Method of installing software on and/or testing a computer system

• US 6,327,706 B1
• Filed: 04/08/1999
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dell USA LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell USA LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Lynch, Michael, Amberg, Richard D., Wong, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): DAM, TUAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/288,417
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 717/11, 717/4.1, 707/10, 707/104, 702/123, 702/186, 714/1, 714/25
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order

Abstract

A method of installing software on and/or testing software for build-to-order computer system includes reading a plurality of component descriptors from a computer readable file. Each component descriptor describes a respective component of the computer system. A plurality of steps are retrieved from a database, each step being associated with a respective sequence number. The plurality of steps are sequenced in a predetermined order according to the sequence numbers to provide a step sequence. The step sequence includes commands for installing and/or testing software upon the computer system. For each step read from the database, it is determined if that step is incompatible with the presence in the computer system of a component other than that corresponding to the component descriptor associated with the step. If so, the step is discarded or not according to data associated with that step in the database. Also, for each step read from the database it is determined if that step requires a parameter, and if so the parameter is calculated according to data associated with that step in the database.

Claims

1. A method of installing software on and/or testing a computer system, comprising the steps of:

reading a plurality of component descriptors from a computer readable file, each component descriptor describing a respective component of the computer system;

reading a plurality of steps from a database, each step being associated with a component descriptor and including a respective sequence number;

sequencing the plurality of steps in a predetermined order according to the sequence numbers to provide a step sequence including commands for installing software on and/or testing the computer system;

determining for each step read from the database, from data associated with that step in the database, if that step is incompatible with the presence in the computer system of a component other than that corresponding to the component descriptor associated with the step; and

if so

discarding the step or not according to further data associated with that step in the database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system belongs to a certain family of computer systems, and wherein the step of reading the plurality of steps includes the steps of joining a first database table containing all components belonging to the certain family with a second database table containing all software installation and/or testing steps to be run on the plurality of components, wherein the joining produces an intermediate set, and joining the intermediate set with a third database table containing all software installation and/or testing steps to be run on the certain family, wherein the joining produces the said plurality of steps.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein an error condition is raised if the intermediate set is empty.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one respective component is a hardware component.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one component is a software component.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of creating a plurality of derived objects corresponding to the plurality of component descriptors.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of preparing environment variable corresponding to the plurality of components.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of writing the step sequence to a non volatile storage media configured to accompany the computer system during manufacture.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step sequence is adapted to provide for commands repeatable for a defined length of time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step sequence is adapted to provide for commands repeatable for a defined number of iterations.

11. A method of installing software on and/or testing a computer system, comprising the steps of;

reading a plurality of component descriptors from a computer readable file, each component descriptor describing a respective component of the computer system;

reading a plurality of steps from a database, each step being associated with a component descriptor and including a respective sequence number;

sequencing the plurality of steps in a predetermined order according to the sequence numbers to provide a step sequence including commands for installing software on and/or testing the computer system;

determining for each step read from the database, from data associated with that step in the database, if that step requires a parameter; and

if so

calculating such parameter according to further data associated with that step in the database.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer system belongs to a certain family of computer systems, and wherein the step of reading the plurality of steps includes the step of joining a first database table containing all components belonging to the certain family with a second database table containing all software installation and/or testing steps to be run on the plurality of components, wherein the joining produces an intermediate set, and joining the intermediate set with a third database table containing all software installation and/or testing steps to be run on the certain family, wherein the joining produces the said plurality of steps.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein an error condition is raised if the intermediate set is empty.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one respective component is a hardware component.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one component is a software component.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of creating a plurality of derived objects corresponding to the plurality of component descriptors.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of preparing environment variable corresponding to the plurality of components.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of writing the step sequence to a non volatile storage media configured to accompany the computer system during manufacture.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the step sequence is adapted to provide for commands repeatable for a defined length of time.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the step sequence is adapted to provide for commands repeatable for a defined number of iterations.