Managing Pre-Requisite of a Software Product Virtual Image

• US 20130263113A1
• Filed: 11/03/2011
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cavazza, Paolo, Ciano, Giuseppe, Di Cocco, Antonio, Pichetti, Luigi
• Granted Patent: US 9,134,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for managing pre-requisite software components of a software product distributed on a virtual machine. A list of pre-requisite software components for the software product provided in the software product virtual image distribution package of the software product virtual image is read. A test is performed as to whether each pre-requisite software component in the list of prerequisite software components is not installed in the virtual machine. If the prerequisite software component is not installed, the pre-requisite software component is retrieved. License text of the retrieved pre-requisite software component is read and displayed to a user. Upon approval of the license text by the user, the retrieved pre-requisite software component is installed. The process is repeated until all the pre-requisite software components are installed.

Claims

1. A method for installing pre-requisite software components of a software product on a virtual machine instantiated by mounting at least one virtual disk from a software product virtual image distribution package, the method comprising automatic execution at boot time of:

reading a list of pre-requisite software components for the software product provided in the software product virtual image distribution package of the software product virtual image;

testing if each pre-requisite software component in the list of prerequisite software components is not installed in the virtual machine and, if the prerequisite software component is not installed, retrieving the pre-requisite software component after reading a pre-requisite software component location in a repository provided in the software product virtual image distribution package of the software product virtual image;

reading license text of the retrieved pre-requisite software component and displaying the license text to a user;

upon approval of the license text by the user, installing the retrieved pre-requisite software component; and

repeating the three preceding steps until all the pre-requisite software components are installed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the pre-requisite software component is indicated as installed in the virtual machine, skipping the following retrieving, reading, displaying and installing steps for this pre-requisite software component.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the pre-requisite software component is not indicated as already installed in the virtual machine, testing whether the pre-requisite software component has not been already retrieved by reading a pre-requisite software component location where the pre-requisite software component can be retrieved in a list of all already retrieved pre-requisite software components, wherein the list of all already retrieved pre-requisite software components being updated with newly retrieved pre-requisite software component after each step of installing the retrieved pre-requisite software component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of reading the license text and displaying the license text comprise an initial step of communicating with a remote server to request the reading and the displaying steps to be performed by the remote server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reading the license text of the retrieved pre-requisite software component comprises an initial step of extracting the license text from the retrieved pre-requisite software component.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reading the license text of the retrieved pre-requisite software comprises reading the license text from a license file provided in the software product virtual image distribution package of the software product virtual image.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the preceding steps of:

installing the software product and pre-requisite software components for the software product on a developer virtual machine;

testing the software product in the developer virtual machine;

removing all the pre-requisite software components for the software product from the developer virtual machine;

creating at least one virtual disk of the developer virtual machine;

creating a boot program to be activated when the at least one virtual disk is mounted;

creating a list of the pre-requisite software components for the software product;

creating a repository comprising a location where the pre-requisite software components can be retrieved;

creating the software product virtual image distribution package including the at least one virtual disk, the list of the pre-requisite software components for the software product, and the repository comprising the location where the pre-requisite software components can be retrieved.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

creating a license file containing license texts of the pre-requisite software components for the software product, and

adding the license file to the software product virtual image distribution package.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, responsive to the pre-requisite software component is not installed and the pre-requisite software component cannot be read from the pre-requisite software component location, indicating that a manual installation of the pre-requisite software component is required and stopping the process of installing the pre-requisite software components of a software product.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-requisite software component retrieving step further comprises reading an Internet address in the repository provided in the software product virtual image distribution package location, and the retrieved pre-requisite software component installing step comprises downloading the pre-requisite software component from the Internet address.

11. A system for installing pre-requisite software components of a software product on a virtual machine instantiated by mounting at least one virtual disk from a software product virtual image distribution package comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

read a list of pre-requisite software components for the software product provided in the software product virtual image distribution package of the software product virtual image;

test if each pre-requisite software component in the list of prerequisite software components is not installed in the virtual machine and, if the prerequisite software component is not installed, retrieving the pre-requisite software component after reading a pre-requisite software component location in a repository provided in the software product virtual image distribution package of the software product virtual image;

read license text of the retrieved pre-requisite software component and displaying the license text to a user;

upon approval of the license text by the user, install the retrieved pre-requisite software component; and

repeat the three preceding steps until all the pre-requisite software components are installed.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the instruction further cause the processor to:

responsive to the pre-requisite software component is not indicated as already installed in the virtual machine, testing whether the pre-requisite software component has not been already retrieved by reading a pre-requisite software component location where the pre-requisite software component can be retrieved in a list of all already retrieved pre-requisite software components, wherein the list of all already retrieved pre-requisite software components being updated with newly retrieved pre-requisite software component after each step of installing the retrieved pre-requisite software component.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions to read the license text of the retrieved pre-requisite software component further cause the processor to initially extract the license text from the retrieved pre-requisite software component.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions to read the license text of the retrieved pre-requisite software further cause the processor to read the license text from a license file provided in the software product virtual image distribution package of the software product virtual image.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions to retrieve pre-requisite software component further cause the processor to read an Internet address in the repository provided in the software product virtual image distribution package location, and the retrieved pre-requisite software component installing step comprises downloading the pre-requisite software component from the Internet address.

12. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein for for installing pre-requisite software components of a software product on a virtual machine instantiated by mounting at least one virtual disk from a software product virtual image distribution package, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to:

read a list of pre-requisite software components for the software product provided in the software product virtual image distribution package of the software product virtual image;

test if each pre-requisite software component in the list of prerequisite software components is not installed in the virtual machine and, if the prerequisite software component is not installed, retrieving the pre-requisite software component after reading a pre-requisite software component location in a repository provided in the software product virtual image distribution package of the software product virtual image;

read license text of the retrieved pre-requisite software component and displaying the license text to a user;

upon approval of the license text by the user, install the retrieved pre-requisite software component; and

repeat the three preceding steps until all the pre-requisite software components are installed.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program further cause the computer to:

responsive to the pre-requisite software component is not indicated as already installed in the virtual machine, testing whether the pre-requisite software component has not been already retrieved by reading a pre-requisite software component location where the pre-requisite software component can be retrieved in a list of all already retrieved pre-requisite software components, wherein the list of all already retrieved pre-requisite software components being updated with newly retrieved pre-requisite software component after each step of installing the retrieved pre-requisite software component.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program to read the license text of the retrieved pre-requisite software component further causes the computer to initially extract the license text from the retrieved pre-requisite software component.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program to read the license text of the retrieved pre-requisite software further causes the computer to read the license text from a license file provided in the software product virtual image distribution package of the software product virtual image.

20. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program to retrieve pre-requisite software component further causes the computer to read an Internet address in the repository provided in the software product virtual image distribution package location, and the retrieved pre-requisite software component installing step comprises downloading the pre-requisite software component from the Internet address.