DYNAMIC SOFTWARE VERSION SELECTION

• US 20120174124A1
• Filed: 12/31/2010
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ward, David G., Webb, Simon J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,595,715 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/331
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44536 Selecting among different versions

Abstract

Dynamic software version selection is performed by associating a binding library with a software component. The binding library comprises a loader component and a binding component, wherein the loader component serves as an intermediary between the software component and the binding component, and the binding component comprises software component-side logic. Dynamic software version selection further comprises logic in the loader component that decides to load a library from the binding component into memory of a processing device, and selecting by the loader component, a desired version of the requested library, where the desired version of the library is selected from at least two versions of the library associated with the binding component of the binding library. Still further, dynamic software version selection comprises loading the desired version of the library into memory of a computer processing system without requiring that the associated software component restart.

Claims

1. A method of performing dynamic software version selection, comprising:

associating a binding library with a software component, the binding library comprising a loader component and a binding component, where;

the loader component serves as an intermediary between the software component and the binding component; and

the binding component comprises software component-side logic;

recognizing a trigger by the loader component to load a library from the binding component into memory of a processing device;

selecting by the loader component, a desired version of the requested library, where the desired version of the library is selected from at least two versions of the library associated with the binding component of the binding library; and

loading the desired version of the library into memory of a computer processing system without requiring that the associated software component restart.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the loader component, software component program interface calls from the software component;

forwarding the received calls to corresponding software component programming interfaces of the desired version of the library loaded into memory.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein selecting by the loader component, a desired version of the requested library, comprises:

selecting by the loader component, the desired version of the requested library, using a file system symbolic link.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein selecting by the loader component, a desired version of the requested library, comprises:

selecting by the loader component, the desired version of the requested library, using a control file the directs the selection.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing a library version table to identify versions of the library; and

storing a library version variable that tracks the current version of the library;

wherein;

selecting by the loader component, a desired version of the requested library, comprises;

reading, by the loader component, the value of the library version variable; and

selecting the desired version of the library based upon the value of the library version variable.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

updating the binding component of the binding library with an updated version of the library without changing a loader component of the binding library;

loading the updated version of the library via the loader component, wherein the software component does not shutdown during the loading, the loading comprising;

disconnecting a previous library version of the binding component; and

connecting the updated version of the library; and

forwarding calls by the loader component, from the software component to the loaded, updated version of the library.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request by the loader component to a load a library from the binding component into memory of processing device comprises:

receiving a disconnect call from the user software component; and

receiving a connect call from the user software component.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request by the loader component to a load a library from the binding component into memory of processing device comprises:

receiving any call from the software component.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing a program version table to store specific library versions for corresponding programs;

wherein;

recognizing a trigger by the loader component comprises receiving an application programming interface call from an identified software component; and

selecting by the loader component, a desired version of the requested library, comprises selecting the desired version of the library based upon the value of the library version variable.

10. A computer program product to perform dynamic software version selection, comprising:

a tangible computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to associate a binding library with a software component, the binding library comprising a loader component and a binding component, where;

the loader component serves as an intermediary between the software component and the binding component; and

the binding component comprises software component-side logic;

computer readable program code configured to recognizing a trigger by the loader component to load a library from the binding component into memory of a processing device;

computer readable program code configured to select by the loader component, a desired version of the requested library, where the desired version of the library is selected from at least two versions of the library associated with the binding component of the binding library; and

computer readable program code configured to load the desired version of the library into memory of a computer processing system without requiring that the associated software component restart.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to receive by the loader component, software component program interface calls from the software component;

computer readable program code configured to forward the received calls to corresponding software component programming interfaces of the desired version of the library loaded into memory.

12. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the computer readable program code configured to select by the loader component, a desired version of the requested library, comprises:

computer readable program code configured to select by the loader component, the desired version of the requested library, using a file system symbolic link.

13. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the computer readable program code configured to select by the loader component, a desired version of the requested library, comprises:

computer readable program code configured to select by the loader component, the desired version of the requested library, using a control file the directs the selection.

14. The computer program product according to claim 10, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to utilize a library version table to identify versions of the library; and

computer readable program code configured to store a library version variable that tracks the current version of the library;

wherein;

the computer readable program code configured to select by the loader component, a desired version of the requested library, comprises;

computer readable program code configured to read, by the loader component, the value of the library version variable; and

computer readable program code configured to select the desired version of the library based upon the value of the library version variable.

15. The computer program product according to claim 10, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to update the binding component of the binding library with an updated version of the library without changing a loader component of the binding library;

computer readable program code configured to load the updated version of the library via the loader component, wherein the software component does not shutdown during the loading, the loading comprising;

computer readable program code configured to disconnect a previous library version of the binding component; and

computer readable program code configured to connect the updated version of the library; and

computer readable program code configured to forward calls by the loader component, from the software component to the loaded, updated version of the library.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readable program code configured to receive a request by the loader component to a load a library from the binding component into memory of processing device comprises:

computer readable program code configured to receive a disconnect call from the user software component; and

computer readable program code configured to receive a connect call from the user software component.

17. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readable program code configured to receive a request by the loader component to a load a library from the binding component into memory of processing device comprises:

computer readable program code configured to receive any call from the software component.

18. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising computer readable program code configured to migrate internal state data structures from their present form to a new form as required by a newly loaded binding component.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the logic needed to perform the migration is provided by each version of the binding component.

20. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising computer readable program code configured to utilize a program version table to store specific library versions for corresponding programs;

wherein;

the computer readable program code configured to recognize a trigger by the loader component comprises computer readable program code configured to receive an application programming interface call from an identified software component; and

the computer readable program code configured to select, by the loader component, a desired version of the requested library, comprises computer readable program code configured to select the desired version of the library based upon the value of the library version variable.