Automatic system configuration management

• US 6,944,759 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Crisan, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): DU, THUAN N
• Application Number:
  US09/675,532
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 709/200, 709/220, 709/221, 710/104, 714/47, 714/46, 714/25, 717/151, 717/152, 717/153, 717/154, 702/123, 702/182, 324/512
• US Class Current: 713/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

An automatic configuration system automatically analyzes a user'"'"'s computer system configuration and recommends a more optimal configuration of components. The system determines the hardware and software components currently contained in the user'"'"'s computer including versions of hardware and software components. The system uses a knowledge base of previously identified problems to determine an overall problem index value for the user'"'"'s particular configuration. Generally, the overall problem index value is generally indicative of the quantity and/or severity of the problems associated with the user'"'"'s computer. The automatic configuration system then varies the configuration (e.g., the versions of software) and determines a new overall problem index value for each variation. The system selects the configuration with the lowest overall problem index value, which generally will have the fewest and/or less severe problems and recommends that configuration to the user.

Claims

1. A method of improving a configuration of a computer system, comprising:

(a) determining a current configuration of the computer system, said configuration including hardware and software component information, the information including version information;

(b) determining an overall problem index value associated with the current configuration, said overall problem index value providing a relative indication of the problems in the computer system;

(c) varying the configuration of the computer system; and

(d) determining an overall problem index value for the configuration as varied in (c).

2. The method of claim 1 further including:

(e) repeating (c) and (d) and selecting the configuration that has the lowest overall problem index value.

3. The method of claim 2 further including recommending that a user reconfigure the system to match the configuration selected in (e).

4. The method of claim 3 wherein (c) includes varying the version of each software application in the configuration determined in (a).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein (c) includes varying the version of each software application in the configuration determined in (a).

6. The method of claim 5 wherein (c) does not include varying the version of the hardware components.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein (b) and (d) includes selecting individual problem index values from a knowledge base.

8. The method of claim 7 further including adding together said individual problem index values to determine said overall problem index value for the configuration.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said overall problem index value is an indication of the number of problems associated with said configuration.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said overall problem index value is an indication of the severity of problems associated with said configuration.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said overall problem index value is an indication of the number of problems and the severity of the problems associated with said configuration.

12. A computer system, comprising:

a configuration management module;

a knowledge base that interacts with said configuration management module; and

said configuration management module receives a current configuration of the computer system, determines an overall problem index value associated with the current configuration, and determines a configuration that has fewer problems than the current configuration.

13. The computer system of claim 12 wherein the configuration management module further varies the configuration of the computer system to produce a new configuration and determines an overall problem index value for the new configuration.

14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein said configuration management module selects the configuration that has the lowest overall problem index value.

15. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said configuration management module recommends that a user reconfigure the system to match the configuration selected as having the lowest overall problem index value.

16. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the configuration includes software and wherein said configuration management module varies the version of each software application in the configuration.

17. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the configuration includes software and wherein said configuration management module varies the version of each software application in the configuration.

18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein said configuration management module varies does not vary the version of the hardware components.

19. The computer system of claim 12 wherein said configuration management module determines the overall problem index value by selecting individual problem index values from a knowledge base.

20. The computer system of claim 19 wherein said configuration management module adds together said individual problem index values to determine said overall problem index value for the configuration.

21. The computer system of claim 13 wherein said overall problem index value is an indication of the number of problems associated with said configuration.

22. The computer system of claim 12 wherein said overall problem index value is an indication of the severity of problems associated with said configuration.

23. The computer system of claim 12 wherein said overall problem index value is an indication of the number of problems and the severity of the problems associated with said configuration.

24. The computer system of claim 12 wherein said knowledge base includes a collection of problems that have been identified for various hardware or software components.