Automatic software installation on heterogeneous networked computer systems

• US 6,282,712 B1
• Filed: 09/16/1999
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McCollum, Raymond W., Davis, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Ted T.
• Application Number:
  US09/397,480
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 717/11, 717/1, 704/8, 704/9, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable

Abstract

The present invention provides for automatically installing software on heterogeneous computer systems. In a distributed system having heterogeneous computer systems having dissimilar hardware or software components or dissimilar configuration information, such as different natural languages, different operating system types, different network operating system types, and different processor types, the present invention automatically installs the appropriate edition of software on computers. The present invention installs an edition of software appropriate for use with a specific operating system type, appropriate for execution on a particular processor type and in a particular natural language by utilizing commands specific to an operating system and network operating system type. The present invention automatically installs software in response to user input, the addition of a new computer to the distributed system, or upon the availability of a new version of the software.

Claims

1. In a data processing system having software and a plurality of computers, wherein the data processing system is managed by an administrator, the software having editions that are particular to a natural language, a type of processor and a type of operating system, a method for monitoring the computers of a data processing system and automatically configuring a new computer to operate in the data processing system, comprising computer-implemented steps of:

determining when a new computer is added to the data processing system by comparing a stored list of the plurality of computers against a current list of the plurality of computers of the data processing system, the new computer has an associated natural language, executes a functioning operating system and has a processor;

determining what software is to be automatically installed on the new computer based on the preferences of the administrator;

determining the natural language associated with the new computer, a type of the operating system executing on the new computer a type of the processor in the new computer;

selecting an edition of the software particular to the natural language, the type of the operating system and the type of the processor; and

automatically installing the selected edition of the software onto the new computer utilizing commands suitable for the type of the operating system of the new computer, resulting in the new computer having the software defined by the administrator based upon the particular location of the new computer within the data processing system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of installing the selected edition includes the step of starting the selected edition of the software.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the data processing system has a centralized management system for managing the computers, and wherein the software installed on the new computer is a service of the centralized management system for managing the computers.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of computer programs execute on each computer, wherein the data processing system has a registry containing entries indicating the computers in the data processing system and entries indicating the computer programs executing on each computer, wherein the method further includes the steps of:

accessing the registry to determine the computers in the data processing system and the computer programs executing on each computer; and

for each computer,

for each computer program executing on the computer,

determining whether the computer program has terminated execution; and

when it is determined that the computer program has terminated execution, starting the computer program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining when a new computer is added to the data processing system occurs periodically.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining when a new computer is added to the data processing system occurs in accordance with a predetermined amount of time set by an administrator of the data processing system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining when a new computer is added to the data processing system occurs in accordance with an instruction of an administrator.

8. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a data processing system having software and a plurality of computers, wherein the data processing system is managed by an administrator, the software having editions that are particular to a natural language, a type of process and a type of operating system, a method for monitoring the computers of a data processing system and automatically configuring a new computer to operate in the data processing system, by performing the steps of:

determining when a new computer is added to the data processing system by comparing a stored list of the plurality of computers against a current list of the plurality of computer of the data processing system, the new computer having an associated natural language, executes a functioning operating system and having a processor;

determining what software is to be automatically installed on the new computer based on preferences of the administrator;

determining the natural language associated with the new computer, a type of the operating system executing on the new computer and a type of the processor in the new computer;

selecting an edition of the software particular to the natural language, the type of the operating system and the type of the processor; and

automatically installing the selected edition of the software onto the new computer utilizing commands suitable for the type of the operating system of the new computer, resulting in the new computer having the software defined by the administrator based upon the particular location of the new computer within the data processing system.

9. The computer-readable memory of claim 8 wherein the step of installing the selected edition includes the step of starting the selected edition of the software.

10. The computer-readable memory of claim 8 wherein the data processing system has a centralized management system for managing the computers, and wherein the software installed on the new computer is a service of the centralized management system for managing the computers.

11. The computer-readable memory of claim 8 wherein a plurality of computer programs execute on each computer, wherein the data processing system has a registry containing entries indicating the computers in the data processing system and entries indicating the computer programs executing on each computer, wherein the method further includes the steps of:

accessing the registry to determine the computers in the data processing system and the computer programs executing on each computer; and

for each computer,

for each computer program executing on the computer,

determining whether the computer program has terminated execution; and

when it is determined that the computer program has terminated execution, starting the computer program.

12. A software installation computer system for managing the installation of a program in other computer systems connected to the software installation computer system using modifiable installation directions defined by an administrator, comprising:

a new connected computer system detection subsystem that detects the connection of an additional computer system to the software installation computer system by comparing a stored list of the computer systems against a current list of the computer systems connected to the software installation computer system;

an installed software selection subsystem that selects, for each new computer system whose connection to the software installation computer system is detected by the detection subsystem, based upon the installation directions, software for installation on the new computer system;

a new computer system assessment subsystem that determines, for each new computer system whose connection to the software installation computer system is detected by the detection subsystem, a natural language, processor type, and an operating system type, defining a functioning operation system installed on the new computer system, of the new computer system; and

a software installation subsystem that automatically installs on each new computer system whose connection to the software installation computer system is detected by the detection subsystem an edition of the selected software designed for the natural language, processor type, and operating system type determined for the new computer system by the assessment subsystem, resulting in the new computer having the selected software defined by the administrator based upon the particular location of the new computer with respect to the software installation computer system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the new connected computer system detection subsystem dynamically detects the connection of an additional computer system to the software installation computer system.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the software installation subsystem dynamically installs the selected software on each new computer system.