System, method, and program for providing an object-oriented install architecture

• US 6,347,397 B1
• Filed: 03/29/1999
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Curtis, Bryce Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US09/280,352
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 717/1, 717/11, 707/203, 707/204
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

An install system, method, and program for installing a given program utilizes a containment structure having a fileset object for the program or several fileset objects for various parts of a program. Each fileset object contains install objects. An install object may be a file object, registry object, shortcut object, directory object, permissions object, library file object, dependency object, folder objects or other objects. Each fileset and install object contains the means for installing itself, uninstalling itself, logging itself to a file and recreating itself from a log file. The install process includes defining and building up a program object, for the program, which contains fileset objects which contain install objects. Install is called on the program object which effectuates an install call on each of the filesets and install objects. For each fileset object, a log is created. Then, each install object for a fileset logs itself to the particular log file of that fileset. When the fileset is finished being installed, the log file is closed. To uninstall, each fileset and the corresponding install objects are recreated by using the particular log file of the fileset object. Uninstall is called on the recreated fileset, and the install objects that were installed are uninstalled. In a preferred embodiment, the install program can be utilized across any one of many operating systems. During an install or uninstall method, platform specific code is called to perform platform specific operations or procedures on the filesets/objects.

Claims

1. An install program, on a computer usable medium, comprising:

at least one fileset object;

a plurality of install objects for each fileset; and

means within each fileset object and each install object for installing itself, uninstalling itself, logging itself to a file and recreating itself from a log file.

2. The install program of claim 1 further comprising means, within the fileset object, for enabling an install of a later version of a program on top of an earlier version of the program and having the earlier version automatically available when the later version is uninstalled.

3. The install program of claim 1 wherein each of the at least fileset object contains a method for enabling a user to selectively uninstall a given one of the at least one fileset whereby only the selected fileset is uninstalled without uninstalling an entire program.

4. An install program, on a computer usable medium, comprising:

a plurality of filesets;

at least one install object for each fileset;

an install method for installing each install object and fileset by using means within each fileset and install object for installing itself;

means within each fileset and install object for writing itself to a log after being installed;

an uninstall method for uninstalling each install object and fileset by using means within each fileset and install object for uninstalling itself;

means, within the install method, for calling platform specific code to perform platform specific operations on at least one of the filesets and install objects;

means within the platform specific code for overriding install for a specific object of a fileset;

means, within the uninstall method, for calling platform specific code to perform platform specific operations on at least one of the filesets and install objects; and

means within the platform specific code for overriding uninstall for specific object of a fileset.

5. A computer implemented method for installing a program onto computer storage, the method comprising:

defining and building up a program object, for the program, containing at least one fileset object, for at least a part of the program, which contains a plurality of install objects;

calling install on the program object thereby effectuating an install call on each of the at least one fileset object and each of the install objects;

for each fileset object;

i) creating, by the fileset, a log;

ii) logging, by each of the install objects, itself to the particular log file of the fileset object;

iii) closing the log for a given fileset after the given fileset is done being installed; and

repeating steps i), ii) and iii) for each fileset.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5 further comprising:

recreating each fileset and the install objects by using the particular log file of the fileset object;

calling uninstall on the recreated fileset; and

uninstalling the plurality of install objects that were installed.

7. A computer system having means for installing a program onto computer storage of the computer, the system comprising:

means for defining and building up at least one fileset;

means for defining and building up at least one install object for each fileset;

an install method for installing each install object and fileset by using means within each fileset and install object for installing itself;

means within each fileset and install object for writing itself to a log after being installed;

an uninstall method for uninstalling each install object and fileset by using means within each fileset and install object for uninstalling itself;

a plurality of platform specific code modules for performing functions for any one of a plurality of operating systems that may be running on the computer system;

means, within the install method, for calling a given platform specific code to perform platform specific operations on at least one of the filesets and install objects;

means, within the given platform specific code for overriding install for a specific object of a fileset;

means, within the uninstall method, for calling the given platform specific code to perform platform specific operations on at least one of the filesets and install objects; and

means within the given platform specific code for overriding uninstall for a specific object of a fileset.

8. A computer system for installing a program onto computer storage of the computer:

means for defining and building at least one fileset object;

means for defining and building a plurality of install objects for each fileset; and

means within each fileset object and install object for installing itself, uninstalling itself, logging itself to a file and recreating itself from a log file.

9. An install program, on a computer usable medium, comprising:

at least one fileset object;

a plurality of install objects for each fileset; and

means within each fileset object and each install object for installing itself.

10. A computer system for installing a program onto computer storage of the computer:

means for defining and building at least one fileset object;

means for defining and building a plurality of install objects for each fileset; and

means within each fileset object and install object for installing itself.