System and method for assessing the need for installing software patches in a computer system

• US 6,363,524 B1
• Filed: 09/10/1999
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Loy, Eric W
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Application Number:
  US09/393,904
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 717/3, 717/4, 717/11, 707/200, 707/201, 707/203, 707/204, 707/205, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223, 714/2, 714/15, 713/100
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

The present invention is generally directed to a system and method for critical patches for installation on a given computer system. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the method includes the steps of obtaining an identification of installed components on the computer system, and obtaining a list of all relevant patches for the installed components. The method further generates a Boolean logic expression for each relevant patch, and evaluates each Boolean logic expression to determine a minimal set of patches to be installed, which minimal set of patches include all patches for all critical errors. In essence, a database containing all patch information for a given family, or all families, of software components of a computer system may be accessed, and a Boolean logic expression may be constructed for a given family of patches. Specifically, the Boolean logic expression may express which patches (or alternative patch configurations) should be installed in order to have all critical defects effectively patched. In one embodiment, the system may evaluate the current configuration of a given computer system to determine what patches are presently installed, and determine the fewest additional patches that need to be installed to correct or repair all critical defects in the family, or families, of software.

Claims

1. A method for identifying critical patches for installation on a given computer system comprising the steps of:

obtaining an identification of installed components on the computer system;

obtaining a list of all relevant patches for the installed components;

generating a Boolean logic expression for each relevant patch, the Boolean logic expression identifying other relevant patches which are recommended for installation; and

evaluating each Boolean logic expression to determine a minimal set of patches to be installed, which minimal set of patches include all patches for all critical errors.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining an identification of installed components on the computer system includes manually identifying each installed component.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining an identification of installed components on the computer system includes executing a program that evaluates a system configuration of the computer system.

4. A method for determining whether a given software patch is a critical patch that is recommended for installation on a given computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining patch information for a family of patches that are related to the given software patch;

obtaining an identification of patches within the family of patches that are currently installed on the computer system;

identifying a predecessor list, wherein the predecessor list includes a sequence of patches in the family of patches that precede the given software patch;

constructing a Boolean logic expression of the family of patches, wherein critical patches are ANDed in the Boolean logic expression and supercedes critical patches are ORed in the Boolean logic expression; and

evaluating the Boolean logic expression with reference to obtained currently installed patches.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of obtaining an identification of patches currently installed on the computer system includes manually identifying each installed patch.

6. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of obtaining an identification of patches currently installed on the computer system includes executing a program that evaluates a system configuration of the computer system.

7. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of obtaining an obtaining patch information for a family of patches includes the step of retrieving information from a database.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the step of retrieving information from a database includes retrieving associated patch records from the database.

9. The method as defined in claim 4, further including the step of constructing the predecessor list from relational information contained within patch records stored in a database.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the relational information includes a link with a predecessor patch.

11. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of constructing the Boolean logic expression of the family of patches includes the step of constructing a successor list for each patch within the predecessor list, the successor list containing an identification of all patches within the family of patches that follow a given patch.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the step of constructing the Boolean logic expression includes the step of evaluating each patch in the predecessor list to determine whether all successor vectors contain only the given patch.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the step of constructing the Boolean logic expression further determining, for a given patch having all successor vectors containing only the given patch, whether the given patch is a critical patch.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, further including the step of ANDing the given patch into the Boolean logic expression, if the given patch is a critical patch.

15. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the step of constructing the Boolean logic expression further determining, for a given patch having all successor vectors containing only the given patch, whether the given patch is a supercedes critical patch.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, further including the step of ORing the given patch into the Boolean logic expression, if the given patch is a supercedes critical patch.

17. A computer readable medium containing program code for determining whether a given software patch is a critical patch that is recommended for installation on a given computer system comprising:

a segment for obtaining patch information for a family of patches that are related to the given software patch;

a segment for obtaining an identification of patches within the family of patches that are currently installed on the computer system;

a segment for identifying a predecessor list, wherein the predecessor list includes a sequence of patches in the family of patches that precede the given software patch;

a segment for constructing a Boolean logic expression of the family of patches, wherein critical patches are ANDed in the Boolean logic expression and supercedes critical patches are ORed in the Boolean logic expression; and

a segment for evaluating the Boolean logic expression with reference to obtained currently installed patches.

18. A computer system including the computer readable medium as defined in claim 17.