SOFTWARE DEPLOYMENT TO MULTIPLE COMPUTING DEVICES

• US 20120159468A1
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Joshi, Madhur, Shaikh, Mohammed Parvez, Jagadeesan, Yamini, Aslam, Muhammad Bilal, Allington, Clea, Galatzer, Yishai, Hoyer, Crystal, Repperger, Emily B., Cox, David
• Granted Patent: US 10,296,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

A particular method includes storing a manifest file and a parameters file at a data store. The manifest file and the parameters file are associated with a software deployment package. An application associated with the software deployment package is published to a first remote computing device and to a second remote computing device. The method includes receiving first parameter values from the first remote computing device and receiving second parameter values from the second remote computing device. The first parameter values are stored in a first region of the data store that is specific to the first computing device. The second parameter values are stored in a second region of the data store that is specific to the second computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing a manifest file and a parameters file at a record of a data store, wherein the manifest file and the parameters file are associated with a software deployment package at a computing device, and wherein the record is specific to an application associated with the software deployment package;

publishing the application from the computing device to a first remote computing device;

receiving first parameter values from the first remote computing device;

storing the first parameter values at the data store in a first sub-record that is specific to the first remote computing device;

publishing the application from the computing device to a second remote computing device;

receiving second parameter values from the second remote computing device; and

storing the second parameter values at the data store in a second sub-record that is specific to the second remote computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change in the application; and

automatically updating one or more of the manifest file and the parameters file at the data store in response to the change.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the change in the application comprises an update to a database or an addition of a new database.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

re-publishing the application to the first remote computing device based on the stored first parameter values; and

re-publishing the application to the second remote computing device based on the stored second parameter values.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the software deployment package from an application source; and

installing the application at the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data store is located at the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data store is remote to the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data store is accessible by the first remote computing device and the second remote computing device via an application programming interface (API).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the manifest file identifies one or more components of the application and wherein the parameters file identifies one or more destination-dependent parameters of the application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more components include one or more source code files associated with the application, one or more database identifiers of one or more databases associated with the application, one or more access control lists (ACLs) associated with the application, an application provider to transfer application files to a publishing destination, a database provider to transfer database content to the publishing destination, or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the parameters file identifies a default value for at least one destination-dependent parameter.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the parameters file is operable to cause a publishing destination to prompt a user for destination-specific values of destination-dependent parameters and to transmit the destination-specific values to the data store.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein publishing the application to a particular remote computing device comprises:

transmitting the components of the application identified by the manifest file to the particular remote computing device; and

configuring the transmitted components of the application based on one or more of the parameters file and stored parameter values at the data store that are specific to the particular remote computing device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the manifest file and the parameters file are each represented in extensible markup language (XML).

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the application comprises an Internet information services (IIS) web application.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a software deployment package from a source computing device at a destination computing device, wherein the software deployment package includes a manifest file identifying components of an application, and wherein the software deployment package includes a parameters file identifying one or more destination-dependent parameters of the application;

install the application at the destination computing device;

prompt a user for values of the one or more destination-dependent parameters that are specific to the destination computing device; and

transmit the values to a data store for storage.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

receive a second software deployment package associated with the application from the source computing device, wherein the second software deployment package includes the stored values of the one or more destination-dependent parameters; and

update the application at the destination computing device based on the second software deployment package without prompting the user regarding the one or more destination-dependent parameters.

18. A computer system, comprising

a processor;

and

a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to;

receive a software deployment package, wherein the software deployment package includes a manifest file identifying components of an application, and wherein the software deployment package includes a parameters file identifying one or more destination-dependent parameters of the application;

install the application;

store the manifest file and the parameters file at a data store;

publish the application to each of a plurality of remote computing devices;

receive parameter values from each of the plurality of remote computing devices; and

store parameter values received from each particular remote computing device in a region of the data store that is specific to the particular computing device.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the one or more destination-dependent parameters include a services connection string, a database connection string, an application path, or any combination thereof.

20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the stored parameter values are encrypted.