Computer Application Packages with Customizations

• US 20100023934A1
• Filed: 07/28/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sheehan, John M., Reierson, Kristofer H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44536 Selecting among different versions

Abstract

Applications operated within a virtual environment may be organized into a package containing various software components. Each software component or resource may have a specific name and other metadata, including a designator for overwriting or modifying the component. A policy may define how any changes to specific software components may be stored and retrieved based on the designator. One or more sets of changed components may be generated, persisted, and re-applied to create a customized version of the application based on the original package. The application may be operated within a virtual application environment or within a dedicated virtual machine environment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating a first application package comprising a plurality of resources, each of said plurality of resources having resource metadata defining at least a user configuration designation and a unique identifier, said first application package having a first version;

executing said first application package in a virtual environment;

detecting a change to a first resource during said executing, said first resource being one of said plurality of resources;

evaluating said metadata associated with said first resource and determining that said change is to be stored;

storing said change in a changed resource, said changed resource being related to said first resource such that said changed resource may be used in place of said first resource when said first application is executed.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a second version of said application package comprising a second plurality of resources, each of said resources having metadata comprising an overwrite metadata, said second version of said application package;

for a second resource in said plurality of resources in said second version of said application package, said second resource corresponding to said first resource;

evaluating said metadata to determine that said second resource is to overwrite said changed resource; and

using said second resource in place of said changed resource when said second version of said application package is executed.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

executing said second version of said application package in a virtual environment;

detecting a change to said second resource during said executing;

evaluating said metadata associated with said second resource and determining that said change is to be stored;

storing said change in a second changed resource, said second changed resource being related to said second resource such that said second changed resource may be used in place of said second resource when said second version of said application package is executed.

4. The method of claim 2, said second version of said application package comprising a differential set of resources comprising updated resources for a subset of said first application package.

5. The method of claim 2, said second version of said application package comprising a complete set of said resources making up a second version of said application.

6. The method of claim 2, said corresponding being determined by comparing resource names.

7. The method of claim 2, said corresponding being determined using a lookup table.

8. The method of claim 7, said lookup table comprising Globally Unique Identifiers.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a second version of said application package comprising a second plurality of resources, each of said resources having metadata comprising an overwrite metadata, said second version of said application package;

for a second resource in said plurality of resources in said second version of said application package, said second resource corresponding to said first resource;

evaluating said metadata to determine that said changed resource is to overwrite said second resource; and

using said changed resource in place of said second resource when said second version of said application package is executed.

10. The method of claim 1, said virtual environment being a virtual machine environment.

11. The method of claim 1, said virtual environment being a virtual application environment.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating a user modified version of said first version of said application.

13. The method of claim 12, said user modified version comprising a set of user modified resources and said first version of said application package.

14. The method of claim 12, said user modified version comprising a user modified package of said first version of said application package.

15. A system comprising:

an execution engine configured to execute a first application package in a virtual environment, said first application package comprising a first version of said application and further comprising a plurality of resources overwrite metadata; and

a runtime change manager configured to;

determine that a change has occurred with a first resource, said first resource being one of said plurality of resources in said first application package;

evaluating said metadata associated with said first resource and determining that said change is to be stored;

storing said change in a changed resource, said changed resource being related to said first resource such that said changed resource may be used in place of said first resource when said first application is executed.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

an update manager configured to;

receive a second version of said application package comprising a plurality of resources and overwrite metadata for each of said resources; and

for a second resource in said plurality of resources in said second version of said application package, said second resource corresponding to said first resource;

evaluating said overwrite metadata to determine that said second resource is to overwrite said changed resource; and

using said second resource in place of said changed resource when said second version of said application package is executed.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

a lookup table correlating said plurality of resources from said first version with said plurality of resources from said second version.

18. The system of claim 17, said lookup table comprising Globally Unique Identifiers for each of said plurality of resources.

19. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions configured to perform a method comprising:

receiving a first application package comprising a plurality of resources, each of said plurality of resources having resource metadata defining at least a user configuration designation and a unique identifier, said first application package having a first version;

receiving a set of customized resources, at least one of said set of customized resources corresponding to at least one of said plurality of resources in said first application package;

receiving a second application package having a second version, said second version being newer than said first version;

determining a first resource within said first application package and a corresponding second resource within said second application package;

determining a third resource within said set of customized resources corresponding to said first resource;

evaluating metadata associated with said second resource to determine that said third resource is incompatible with said second version; and

making said third resource unavailable for use.

20. The medium of claim 19, said method further comprising:

determining a fourth resource within said first application package and a corresponding fifth resource within said second application package;

determining a sixth resource within said set of customized resources corresponding to said fourth resource;

evaluating metadata associated with said fifth resource to determine that said sixth resource is compatible with said second version; and

making said sixth resource available for use when said second application package is executed.