Corrective service facility

• US 5,892,953 A
• Filed: 03/25/1997
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tano, Jose Antonio, Wood, Duane Stephen, Bhagria, Ashok Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady, Albert
• Application Number:
  US08/824,215
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 395/703, 395/701, 395/712, 395/180, 395/183.14, 395/183.11, 395/181, 395/705
• US Class Current: 717/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

A corrective service facility (CSF) includes improvements which allow a user to service products installed in a data processing system. CSF provides a text interface and a graphical user interface, the latter allowing a user to more readily control what products and files to update. Servicing is done by delta fixes, product feature servicing, and product specific servicing. The CSF can also be used from a local area network.

Claims

1. A data processing system (DPS) comprising:

a processor;

a main memory for storing programs for execution by said processor which products include a multitasking operating system (OS), a graphical user interface program (GUI), and application programs;

a display for presenting to a user a plurality of screens including at least some generated by said GUI;

input means allowing a user to interact with said system through screens generated by said GUI program;

fixed drive means for storing a plurality of installed files of different program products and a plurality of syslevel files for such products, said program products including said OS and said GUI;

a floppy disc drive;

corrective service diskette means (CSD) inserted in said floppy disc drive, said CSD storing a plurality of service files containing cumulative fixes for a plurality of said program products installed in said DPS, said CSD further comprising a selectively operable corrective service facility (CSF);

said CSF being started in a running DPS and executed by said processor as an application program concurrently with other application programs under said multitasking operating system to provide setup means and servicing means without having to first shut down said DPS;

said setup means being operative to automatically search through said service files on said CSD and said installed files in each of said plurality of program products on said fixed drive means to find matching pairs of files with each file in each pair having an identical file name, said setup means interacting with said GUI to provide a setup screen presenting to the user a list of said matching pairs and a menu for selecting normal or backout service to be performed; and

said selectively operable servicing means being responsive to user selection thereof to automatically replace each installed file of said matching pairs with said service file in each pair only when said installed file is an earlier version of a service file of the same name, so as to thereby install only a selected portion of said cumulative fixes where normal service is selected and to automatically replace each installed file of said matching pairs with said service file in each pair only when said installed file is a later version of a service file of the same name, so as to restore said installed files of a product to an earlier level without having to reinstall such product.

2. A data processing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

said setup means is operative to create lists on said setup screen of products associated with said installed files and of drives in said DPS containing installed products, said setup means being further operable to highlight default items on said lists, whereby the user can choose to service only said highlighted default items or to change which items are highlighted and service only those items which are highlighted after such change is made.

3. A data processing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said servicing means is operable, when a product feature has been installed after a base product has been installed and serviced, to service only files associated with said product feature without replacing other files previously serviced for other portions of said product.

4. A data processing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said servicing means provides generic services, and upon completion thereof, said servicing means searches for a product specific servicing program on said CSD.

5. In a data processing system (DPS) having a processor for controlling operation of said system, a main memory for storing programs for execution by said processor which products include a multitasking operating system (OS), a graphical user interface program (GUI), a local area network (LAN) requester, and application programs, a display for presenting to a user a plurality of screens including at least some generated by said GUI, input means allowing a user to interact with said system through screens generated by said GUI program, fixed drive means for storing a plurality of installed files of different program products and a plurality of syslevel files, for such products, said program products including said OS and said GUI, and a LAN including a file server, an improved selectively operable service facility comprising:

corrective service facility means (CSF) stored in said file server, said CSF including a plurality of service files containing cumulative fixes for a plurality of said program products installed in said DPS, said CSF further comprising a selectively operable corrective service program file and a response file accessible to said LAN requester;

said LAN requestor being operable to access said response file and transfer said service program file into said memory for execution by said processor as an application program concurrently with other application programs under said multitasking operating system to provide setup means and servicing means;

said setup means being operative to automatically search through said service files from said file server and said installed files in each or said plurality of program products on said fixed drive means to find matching pairs of files with each file in each pair having an identical file name, said setup means interacting with said GUI to provide a setup screen presenting to the user a list of said matching pairs and a menu for selecting normal or backout service to be performed; and

said selectively operable servicing means being responsive to user selection thereof to automatically replace each installed file of said matching pairs with said service file in each pair only when said installed file is an earlier version of a service file of the same name, so as to thereby install only selected portion of cumulative fixes where normal service is selected and to automatically replace each installed file of said matching pairs with said service file in each pair only when said installed file is a later version of a service file of the same name, so as to restore said installed files of a product to an earlier level without having to reinstall such product.

6. A data processing system in accordance with claim 5 wherein:

said setup means is operative to create lists on said setup screen of products associated with said installed files and of drives in said DPS containing installed products, said setup means being further operable to highlight default items on said lists, whereby the user can choose to service only said highlighted default items or to change which items are highlighted and service only those items which are highlighted after such change is made.

7. A data processing system in accordance with claim 5 wherein said servicing means is operable, when a product feature has been installed after a base product has been installed and serviced, to service only files associated with said product feature without replacing other files previously serviced for other portions of said product.

8. A data processing system in accordance with claim 5 wherein said servicing means provides generic services, and upon completion thereof, said servicing means searches for a product specific servicing program.

9. A data processing system in accordance with claim 5 wherein said service files are each identified by date and time stamps, and said syslevel files identify which installed files have been serviced and indicating level of service by date and time stamps identifying respective serviced installed files to thereby facilitate finding said matching pairs.