Software manager for administration of a computer operating system
First Claim
1. A software manager enabling a computer user to administer software components within a computer operating system, comprising:
- a configuration database storing information including a prevailing state and a dependency listing for each of said software components, the dependency listing for a given software component describing interdependencies between the given software component and other aspects of the computer operating system;
a user interface allowing said computer user to view said stored information and permitting said user to specify changes to said prevailing states; and
a software manager server communicating with said user interface and said configuration database, for effecting said user specified changes and for updating said stored information to reflect said changes.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A software manager enables a computer user to administer software elements within a computer operating system. The software manager comprises a configuration database storing information including a prevailing state and a dependency listing for each of the software components within the system. The software manager also comprises a user interface which allows the computer user to view the stored information and permits the user to specify changes to the prevailing states. Finally, the software manager comprises a software manager server which communicates with the user interface and the configuration database, effects the user specified changes, and updates the stored information to reflect those changes. A user of the software manager can readily obtain an overall "picture" of a prevailing system configuration, use that picture to make intelligent decisions with respect to system modification, and thereby administer the operating system environment in a seamless, efficient, and robust manner.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A software manager enabling a computer user to administer software components within a computer operating system, comprising:
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a configuration database storing information including a prevailing state and a dependency listing for each of said software components, the dependency listing for a given software component describing interdependencies between the given software component and other aspects of the computer operating system; a user interface allowing said computer user to view said stored information and permitting said user to specify changes to said prevailing states; and a software manager server communicating with said user interface and said configuration database, for effecting said user specified changes and for updating said stored information to reflect said changes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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12. A method for managing software components of a computer operating system, comprising the steps of:
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establishing a database of software components within said operating system, said database including a prevailing state and a dependency listing for each of said software components, the dependency listing for a given software component describing interdependencies between the given software component and other aspects of the computer operating system; displaying a user interface in which related software components are grouped together in a manner which identifies their relationships; permitting a user of the computer operating system to specify, via the user interface, changes to the prevailing states of the software components; implementing the user-specified changes; and updating the database to reflect the user-specified changes. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification