Apparatus for journaling during software deployment and method therefor

• US 6,604,237 B1
• Filed: 12/14/1999
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Giammaria, Alberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US09/460,854
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168, 717/170, 717/171, 717/172, 717/173, 717/174, 717/176, 717/177, 717/178, 717/116, 717/120, 717/108, 717/175, 707/203, 707/511
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically generating a log, or journal, during the deployment of software packages to client systems on a network are implemented. The logs may be used to verify the deployment and facilitate selectively deployment of components not successfully deployed. The mechanism rests on an object-oriented architecture that provides a multiplicity of actions that effects software management operations on the target system. The actions are implemented as methods within the object oriented architecture. In this way, each software element, for example, registry entries, files, directories, etc., which may be implicated in a software deployment are treated on an equal footing. The mechanism automatically generates a log file based on the actions contained within the particular deployment package.

Claims

1. A journaling method comprising the steps of:

executing an action;

determining if said action was successful;

writing a plurality of information values in a file in response to said step of determining if said action was successful;

determining if said action includes a condition;

if said action includes a condition, determining if said condition failed; and

bypassing said steps of executing said action, determining if said action was successful and writing said plurality of information if said condition failed.

2. A method of the claim 1 further comprising:

determining if a backup object exists in response to a failure of said action; and

restoring a target system using said backup object.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of repeating said executing, determining and writing steps for a plurality of actions included in a software deployment package.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of information values includes an object source path and an object target path.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the action is an object of an action class, and wherein the action class includes a plurality of methods, a first method of the plurality comprising a method operable for executing the action, and a second method of the plurality of methods operable for verifying that it is possible to execute the action.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the action class includes a check subclass, a method of the check subclass comprising a method operable for performing a check as a condition precedent to executing the action.

7. A program product embodied in a storage medium including programming for journaling comprising instructions for:

executing an action;

determining if said action was successful;

writing a plurality of information values in a file in response to said step of determining if said action was successful;

determining if said action includes a condition;

if said action includes a condition, determining if said condition failed; and

bypassing said steps of executing said action, determining if said action was successful and writing said plurality of information if said condition failed.

8. The program product of claim 7 further comprising instructions for:

determining if a backup object exists in response to a failure of said action; and

restoring a target system using said backup object.

9. The program product of claim 7 further comprising instructions for repeating said executing, determining and writing steps for a plurality of actions included in a software deployment package.

10. The program product of claim 7 wherein said plurality of information values includes an object source path and an object target path.

11. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the action is an object of an action class, and wherein the action class includes a plurality of methods, a first method of the plurality comprising a method operable for executing the action, and a second method of the plurality of methods operable for verifying that it is possible to execute the action.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the action class includes a check subclass, a method of the check subclass comprising a method operable for performing a check as a condition precedent to executing the action.

13. A data processing system comprising:

circuitry operable for executing an action;

circuitry operable for determining if said action was successful; and

circuitry operable for writing a plurality of information values in a file in response to said step of determining if said action was successful;

circuitry operable for determining if a backup object exists in response to a failure of said action; and

circuitry operable for restoring a target system using said backup object.

14. A data processing system comprising:

circuitry operable for executing an action;

circuitry operable for determining if said action was successful; and

circuitry operable for writing a plurality of information values in a file in response to said step of determining if said action was successful;

circuitry operable for determining if said action includes a condition;

circuitry operable for, if said action includes a condition, determining if said condition failed; and

circuitry operable for bypassing said steps of executing said action, determining if said action was successful and writing said plurality of information if said condition failed.

15. The data processing system of claim 14 further comprising circuitry operable for repeating said executing, determining and writing steps for a plurality of actions included in a software deployment package.

16. The data processing system of claim 14 wherein said plurality of information values includes an object source path and an object target path.

17. The data processing system of claim 14 wherein the action is an object of an action class, and wherein the action class includes a plurality of methods, a first method of the plurality comprising a method operable for executing the action, and a second method of the plurality of methods operable for verifying that it is possible to execute the action.