processing system a request of performing a selected activity of said predetermined activities, associating to the request at least one signature of at least one prerequisite resource different from the prerequisite resources required for performing the selected activity, wherein said signature includes information allowing the target data processing system to locate where the prerequisite resource is to be searched; and

upon receiving from a target data processing system a result of the search of the prerequisite resource, updating information of presence of the prerequisite resource in the target data processing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one prerequisite resource is a software resource, and said at least one signature comprises at least one of a name of at least one file related to the software resource or at least one file size of said at least one file.

3. The method of claim 12, wherein said indications of a folder include a relative path of a folder in a file system of the target data processing system where the file related to the software resource is to be searched, and data adapted to enable the target data processing system to obtain a base path.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one file related to the software resource is a file containing an executable code of a software application of the software resource.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one file related to the software resource is a file containing a dynamic library required by the software resource.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one size includes at least two file sizes, each file size corresponding to a respective release of a software application of the software resource.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one signature of at least one prerequisite resource which is associated to the request sent to the target data processing system is selected from a list of signatures.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selection of said at least one signature of at least one prerequisite resource from said list of signatures is made based on a less recently ascertained presence criterion.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said activity is a job to be executed by the target data processing system.

10. A system comprising means adapted to carry out the steps of the method according to claim 1.

11. A computer program comprising instructions for carrying out the steps of the method according to claim 1 when said computer program is executed on a computer.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein said information allowing the target data processing system to locate where the prerequisite resource is to be searched comprises indications of a folder in a file system of the target data processing system where the file related to the software resource is to be searched.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to perform an inventory scan method on at least one target data processing system for ascertaining the presence therein of one or more prerequisite resources, wherein the one or more prerequisite resources are resources necessary for execution, by the target data processing system, of predetermined activities, the method comprising:

sending, to a target data processing system, a request of performing a selected activity of the predetermined activities;

associating, with the request, at least one signature of at least one prerequisite resource different from the prerequisite resources required for performing the selected activity, wherein the signature includes information used by the target data processing system to locate where the prerequisite resource is to be searched;

receiving, from the target data processing system, a result of the search of the prerequisite resource; and

updating information indicating presence or non-presence of the prerequisite resource in the target data processing system.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein said at least one prerequisite resource is a software resource, and said at least one signature comprises at least one of a name of at least one file related to the software resource or at least one file size of said at least one file.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the information used by the target data processing system to locate where the prerequisite resource is to be searched comprises indications of a folder in a file system of the target data processing system where the file related to the software resource is to be searched.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the indications of a folder include a relative path of a folder in a file system of the target data processing system where the file related to the software resource is to be searched, and data adapted to enable the target data processing system to obtain a base path.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the at least one file related to the software resource is one of a file containing an executable code of a software application of the software resource and a file containing a dynamic library required by the software resource.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the at least one size includes at least two file sizes, each file size corresponding to a respective release of a software application of the software resource.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the at least one signature is selected from a list of signature based on a less recently ascertained presence criterion.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

send, to a target data processing system, a request of performing a selected activity from a set of predetermined activities;

associate, with the request, at least one signature of at least one prerequisite resource different from prerequisite resources required for performing the selected activity, wherein the signature includes information used by the target data processing system to locate where the prerequisite resource is to be searched;

receive, from the target data processing system, a result of the search of the prerequisite resource; and

update information indicating presence or non-presence of the prerequisite resource in the target data processing system.