Product check matrix

• US 7,475,293 B1
• Filed: 10/23/2003
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Martin, Rex G., Treece, Alan J., Helgren, Matthew J., Little, Mike E., Bingham, Paris E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson; Yolanda L
• Application Number:
  US10/691,894
• Time in Patent Office: 1,902 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2257 using expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/00 Computing arrangements using knowledge-based models
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/025 Extracting rules from data

Abstract

A knowledge automation engine used to detect product issues on products. A knowledge automation engine may evaluate a check against one or more facts to detect a product issue. Facts used by the knowledge automation engine may include product configuration facts. A check may include one or more rules and reference one or more product check matrixes of facts, such as, but not limited to, identifiers for product packages and patches to be used by a check. As packages and/or patches become available for a product, they may be added to a product check matrix for the product. The packages and patches may be added to the database using predefined associations. The check may use the product check matrix to update packages and/or patches (including adding new packages/patches and removing old packages/patches) on a product accessible by the knowledge automation engine.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to implement;

a knowledge automation engine comprising;

a knowledge interface to receive one or more checks and one or more corresponding product check matrixes from a knowledge repository, wherein the one or more corresponding product check matrixes specify one or more of packages or patches applicable to one or more product issues;

a fact interface to receive one or more facts describing a product configuration;

wherein the knowledge automation engine automatically evaluates a rule in the one or more checks against the one or more facts to determine if the one or more product issues specified by the one or more checks exists for the product configuration;

wherein if the one or more product issues are detected, the knowledge automation engine applies one or more of packages or patches specified in the one or more corresponding product check matrixes to correct the one or more product issues;

wherein the one or more of packages or patches specified by the one or more product check matrixes comprises;

a package; and

a patch associated with the package; and

wherein if the patch associated with the package is updated with a new patch in a database accessible by the knowledge automation engine, the association with the package is updated with the new patch.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the association between the package and the patch is predefined.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more of packages or patches specified in the one or more product check matrixes are stored in a separate database than the one or more product check matrixes.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a product check matrix of the one or more product check matrixes specifies one or more of packages or patches directly applicable to a specific product issue detectable by executing the rule of a check associated with the corresponding product check matrixes.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more product check matrixes further comprises a problem statement corresponding to the specific product issue.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more product check matrixes further comprises a link to reference documentation corresponding to the specific product issue.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more product check matrixes are included in a single file.

8. The system of claim 1,

wherein the one or more corresponding product check matrixes comprise two or more product check matrixes each specifying different patches, than the other product check matrixes, for different respective product issues of the one or more product issues;

wherein the one or more checks comprise two or more checks and wherein the two or more product check matrixes correspond to different respective checks of the two or more checks;

wherein a specific check of the two or more checks comprise a rule to detect the specific product issue corresponding to a specific product check matrix of the two or more product check matrixes; and

wherein upon detecting the specific product issue, the specified patch, for the specific product issue, from the corresponding product check matrix is applied to correct the specific product issue.

9. A method, comprising:

listing one or more of packages or patches in a product check matrix, wherein the product check matrix corresponds to one or more product issues;

defining separate checks, each comprising one or more check elements related to the one or more product issues, wherein the one or more check elements includes a rule and wherein the one or more check elements are linked to the corresponding product check matrix with the one or more of packages or patches for correcting the one or more product issues; and

evaluating the rule against a fact to determine if the one or more product issues is present on a product;

wherein the one or more of packages or patches listed by the product check matrix includes at least a package and a patch associated with the package;

wherein the method further comprises defining one or more associations between the package in the product check matrix and the patch; and

wherein if the patch corresponding to the one or more associations is updated, the one or more associations are updated to indicate the updated patch.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising applying the one or more of the packages or patches to the product specified in the corresponding product check matrix when the one or more product issues are discovered by evaluating the rule.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the listing of one or more of packages or patches is specific to one product issue of the one or more product issues and is located in a single file.

