System and method to facilitate installation and/or removal of components

• US 7,418,700 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2001
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zimniewicz, Jeff A., Raden, Gary P., Nelson, William M., Helgeson, Ryan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yigdall; Michael J
• Application Number:
  US09/771,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20020103973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,766 Days
• Field of Search: 717/169, 717/170, 717/174, 717/175, 717/176
• US Class Current: 717/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method to facilitate installation and/or removal of components in which one of the components is a shared component. The components are installed based on a valid order, such that shared components are installed after other components have been installed. According to one aspect, one or more properties associated with a shared component may be manipulated to facilitate installation and/or removal of components, including the shared component and dependent components.

Claims

1. A system embodied on a computer readable medium, the system facilitates installation and/or removal of components that includes at least one shared component, the system comprising:

a validation engine that provides a valid order, the order referentially consistent relative to each of the components; and

an installer that controls at least one of an install and removal operation of the components based on the valid order, the installer manipulates at least one property associated with the at least one shared component to reflect dependency for the at least one shared component relative to one or more other components that depend on the shared component according to the installation or removal thereof, the at least one shared component automatically subsumes one or more installation properties associated with previously installed shared components, the at least one property further comprises a reference count having a value indicative of a number of dependent components associated with the at least one shared component, dependency-related configuration data, or combinations thereof;

wherein at least one shared component being installed and configured for a selected dependent component during a first next of installation and at least one shared component for each dependent component other than the selected component is installed during the second part of the installation, the at least one shared component for each dependent component is at least an abbreviated version of the selected dependent component.

2. The system of claim 1, the valid order identifies shared components for installation subsequent to non-shared components.

3. The system of claim 1, the installer increases the value of the reference count for each installation of the at least one shared component.

4. The system of claim 1, the installer decreases the value of the reference count in response to removal of a dependent component that depends on the at least one shared component.

5. The system of claim 1, the at least one property further comprises configuration data that indicates an operating relationship of the at least one shared component and each installed dependent component associated with the at least one shared component.

6. The system of claim 1, the installer controls installation of the at least one shared component, such that a single set of files for the at least one shared component are copied as part of the installation for use by associated dependent components.

7. The system of claim 6, the at least one shared component has associated metadata that identifies the at least one shared component as a shared component.

8. The system of claim 7, the at least one shared component requires at least one dependent component to perform a substantially useful function.

9. The system of claim 8, a runtime dependency exists between an installed dependent component and the shared component on which the dependent component depends.

10. A system that effectuates installation of components including at least one shared component, comprising:

a processor comprising;

a setup manager that controls installation of the components;

dependency manager that provides a valid installation order based on metadata associated with at least some of the components, the valid installation order generated to ensure that relative dependencies between the components are resolved prior to installation;

the setup manager causes the components to be installed according to the valid installation order during a first part of the installation, a separate shared installation of the at least one shared component being implemented for each dependent component that depends on the at least one shared component during a second part of the installation, the separate shared installation is at least an abbreviated version of the at least one shared component, the separate shared installation comprises incrementing a reference count value indicative of a number of dependent components associated with the at least one shared component, and configuring properties of the at least one shared component, which preserves properties associated with previously installed shared components.

11. The system of claim 10, the dependency manager validates a received installation order, which, upon validation of the received installation order, becomes the valid installation order.

12. The system of claim 11, when the received installation order is improper, the dependency manager creates the valid installation order.

13. The system of claim 10, metadata associated with the at least one shared component identifies the at least one shared component as a shared component.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising at least one property associated with an installed instance of the at least one shared component that reflects dependency for the at least one shared component.

15. The system of claim 10, the setup manager controls the value of the reference count as a function of each installation and removal of the at least one shared component.

16. The system of claim 10, the at least one property further comprises configuration data that indicates an operating relationship of the at least one shared component and each dependent component associated with the shared component.

17. The system of claim 10, the setup manager controls installation of the at least one shared component based on the valid installation order, such that a single set of program files for the shared component is copied as part of the installation.

