Method and system for user-specific management of applications in a heterogeneous server environment

• US 6,446,071 B1
• Filed: 04/26/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Callaway, Janet Roberts, Smith, Stanley Alan, Morganti, Denise Ann, Reichek, David Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/299,951
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9, 707/10, 707/200, 709/220, 713/100, 713/201, 712/11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A method and system for user-specific management of applications in a heterogeneous server environment is provided. A user may be assigned access to an application, and a user-application definition linking the selected user and the selected application is associatively stored with applications files for the selected application in a datastore on a heterogeneous server. The user-application definition may provide manageability of an application for a user of a Windows-based data processing system from a non-Windows-based server. The user-application definition may also be associatively stored with an application package that comprises user files, system files, user registries, or system registries that are used to configure a client for executing the application. The client may be configured by serving a Windows-based application specified by the user-application definition in the datastore from a non-Windows-based server to a Windows-based client.

Claims

1. A method for managing configuration information for a data processing system, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

selecting a user;

selecting an application; and

associatively storing a user-application definition linking the selected user and the selected application with applications files for the selected application in a datastore on a heterogeneous server, wherein the user-application definition is used to configure the a client for executing the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-application definition provides manageability of an application for a user of a Windows-based data processing system from a non-Windows-based server.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

associatively storing an application package with the user-application definition, wherein the application package comprises user files, system files, user registries, or system registries that are used to configure a client for executing the application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the heterogeneous server is a non-Windows-based server.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

managing access rights for accessibility to Windows-based applications on a non-Windows-based server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a Windows-based application may be a Windows 95 application, a Windows 98 application, or a Windows NT application.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

serving a Windows-based application specified by the user-application definition in the datastore from a non-Windows-based server to a Windows-based client.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

enumerating application information for all user-application definitions stored in the datastore for the selected user.

9. A method for managing configuration information for a data processing system, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

selecting a user;

selecting a Windows-based application; and

associatively storing a user-application definition linking the selected user and the selected application with applications files for the selected application in a datastore on a non-Windows-based server, wherein the user-application definition provides manageability of an application for a user of a Windows-based data processing system from the non-Windows-based server, wherein the user-application definition is used to configure the a client for executing the application.

10. An apparatus for managing configuration information for a data processing system, the apparatus comprising:

first selecting means for selecting a user;

second selecting means for selecting an application; and

storing means for associatively storing a user-application definition linking the selected user and the selected application with applications files for the selected application in a datastore on a heterogeneous server, wherein the user-application definition is used to configure the a client for executing the application.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user-application definition provides manageability of an application for a user of a Windows-based data processing system from a non-Windows-based server.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

second storing means for associatively storing an application package with the user-application definition, wherein the application package comprises user files, system files, user registries, or system registries that are used to configure a client for executing the application.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the heterogeneous server is a non-Windows-based server.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

managing means for managing access rights for accessibility to Windows-based applications on a non-Windows-based server.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a Windows-based application may be a Windows 95 application, a Windows 98 application, or a Windows NT application.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

serving means for serving a Windows-based application specified by the user-application definition in the datastore from a non-Windows-based server to a Windows-based client.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

enumerating means for enumerating application information for all user-application definitions stored in the datastore for the selected user.

18. A computer program product on a computer-readable medium for managing configuration information for a data processing system, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for selecting a user;

second instructions for selecting a Windows-based application; and

third instructions for associatively storing a user-application definition linking the selected user and the selected application with applications files for the selected application in a datastore on a non-Windows-based server, wherein the user-application definition provides manageability of an application for a user of a Windows-based data processing system from the non-Windows-based server, wherein the user-application definition is used to configure the a client for executing the application.

19. A computer program product on a computer-readable medium for managing configuration information for a data processing system, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for selecting a user;

second instructions for selecting an application; and

third instructions for associatively storing a user-application definition linking the selected user and the selected application with applications files for the selected application in a datastore on a heterogeneous server, wherein the user-application definition is used to configure the a client for executing the application.