APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING A PLURALITY OF SOFTWARE DEPENDENCY MAPS AND SOFTWARE INSTALLATION USING THE SAME

• US 20110209142A1
• Filed: 05/04/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Wookey, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,776,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates

Abstract

A virtual installation map, and method involving installing a software functionality using the same, the virtual installation map including a first software installation map including a plurality of software elements representative of a related software file, the software elements also including at least one dependency to another software element. The virtual installation map further including a second software installation map also including a second plurality of software elements representative of related software file along with related dependencies. The first and second software installation maps may be hosted in separate databases and may relate to software products provided by different vendors. One or both software installation maps may include a pointer or other reference to the other installation map thereby providing a virtual installation map, in one example.

Claims

1. A software management system for managing multiple software installation maps, comprising:

a first module stored and executed on a processing device, the first module configured for hosting a first software installation map, the first software installation map comprising;

a first plurality of software elements representing a first plurality of software files;

a first plurality of dependency pointers representing a plurality of dependencies between the first plurality of software files;

a second module configured for hosting a second software installation map, the second software installation map configured to communicate with the first software installation map to collectively define a virtual software installation map, the second software installation map comprising;

a second plurality of software elements representing a second plurality of software files; and

a second plurality of dependency pointers representing a plurality of dependencies between the second plurality of software files.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first software installation map further comprises:

at least a first map reference pointer configured to reference a third map reference pointer from a third software installation map.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first software installation map further comprises a first map reference pointer to a second map reference pointer of the second software installation map.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the first map reference pointer comprises:

a confidence factor being a percentile estimate that the first map reference pointer is a valid reference to the third software installation map.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the first map reference pointer further comprises:

a class definition of a class of software of the first map reference pointer wherein the second map reference pointer from the second additional software installation map has a dependency on the class of software of the first map reference pointer.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the first map reference pointer comprises a reference version defining a version of a software application associated with the first map reference pointer wherein a version of a reference pointer from the at least additional software installation map is of the same version.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first software installation map comprises software associated with a first software vendor and the second software installation map comprises software associated with a second software vendor.

8. The system of claim 3 wherein the first and second map reference pointers associate the first and second software installation maps into the virtual software installation map.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the virtual software installation map is configured to receive a software installation request for software functionality from both the first and second software installation maps.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein at least a portion of the virtual software installation map may reside in a memory of a software agent of a client device.

11. A method for providing software across multiple software installation maps:

receiving a request for installing a first software functionality on a client device wherein the first software functionality comprises a first software file referenced in a first software installation map and a second software file referenced in a second software installation map;

combining the first installation map and the second installation map into a virtual software installation map;

generating a software installation route from the virtual software installation map, wherein the software installation route includes the first software file from the first installation map and the second file from the second software installation map; and

providing the software installation route to the client device.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein each of the first and second installation maps comprise:

a plurality of software elements representing a plurality of software files; and

a plurality of dependency pointers representing a plurality of dependencies between the plurality of software files.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the first software installation map comprises software associated with a first software vendor and the second software installation map comprises software associated with a second software vendor.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein at least a portion of the virtual software installation map may reside in a memory of a software agent of the client device.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the software installation route comprises:

a confidence factor that the software installation route provides for a valid installation of the first software functionality.

12. The method of claim 12 wherein the operation of combining the first installation map and the second software installation map further comprises:

associating a first map reference pointer of the first software installation map with a second map reference pointer of the second software installation map to establish the virtual installation map.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the first map reference pointer comprises:

a confidence factor that the first map reference pointer is a valid reference point to the second map reference pointer.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first map reference pointer further comprises:

a class definition of a class of software of the first map reference pointer.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the class definition expresses a dependency of a class of the second reference pointer.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the first map reference pointer further comprises:

a reference version defining a version of a software application associated with the first map reference pointer.