MULTI-COMPONENT SOFTWARE APPLICATION INSTALLATION FACILITY

• US 20090282402A1
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Noioso, Mario, Marra, Massimo, Mariani, Gianluca, Trovato, Ignazio, Pinelo, Martha, De Ingeniis, Claudio, Allocca, Danilo, Rossi, Riccardo, Seghetti, Gianluca, Marella, Pietro
• Granted Patent: US 8,813,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A method is presented for installing a software application on a data processing system that may include multiple data processing entities. The software application may include multiple components for installation on one or more of the entities. The method may include providing input information for each of the components designated for installation. Each component may then be installed according to its corresponding input information, and output information corresponding to each component may be generated. This output information may be provided to one or more data processing entities identified for installation of a subsequent component. The input information corresponding to the subsequent component may be at least partially determined from this output information.

Claims

1. A method for installing a software application on a data processing system comprising a plurality of data processing entities, the application including a plurality of components for installation on at least one of the data processing entities, the method comprising:

providing input information corresponding to each of the components designated for installation;

installing each of the components according to its corresponding input information;

generating, upon installation, output information corresponding to each of the components;

providing the output information to at least one data processing entity identified for installation of at least one subsequent component; and

determining, from the output information, at least a portion of the input information corresponding to the at least one subsequent component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the output information and the input information comprises global status information indicating a current status of the installation of the application.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising enabling installation of the at least one subsequent component according to the global status information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the output information and the input information comprises global configuration information for configuring a plurality of the components.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein installing each of the components further comprises configuring the at least one subsequent component according to the global configuration information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the output information further comprises:

storing the output information on a local memory device; and

copying the output information from the local memory device to the at least one data processing entity identified for installation of the at least one subsequent component.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein copying the output information from the local memory device further comprises:

moving the output information from the local memory device to a removable memory device; and

loading the output information from the removable memory device onto the at least one data processing entity identified for installation of the at least one subsequent component.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the output information further comprises:

storing first output information corresponding to a first component on a global memory device of a first data processing entity;

downloading the first output information to a second data processing entity identified for installation of a next component;

uploading, from the second data processing entity to the first data processing entity, second output information corresponding to the next component upon installation of the next component; and

updating the global memory device with the second output information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein downloading the first output information further comprises entering an identifier for the first data processing entity onto the second data processing entity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the output information further comprises:

displaying an activation code indicating output information corresponding to a component; and

entering the activation code into a data processing entity identified for installation of a subsequent component.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing output information of a last component of an application to a first component of a next instance of the application.

12. A computer program product for installing a software application on a data processing system comprising a plurality of data processing entities, the application including a plurality of components for installation on at least one of the entities, the computer program product comprising:

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

computer-usable program code for providing input information corresponding to each of the components for installation;

computer-usable program code for installing each of the components according to its corresponding input information;

computer-usable program code for generating, upon installation, output information corresponding to each of the components;

computer-usable program code for providing the output information to at least one data processing entity identified for installation of at least one subsequent component; and

determining, from the output information, at least a portion of the input information corresponding to the at least one subsequent component.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein at least one of the output information and the input information comprises global status information indicating a current status of the installation of the application.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer-usable program code for enabling installation of the at least one subsequent component according to the global status information.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein at least one of the output information and the input information comprises global configuration information for configuring a plurality of the components.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer-usable program code for installing each of the components further comprises computer-usable program code for configuring the at least one subsequent component according to the global configuration information.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer-usable program code for providing the output information further comprises:

computer-usable program code for storing the output information on a local memory device; and

computer-usable program code for copying the output information from the local memory device to the at least one data processing entity identified for installation of the at least one subsequent component.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer-usable program code for copying the output information from the local memory device further comprises:

computer-usable program code for moving the output information from the local memory device to a removable memory device; and

computer-usable program code for loading the output information from the removable memory device onto the at least one data processing entity identified for installation of the at least one subsequent component.

19. A system for installing a software application on a data processing system including a plurality of data processing entities, the application including a plurality of components for installation on at least one of the data processing entities, the system comprising:

an input unit for providing input information corresponding to each of the components designated for installation;

a product module for installing each of the components according to its corresponding input information;

a producer module for generating, upon installation, output information corresponding to each of the components;

a transfer unit for providing the output information to at least one data processing entity identified for installation of at least one subsequent component; and

a consumer module for determining, from the output information, at least a portion of the input information corresponding to the at least one subsequent component.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the transfer unit is selected from the group consisting of a removable memory device, a network connection, and a manual input device.