BOOKMARKS AND PERFORMANCE HISTORY FOR NETWORK SOFTWARE DEPLOYMENT EVALUATION

• US 20110302576A1
• Filed: 06/02/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Yang, Shen, Ge, Gao, Shoufu, Feng, Leyu, Yang, Zhenxing, Hu, Ning
• Granted Patent: US 8,959,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Described are automatically generated software deployment bookmarks that maintain information regarding events and/or triggers with respect to a network software deployment operation. The bookmarks are accessible and useable for evaluating the progress and state of the deployment. For example, a bookmark may be generated when deployment to a client machine succeeds, when a software deployment package is created and/or distributed, and for network component and/or membership state changes. A set of bookmarks may be used to generate a curve indicative of the deployment progress over time, and may be compared to previous progress of deploying other network software to client computer systems that is based on maintained performance history data.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a system comprising, a data store coupled to network components that deploy network software in a network software deployment operation, the data store maintaining a set of bookmarks that record events and trigger information of the network software deployment operation, the bookmarks automatically generated by one or more of the network components or by user interface interaction, or both by one or more of the network components and by user interface interaction, the bookmarks accessible via the data store for use in evaluating progress and state of the network software deployment operation.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each bookmark has an associated timestamp.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the bookmarks is associated with at least one activity, and wherein one of the bookmarks of the set is generated upon updating an association between an activity and a bookmark.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one bookmark of the set that is generated to record information regarding whether deployment to a client machine succeeded.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one bookmark of the set that is generated to record information regarding a maintenance task.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the set of bookmarks include a bookmark corresponding to when a software deployment package is created, or a bookmark corresponding to when a software deployment package is distributed to a distribution point, or both a bookmark corresponding to when a software deployment package is created and a bookmark corresponding to when a software deployment package is distributed to a distribution point.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the set of bookmarks include a bookmark corresponding to when a distribution policy is generated or changed, or a bookmark corresponding to an object change that affects the deployment task status, or both a bookmark corresponding to when a distribution policy is generated or changed, and a bookmark corresponding to an object change that affects the deployment task status

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the set of bookmarks include a bookmark corresponding to when a network component starts, stops or restarts.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the set of bookmarks include a bookmark corresponding to when membership of a collection of network members changes, or a bookmark corresponding to when a network component is added, removed, updated or refreshed, or both a bookmark corresponding to when membership of a collection of network members changes, and a bookmark corresponding to when a network component is added, removed, updated or refreshed.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the set of bookmarks includes a plurality of bookmarks that are prioritized relative to one another, a plurality of bookmarks that are grouped together, or plurality of bookmarks that are positive or negative with respect to a result, or any combination of a plurality of bookmarks that are prioritized relative to one another, a plurality of bookmarks that are grouped together, or plurality of bookmarks that are positive or negative with respect to a result.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising a user interface for viewing a representation of the progress and state of the network software deployment operation with respect to a representation of performance history data.

12. In a computing environment, a method performed on at least one processor, comprising, generating a bookmark at a network component that performs one or more tasks related to deploying network software, the bookmark recording data regarding a network software deployment event and time data representative of when the event occurred during the deployment, and collecting the bookmark in association with other bookmarks generated with respect to the deployment to provide information that is useable in evaluating the deployment.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising, generating a visual representation indicative of progress of deploying network software over time based upon the bookmark and at least one of the other bookmarks.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising, accessing performance history data corresponding to one or more previous network software deployment operations, and using the performance history data to generate another visual representation of deployment progress over time based upon the one or more previous network software deployment operations.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising, associating the bookmark with at least one activity.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein generating the bookmark comprises determining that a network component starts, stops or restarts, determining that membership of a collection of network members changes, or determining that a network component is added, removed, updated or refreshed.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the bookmark and the other bookmarks comprise a set, and further comprising, filtering the set into a subset based upon a priority associated with at least some of the bookmarks of the set, filtering the set into a subset based upon a grouping of at least some of the bookmarks of the set, or filtering the set into a subset based upon positive or negative data associated with at least some of the bookmarks of the set.

18. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps, comprising:

accessing a set bookmarks that each record data regarding a network software deployment operation;

using the bookmarks to generate a visual representation indicative of progress over time of deploying network software to client computer systems;

accessing performance history data related to one or more previous network software deployment operations; and

using the performance history data to generate a visual representation indicative of previous progress of deploying other network software to client computer systems.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 18 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, displaying a representation corresponding to where, in time, at least some of the bookmarks were generated.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 18 having further computer-executable instructions comprising displaying visible information about at least some of the bookmarks that are present within a selectable time range.