Method and system for remote software distribution and installation

• US 7,130,896 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2001
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Engel, Gerhard, Heinrich, Uwe
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Khanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHILLIPS, HASSAN A
• Application Number:
  US10/028,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20020078186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,778 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709220-223, 717/171, 717/172, 717/173, 717/174
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A mechanism for the remote distribution/installation of computer programs from a source to a number of target computers. The computer programs are transferred as packages identified in a package list. Attempt numbers for retrying a push mode and a pull mode distribution are pre-specified. A next package is identified in the package list and it is checked if a target computer is available. If it is available then installation of the package on the target computer is started. Otherwise, if at least one push mode attempt is left, a next push mode is resumed and rescheduled and, if no push mode attempt is left, but at least one pull mode attempt is left, a next pull mode distribution is resumed and rescheduled. The mechanism particularly proposes a queue manager that activates a request, i.e., moves the request from a request queue into an active queue, and has implemented throttling that balances the load during a software distribution/installation.

Claims

1. A method for remote distribution/installation of computer programs from a source data processing system to at least one target data processing system based on at least two distribution/installation modes, comprising:

checking if the at least one target data processing system is available;

performing distribution/installation according to one of the at least two distribution/installation modes, if the at least one target data processing system is available;

monitoring if the distribution/installation is successful;

switching the distribution/installation mode if the distribution/installation is not successful, wherein the computer programs are transferred as packages which are identified in a package list;

pre-specifying attempt numbers for retrying a push-mode distribution and a pull-mode distribution;

retrieving a next package identified in the package list; and

checking if the at least one target data processing system is available;

if the at least one target data processing system is available then starting installation of the package on the target data processing system;

otherwise, if at least one push-mode attempt is left, resuming and rescheduling a next push-mode distribution and, if no push-mode attempt is left, but at least one pull-mode attempt is left, resuming and rescheduling a next pull-mode distribution.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the target data processing system is not available after several retries, performing the further particular steps of:

if the number of push retries is greater than 0, moving a distribution/installation request into a hold queue and scheduling re-insertion of the request into a request queue;

if the number of push retries is equal 0 and the number of pull retries is greater than 0, moving the request into a pull queue and restarting when the target computer system logs in; and

if the number of push retries is equal 0 and the number of pull retries is equal 0, moving the request into an abort queue.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising queuing a distribution/installation request in a request queue and setting the distribution/installation request into an active queue when a pre-specified time is exceeded.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising detecting an active queue overload and checking if a currently selected target data processing system is already active.

5. A data processing program for execution in a data processing system comprising software code portions for performing a method according to claim 2 when said program is run on said computer.

6. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium, comprising computer readable program means for causing a computer to perform a method according to claim 2 when said program is run on said computer.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising queuing a distribution/installation request in a request queue and setting the distribution/installation request into an active queue when a pre-specified time is exceeded.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting an active queue overload and checking if a currently selected target data processing system is already active.

9. A data processing program for execution in a data processing system comprising software code portions for performing a method according to claim 1 when said program is run on said computer.

10. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium, comprising computer readable program means for causing a computer to perform a method according to claim 1 when said program is run on said computer.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising queuing a distribution/installation request in a request queue and setting the distribution/installation request into an active queue when a pre-specified time is exceeded.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting an active queue overload and checking if a currently selected target data processing system is already active.