12. The method as recited in claim 9,

wherein the one or more associations are defined according to patch updates applied to the package in a database accessible by a knowledge automation engine.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising disassociating the one or more associations formed between the package and the patch if the patch is replaced.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more check elements are used with the corresponding product check matrix.

15. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more check elements are selected from the rule, a problem statement, or a link to reference documentation.

16. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to;

receive a listing of one or more of packages or patches in a product check matrix of a plurality of product check matrixes, wherein the product check matrix corresponds to one or more product issues, and wherein the plurality of product check matrixes comprises two or more product check matrixes that correspond to different product issues and have listings of one or more of packages or patches specific to their respective product issue;

receive a definition of one or more check elements related to the one or more product issues of the product check matrix of the plurality of product check matrixes, wherein the one or more check elements includes a rule and wherein the one or more check elements are linked to the corresponding product check matrix with the one or more of packages or patches for correcting the one or more product issues;

evaluate the rule against a fact to determine if the one or more product issues is present on a product; and

wherein the listing of one or more of packages or patches is specific to one product issue of the one or more product issues and is located in a single file.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the program instructions are further executable to retrieve the fact from a fact repository about the product.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the program instructions are further executable to apply the one or more of the packages or patches to the product specified in the corresponding product check matrix when the one or more product issues are discovered by evaluating the rule.

19. The system as recited in claim 16,

wherein the one or more of packages or patches listed by the product check matrix includes at least a package and a patch associated with the package;

and

wherein the program instructions are further executable to define one or more associations between the package in the product check matrix and the patch.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein if the patch corresponding to the one or more associations is updated, the one or more associations are updated to indicate the updated patch.

21. The system as recited in claim 16,

wherein the one or more of packages or patches listed by the product check matrix includes at least a package and a patch associated with the package;

wherein the program instructions are further executable to define one or more associations between the package and the patch in the product check matrix; and

wherein the one or more associations are defined according to patch updates applied to the package in a database accessible by a knowledge automation engine.

22. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the program instructions are further executable to disassociate the one or more associations formed between the package and the patch if the patch is replaced.

23. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more check elements are defined in a separate check.

24. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more check elements are used with the corresponding product check matrix.

25. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more check elements are selected from the rule, a problem statement, or a link to reference documentation.

26. A method, comprising:

receiving a check from a knowledge repository, wherein the check comprises a rule for detecting a specific product issue;

receiving a fact describing a product configuration;

evaluating the rule against the fact to determine if the specific product issue exists for the product configuration;

applying a package listed in a product check matrix to correct the specific product issue, wherein the product check matrix is associated with the check and the specific product issue and is selectively accessed from a plurality of product check matrixes to determine a package to use to correct the specific product issue; and

wherein the plurality of product check matrixes comprises two or more product check matrixes that correspond to different product issues and have listings of one or more of packages or patches specific to their respective product issue.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising automatically updating the product check matrix with a listing of an updated package.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the product check matrix further comprises a problem statement and a link to reference documentation.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the rule for the check corresponds to the problem statement in the corresponding product check matrix.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising automatically updating the product check matrix with a listing for a patch corresponding to the package.

31. The method of claim 26, further comprising receiving the corresponding product check matrix with the check.

32. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to;

receive a check from a knowledge repository, wherein the check comprises a rule for detecting a specific product issue;

receive a fact describing a product configuration;

evaluate the rule against the fact to determine if the specific product issue exists for the product configuration;

apply a package listed in a product check matrix to correct the specific product issue, wherein the product check matrix is associated with the check and the specific product issue and is selectively accessed from a plurality of product check matrixes to determine a package to use to correct the specific product issue; and

automatically update the product check matrix with a listing for a patch corresponding to the package;

wherein the plurality of product check matrixes comprises two or more product check matrixes that correspond to different product issues and have listings of one or more of packages or patches specific to their respective product issue.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the program instructions are further executable to automatically update the product check matrix with a listing of an updated package.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the program instructions are further executable to receive the corresponding product check matrix with the check.