Workstation deployment

• US 7,181,512 B1
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Patton, Daniel E., Markey, Peter, Esbenshade, John F., Radack, Jeffrey P., Lesher, Richard E., Schuenzel, Karl M.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US10/139,759
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 709200-203, 709220-226
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Deployment of a workstation includes receiving data related to the computing environment of workstations, organizing the workstations into groups based on at least one selectable common attribute among the data, and producing a deployment schedule based on the groups.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving data related to computing environments of a plurality of workstations;

organizing the workstations into groups based on at least one selectable common attribute among the received data; and

producing a deployment schedule based on the received data and comprising at least one of the groups, the deployment schedule defining a time frame during which the workstations organized into the at least one of the groups are to receive a deployment and including an entry indicating availability of a program to be used in producing the deployment schedule and an entry indicating a time period during the time frame in each of the workstations is to receive a program;

maintaining the deployment schedule on a database;

providing a new computing environment to the workstations, the new computing environment including at least one of an operating system, application program, or device drivers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes at least one of an organizational entity associated with the workstations, a geographic location of the workstations, or the hardware or software residing on the workstations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the common attribute among the received data includes at least one of an organizational entity associated with the workstations, a geographic location of the workstations, or the hardware or software residing on the workstations.

4. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations comprising;

receive data related to a computing environment comprising a plurality of workstations;

organize the workstations into groups based on at least one selectable common attribute among the received data; and

produce a deployment schedule comprising a new computer environment for the workstation, the deployment schedule based on the received data and comprising at least one of the groups, the deployment schedule defining a time frame during which the workstations organized into the at least one of the groups are to receive a deployment and including an entry indicating availability of a program to be used in producing the deployment schedule and an entry indicating a time period during the time frame in which each of the workstations is to receive a program; and

a database to maintain the deployment schedule;

wherein the new computing environment includes at least one of a operating system, application program, or device drivers.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data includes at least one of an organizational entity associated with the workstations, a geographic location of the workstations, or the hardware or software residing on the workstations.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the common attribute among the received data includes at least one of an organizational entity associated with the workstations, a geographic location of the workstations, or the hardware or software residing on the workstations.

7. An article comprising a computer-readable medium that stores executable instructions for causing a computer system to perform operations comprising:

receive data related to a computing environment comprising a plurality of workstations;

organize the workstations into groups based on at least one selectable common attribute among the received data; and

produce a deployment schedule based on the received data and comprising at least one of the groups, the deployment schedule defining a time frame during which the workstations organized into the at least one of the groups are to receive a deployment and including an entry indicating availability of a program to be used in producing the deployment schedule and an entry indicating a time period during the time frame in which each of the workstations is to receive a program;

maintain the deployment schedule on a database;

wherein the deployment comprises a new computing environment for the workstations that includes at least one of a operating system, application program, or device drivers.

8. The article of claim 7, comprising instructions for causing the computer system to receive the data, wherein data includes at least one of an organizational entity associated with the workstations, a geographic location of the workstations, or the hardware or software residing on the workstations.

9. The article of claim 7, comprising instructions for causing the computer system to organize the received data, wherein the common attribute among the received data includes at least one of an organizational entity associated with the workstations, a geographic location of the workstations, or the hardware or software residing on the workstations.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing a system that is configured to perform operations comprising;

receive data related to a computing environment comprising a plurality of workstations;

organize the workstations into groups based on at least one selectable common attribute among the received data; and

produce a deployment schedule based on the received data and comprising at least one of the groups, the deployment schedule defining a time frame during which the workstations organized into the at least one of the groups are to receive a deployment and including an entry indicating availability of a program to be used in producing the deployment schedule and including an entry indicating a time period during the time frame in which each of the workstations is to receive the program;

maintaining the deployment schedule on a database;

wherein the deployment comprises a new computing environment to the workstations, wherein the new computing environment includes at least one of a operating system, application program, or device drivers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the data includes at least one of an organizational entity associated with the workstations, a geographic location of the workstations, or the hardware or software residing on the workstations.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the common attribute among the received data includes at least one of an organizational entity associated with the workstations, a geographic location of the workstations, or the hardware or software residing on the workstations.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein a graphical user interface is used for displaying or updating the deployment schedule.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to access a system that is adapted to perform operations comprising;

receive data related to a computing environment comprising a plurality of workstations;

organize the workstations into groups based on at least one selectable common attribute among the received data; and

produce a deployment schedule based on the received data and maintained on a database, the deployment schedule comprising at least one of the groups, the deployment schedule defining a time frame during which the workstations organized into the at least one of the groups are to receive a deployment, and including an entry indicating availability of a program to be used in producing the deployment schedule and including an entry indicating a time period during the time frame in which each of the workstations is to receive a program, and wherein the deployment comprises a new computing environment for the workstations, and wherein the new computing environment includes at least one of a operating system, application program, or device drivers.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the common attribute among the data includes at least one of an organizational entity associated with the workstations, a geographic location of the workstations, or the hardware or software residing on the workstations.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a graphical user interface is used for displaying or updating the deployment schedule.

17. A system comprising:

a plurality of workstations each having a computing environment; and

a server computer coupled to the plurality of workstations over a network, wherein the server computer is configured to perform operations comprising;

receive from the workstations data related to the respective computing environments of the workstations;

organize the workstations into groups based on at least one selectable common attribute among the received data;

produce a deployment schedule based on the received data and comprising at least one of the groups, the deployment schedule defining a time frame during which the workstations organized into the at least one of the groups are to receive a new computing environment, and including an entry indicating availability of a program to be used in producing the deployment schedule, and including an entry indicating a time period during the time frame in which each of the workstations is to receive a program; and

provide a new computing environment to at least one of the workstations; and

a database to maintain the deployment schedule;

wherein the new computing environment includes at least one of an operating system, application program, or device drivers.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the data includes at least one of an organizational entity associated with the workstations, a geographic location of the workstations, or the hardware or software residing on the workstations.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the common attribute among the received data includes at least one of an organizational entity associated with the workstations, a geographic location of the workstations, or the hardware or software residing on the workstations.

20. The system of claim 17, the server computer further comprising a graphical user interface for displaying or updating the deployment schedule.