UPGRADE MANAGEMENT OF APPLICATION COMPONENTS

• US 20110321029A1
• Filed: 06/24/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kern, Jonathan Fred, McConnell, Timothy Paul, Livingston, Sean Lamont Grant, Liu, Hai, Mex, Luis Angel
• Granted Patent: US 8,689,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

Architecture that enables separation of a user interface (UI) upgrade from the content and application logic upgrade. Administrators can upgrade to take advantage of new infrastructure features, and independently schedule the UI upgrade, for example, to accommodate customization work or to ensure user training. Furthermore, administrators can now allow users to choose when to switch to the new UI. More specifically, the architecture facilitates the separation of a UI upgrade from content and application logic upgrade, the ability to control the UI upgrade at multiple levels of precision, the ability for application logic and UI components to change behaviors based on the UI version of the context, and the ability to “preview” the updated UI before permanently switching to it. Additionally, UI components can be filtered to only appear in the appropriate UI version, and the site'"'"'s UI version can be compared to versions that a component is compatible with.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented component management system having computer readable media that store executable instructions executed by a processor, comprising:

an application hosted on each of multiple hosting sites, the application comprised of different application subcomponents, each hosting site includes different versions of one or more of the application subcomponents; and

a management component that communicates with a hosting site to enable operation of an application subcomponent independent of other application subcomponents of the application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the different application subcomponents include a different version of a core application logic subcomponent that is enabled into operation separate from a user interface subcomponent.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the different application subcomponents include a different version of user interface that is enabled into operation independent of a core application logic subcomponent.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the management component enables operation of an application subcomponent on a single hosting site, a collection of hosting sites, or all of the hosting sites.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the management component includes a filter component that ensures only compatible subcomponents are enabled on a hosting site to interoperate.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the management component allows a hosting site to operate an application subcomponent before committing the application subcomponent.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the management component allows preview of a visual subcomponent before deciding to commit the visual subcomponent.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the management component allows behavioral change of an application logic subcomponent and user interface objects based on a user interface version of a site context.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the subcomponents are enabled or disabled based on manipulation of associated properties.

10. A computer-implemented component management system having computer readable media that store executable instructions executed by a processor, comprising:

an application hosted on each of multiple hosting sites, the application comprising a user interface subcomponent and core application logic subcomponent, each hosting site includes different versions of the user interface subcomponent and different versions of the core application logic subcomponent; and

a management component that enables operation of a subcomponent independent of another subcomponent of the application.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the management component enables operation of a version of the user interface subcomponent on all of the hosting sites, a subset of the hosting sites, or a single hosting site.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the management component allows the user interface subcomponent or the core logic subcomponent to operate on a hosting site before commit of the user interface subcomponent or the core logic subcomponent.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the management component ensures a version of a site user interface subcomponent is compatible with another application subcomponent, and filters user interface objects to only appear in a compatible user interface subcomponent.

14. A computer-implemented component management method executed by a processor, comprising:

receiving subcomponents of an application hosted on multiple hosting sites, the subcomponents of different types and type versions;

selecting a subcomponent for operation on a hosting site;

enabling operation of the selected subcomponent with other subcomponents of the site application; and

managing upgrade of the subcomponent on the site.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising enabling operation of a new version application logic subcomponent type with an old version UI subcomponent type.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising managing upgrade via a preview operation that allows preview of a subcomponent type before commit of the subcomponent type.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising managing upgrade of a subcomponent type via a change-back operation that allows changing back to a prior version of the subcomponent type.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising checking compatibility of the subcomponent with other subcomponents of the application.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising filtering UI parts of a UI subcomponent so that only compatible UI parts appear in the UI subcomponent.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising managing upgrade of the subcomponent for the site, a collection of sites, or a site farm.