Administrative tool environment

• US 7,243,344 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Snover, Jeffrey P., Payette, Bruce G., Wray, Daryl W., Truher, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAVIS, JOHN Q
• Application Number:
  US10/882,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20050091258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 717/143
• US Class Current: 717/143
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

In an administrative tool environment, user input is supplied to an administrative tool framework for processing. The administrative tool framework maps user input to cmdlet objects. The cmdlet objects describe a grammar for parsing the user input and input objects to obtain expected input parameters. The input objects are emitted by one cmdlet and are available as input to another cmdlet. The input objects may be any precisely parseable input, such as .NET objects, plain strings, XML documents, and the like. The input objects are not live objects. The cmdlets may operate within the same process. Alternatively, one cmdlet may operate locally while another cmdlet operates remotely. The cmdlets may be provided by the administrative tool framework or may be provided by third party developers. The user input may be supplied to the framework via a host cmdlet.

Claims

1. At least one computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions that provide a framework for automating administrative tasks, the framework comprising:

a parser component configured to parse input and to identify at least one cmdlet based on the input; and

an engine component configured to populate a parameter associated with the cmdlet using information from an input source, and to execute the cmdlet to generate a precisely parseable stream, wherein the input source comprises the precisely parseable stream emitted from another cmdlet and wherein the precisely parseable stream does not comprise a live object.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising a host component configured to supply the input about at least one command.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the host component supplies the input directly to the parser component.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the host component supplies the input using a host cmdlet that is processed as one of the cmdlets within the engine component.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the cmdlet includes a base cmdlet that provides a common utility that operates on a plurality of data types.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the cmdlet includes a host cmdlet that provides a system utility.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the parameter being associated with the cmdlet comprises a parameter declaration for the parameter within the cmdlet.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the parameter being associated with the cmdlet comprises a reference to an external source defining the parameter.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the cmdlet includes a provider cmdlet that provides functionality associated with an application.

10. At least one computer-readable medium containing instructions that perform the following when executed by one or more computers:

receiving input;

associating a cmdlet with the input, the cmdlet identifying at least one expected input parameter;

for each expected input parameter that specifies obtaining data from the input, populating the expected input parameter with data from the input; and

for each expected input parameter that specifies obtaining information from an input stream to the cmdlet, populating the expected input parameter based on the information, executing the cmdlet to generate an object stream based on the information and the data, and emitting the object stream, wherein the input stream comprises the object stream emitted by another cmdlet and wherein the object stream does not comprise a live object.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the input object comprises a .NET object, an XML document, or an Active Directory Object.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the cmdlet and the other cmdlet operate in a same process.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the cmdlet operates in a local process and the other cmdlet operates in a remote process.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the input comprises a string.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the input comprises a script.

16. A system that provides an administrative tool framework for automating administrative tasks, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the memory being allocated for a plurality of computer-executable instructions which are loaded into the memory for execution by the processor, the computer-executable instructions providing a method for automating administrative tasks, the method comprising;

receiving input about at least one command;

parsing the input to identify one cmdlet;

populating a parameter defined within the cmdlet with information from an input source;

executing the cmdlet to generate an object stream; and

outputting the object stream, wherein the object stream does not comprise a live object.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the input source comprises the object stream generated by another cmdlet.

18. An administrative framework configured to operate on a computing device, the administrative framework comprising:

a means for receiving input;

a means for parsing the input into at least one cmdlet, the cmdlet providing a means for describing at least one expected input parameter associated with an input source;

a means for populating each expected input parameter; and

a means for processing the cmdlet in a manner such that the input source comprises an output stream generated by another cmdlet, wherein the output stream does not comprise a live object.

19. The administrative framework of claim 18, wherein the one cmdlet and the other cmdlet execute within a same process.

20. The administrative framework of claim 18, wherein the object stream comprises .NET objects.

21. The administrative framework of claim 18, wherein processing the cmdlet includes populating at least one expected input property with information obtained from the object stream.

22. The administrative framework of claim 18, wherein the at least one cmdlets includes a base cmdlet provided by the administrative framework.

23. The administrative framework of claim 18, wherein the at least one cmdlets incudes a third party cmdlet provided by a third party developer.

24. The administrative framework of claim 18, further providing a means for accessing the cmdlet on a remote computing device.

25. A computer readable medium containing instructions that perform the following when executed by a computer:

accepting user input;

converting user input to a input format recognized by an administrative tool framework; and

forwarding the input format to the administrative tool framework, the administrative tool framework configured to;

parse the input format;

instantiate a cmdlet based on the input, the cmdlet specifying an expected input parameter; and

populating the expected input parameter from an input source, the input source does not comprise a live object.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the input source comprises the input format.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the input source comprises an input stream emitted from another cmdlet.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 25, further comprising providing a host cmdlet that provides an interface between a host application and the administrative tool framework.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the user input comprises voice input.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the user input comprises a command string entered on a command line.