Installing software on a mobile computing device using the rollback and security features of a configuration manager

• US 6,993,760 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shell, Scott R., Dang, Hung M., Peev, Igor B., Savage, Kevin J., Hofmeister, Nicholas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUTTEN, JAMES D
• Application Number:
  US10/005,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20030121033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 717174-178, 717/136, 714/100, 714/2, 714/15, 714/37, 714/38, 714/48, 707/202, 704/15
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Installing software using the configuration manager so that the rollback and security features of the configuration manager may be used during the installation process. A mobile computing device accesses files that are to be installed on the mobile computing device, and well as computer-executable instructions that define how the files are to be installed on the mobile computing device. The configuration manager then causes the computer-executable instructions to be executed (e.g., using configuration service providers), and causes a mirroring rollback document to be constructed. If the installation fails, the installation process is reversed by executing the rollback document. The configuration manager may also be used to implement security when executing the installation instructions by checking to determine whether or not execution of each installation instruction is authorized.

Claims

1. In a network environment that includes a source of a set of computer-executable instructions, and a plurality of mobile computing devices, a method for at least one of the mobile computing devices installing the set of computer-executable instructions as a transaction using rollback features of a configuration manager residing on the mobile computing device, wherein the configuration manager is configured for changing and managing configuration settings of the mobile computing device, the method comprising the following:

an act of the mobile computing device accessing at least a version of at least one file that is to be installed on the mobile computing device;

an act of the mobile computing device accessing computer-executable installation instructions that define how the at least one file is to be installed on the mobile computing device;

passing the installation instructions to the configuration manager, wherein the installation instructions are structured according to a schema associated with the configuration manager so as to be directly interpretable by the configuration manager which is associated with the mobile computing device, and such that the configuration manager is enabled to parsed both configuration setting instructions as well as file operation instructions included in the installation instructions;

an act of the configuration manager causing the installation instructions to be executed, by at least one of either executing the installation instructions or parsing the installation instructions and sending the parsed installation instructions to one or more configuration service providers; and

an act of the configuration manager causing a rollback document to be constructed.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the following:

an act of the mobile computer device determining whether or not the installation instructions would be successful and prior to executing the installation instructions.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the act of the mobile computer device determining whether or not the installation instructions would be successful comprises the following:

an act of querying a plurality of configuration service providers that would each perform some of the installation instructions as to whether or not the installation would be successful with respect to their corresponding installation instructions.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, further comprising the following:

an act of determining, based on the result of the query, that installation would be successful; and

an act of committing a transaction involving the execution of the installation instructions as a whole.

5. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the act of the mobile computer device determining whether or not the installation instructions would be successful comprises the following:

an act of determining that the installation instructions have been successfully executed.

6. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the act of the mobile computer device determining whether or not the installation instructions would be successful comprises the following:

an act of determining that the installation instructions have failed to be executed as a whole; and

an act of reversing the installation process by executing the rollback document.

7. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the determination as to whether the installation instructions will be successful is determined at least in part based on the use of a role mask.

8. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the installation instructions are committed by the configuration manager only upon first determining that execution of the installation instructions will be successful.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the mobile computing device accessing at least a version of at least one file that is to be installed on the mobile computing device comprises the following:

an act of the mobile computing device accessing a compressed version of the at least one file that is to be installed on the mobile computing device; and

an act of the mobile computing device decompressing the compressed version of the at least one file that is to be installed on the mobile computing device.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the mobile computing device accessing at least a version of at least one file that is to be installed on the mobile computing device comprises the following:

an act of the mobile computing device accessing an uncompressed version of the at least one file that is to be installed on the mobile computing device.

11. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the mobile computing device accessing installation instructions that define how the at least one file is to be installed on the mobile computing device comprises the following:

an act of the mobile computing device accessing installation instructions that are structured in accordance with a schema that is interpretable by the configuration manager.

12. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the mobile computing device accessing installation instructions that define how the at least one file is to be installed on the mobile computing device comprises the following:

an act of the mobile computing device accessing installation instructions that are structured in accordance with eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

13. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the mobile computing device accessing installation instructions that define how the at least one file is to be installed on the mobile computing device comprises the following:

an act of the mobile computing device accessing at least one installation instruction to extract a compressed version of a file.

14. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the mobile computing device accessing installation instructions that define how the at least one file is to be installed on the mobile computing device comprises the following:

an act of the mobile computing device accessing at least one installation instruction to move a file from a source directory location to a destination directory location.

15. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the mobile computing device accessing installation instructions that define how the at least one file is to be installed on the mobile computing device comprises the following:

an act of the mobile computing device accessing at least one installation instruction to copy a file from a source directory location to a destination directory location.

16. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the mobile computing device accessing installation instructions that define how the at least one file is to be installed on the mobile computing device comprises the following:

an act of the mobile computing device accessing at least one installation instruction to delete a file.

17. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the mobile computing device accessing installation instructions that define how the at least one file is to be installed on the mobile computing device comprises the following:

an act of the mobile computing device accessing at least one installation instruction to alter a configuration setting.

18. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the configuration manager causing the installation instructions to be executed comprises the following:

an act of the configuration manager directly executing the installation instructions.

19. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the configuration manager causing the installation instructions to be executed comprises the following:

an act of the configuration manager causing at least one module to execute the installation instructions.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the act of the configuration manager causing the at least one other module to execute the installation instructions comprises the following:

an act of the configuration manager passing file commands to a file configuration service provider.

21. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the act of the configuration manager causing the at least one other module to execute the installation instructions comprises the following:

an act of the configuration manager passing configuration commands to a registry configuration service provider.

22. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the configuration manager causing a rollback document to be constructed comprises the following:

an act of the configuration manager including a pre-installation state in the rollback document.

23. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the act of the configuration manager including a pre-installation state in the rollback document comprises the following:

for each installation instruction to alter a file, an act of backing up the original version of the file.

24. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of the configuration manager including a pre-installation state in the rollback document comprises the following:

for each installation instruction to alter a configuration setting from an original value to an altered value, an act of backing up the original value of the configuration setting.

25. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein construction of the rollback document includes:

receiving a provisioning document;

based on the provisioning document, identifying corresponding configuration service providers that will need to be instantiated to execute the installation instructions;

identifying, from the configuration service providers, files and data that may be altered during execution of the installation instructions; and

creating a rollback document which comprises a current state of the identified files and data.

26. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a wireless telephone or PDA.

27. A computer program product for use in a network environment that includes a source of set of computer-executable instructions, and a plurality of mobile computing devices, the computer program product for implementing a method for at least one of the mobile computing devices installing the set of computer-executable instructions as a transaction using rollback features of a configuration manager residing on the mobile computing device, wherein the configuration manager is configured for changing and managing configuration settings of the mobile computing device, the computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable media having stored thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for accessing at least a version of at least one file that is to be installed on the mobile computing device;

computer-executable instructions for accessing computer-executable installation instructions that define how the at least one file is to be installed on the mobile computing device;

computer-executable instructions for passing the installation instructions to the configuration manager, wherein the installation instructions are structured according to a schema associated with the configuration manager so as to be directly interpretable by the configuration manager associated with the mobile computing device, and such that the configuration manager is enabled to parse both configuration setting instructions as well as file operation instructions included in the installation instructions;

computer-executable instructions for causing the installation instructions to be executed, by at least one of either executing the installation instructions or parsing the installation instructions and sending the parsed installation instructions to one or more configuration service providers;

computer-executable instructions for causing a rollback document to be constructed; and

computer-executable instructions for determining whether or not the installation instructions would be successful prior to executing the installation instructions.

28. A computer program product in accordance with claim 27, wherein the at least one computer-readable media are physical storage media.

29. A computer program product in accordance with claim 27, wherein the computer-executable instructions for causing a rollback document to be constructed comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for including computer-executable instructions in the rollback document that are also directly interpretable by the configuration manager.

30. A computer program product in accordance with claim 27, wherein the computer-executable instructions for determining whether or not the installation instructions would be successful comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for determining tat the installation instructions have been successfully executed as a whole.

31. A computer program product in accordance with claim 27, wherein the computer-executable instructions for determining whether or not the installation instructions would be successful comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for determining that the installation instructions have failed to be executed as a whole; and

computer-executable instructions for reversing the installation process by executing the rollback document.