18. A system embodied on a computer readable medium that facilitates installation and/or removal of components including at least one shared component, the system comprising:

a validation component that receives a list of components to be installed and/or removed and provides a valid order based on setup data, the validation component resolves all relative inter-component conflicts prior to installation and/or removal of components, the list of components to be installed and/or removed organized in an invalid order; and

a setup engine that initiates installation of each of the components according to the valid order during a first part of the installation, the shared component being installed for a first dependent component during the first part of installation, at least an abbreviated version of the shared component being installed for each other dependent component during a second part of the installation separate from the first part, the second part of the installation comprising incrementing a reference count value indicative of a number of dependent components associated with the at least one shared component, and configuring properties of the shared component, which automatically retains a property associated with a previously installed shared component.

19. A system that facilitates installation and/or removal of components including at least one shared component, comprising:

a computer readable medium having stored thereon;

a dependency manager that receives a list of components to be installed and/or removed and provides a valid order based on setup data, the dependency manager resolves all relative inter-component conflicts prior to installation and/or removal of the components, the list of components to be installed and/or removed organized in a random order;

a setup engine that initiates installation of each of the components according to the valid order during a first part of the installation, the shared component being installed for a first dependent component during the first part of installation, at least an abbreviated version of the shared component being installed for each other dependent component during a second part of the installation, which is subsequent to the first part, a reference count value is maintained corresponding to a number of dependent components associated with the at least one shared component;

the shared component being installed for the first dependent component acquires properties associated with a shared component previously installed and associated with the first dependent component, and

a setup manager that manipulates at least one property associated with the at least one shared component to reflect dependency characteristics of the at least one shared component as a function of at least one of installation of the shared component and removal of a dependent component that depends on the at least one shared component.

20. A system that effectuates installation and/or removal of components including at least one shared component, comprising:

a computer readable medium having stored thereon;

means for providing a valid order for the components, the valid order referentially consistent relative to each of the components;

means for controlling installation of the components during a first part and a second part based on the valid order, a shared component is installed for a first dependent component during the first part and at least an abbreviated version of the shared component for each other dependent component is installed during the second part; and

means for manipulating at least one property associated with the at least one shared component to reflect dependency for the at least one shared component relative to one or more dependent components that depend on the shared component based on at least one installation of the shared component and removal of a dependent component, prior to replacement of a currently installed shared component with the at least one shared component, the at least one shared component automatically acquires previously affixed installation properties associated with the currently installed shared component, the at least one property further comprises a dependency-related configuration data, a reference count value that indicates of a number of dependent components, or combinations thereof.

21. A method for installing and/or removing components including at least one shared component, the method comprising:

providing a valid order that is consistent relative to each of the components;

installing each of the plurality of components based on the valid order, a shared component being installed for a first dependent component during a first part of the installation and at least an abbreviated version of the shared component for each other dependent component that depends on the shared component being installed during a second part of the installation, which is separate from the first part;

incrementing a reference count value indicative of each of the plurality of components associated with the at least one shared component; and

modifying at least one property associated with the at least one shared component to reflect dependency characteristics of the at least one shared component relative dependent components that utilize the at least one shared component the at least one shared component acquires existing installation properties of shared components that the at least one shared component supersedes on installation, the installation properties including a reference count having a value indicative of a number of dependent components associated with the at least one shared component, dependency-related configuration data, or combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising controlling the value of the reference count in response to each installation of the at least one shared component and removal of a dependent component that depends on the at least one shared component.

23. A method to facilitate installing and/or removing components including at least one shared component, the method comprising:

providing a valid order referentially consistent relative to each of the installed and/or removed components;

effecting installation of each of the components during a first part of installation according to the valid order, the shared component being installed for a first dependent component during the first part of the installation;

effecting installation of at least an abbreviated version of the shared component for each other dependent component during a second part of the installation separate from the first part, the shared component acquires one or more extant properties associated with a shared component made obsolete and removed by installation of the shared component; and

manipulating at least one property associated with the at least one shared component to reflect dependency for the at least one shared component relative to at least one dependent component according to the installation or removal thereof.