Controlled deployment of software in a web-based architecture

• US 7,562,358 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: McLaughlin, Paul R., Mentzer, Charles D., Smith, Matthew J., Hu, Hsiangwen S., Nelson, Reichie R., Bilibin, Paul A., McGrath, Geoffrey Carl, Maier, Harland F., Krett, Lory E., Bennett, David A, Bjerke, Mark A., Goldhaber, Lynn S., Liu, Jinyue, Smith, William W. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rampuria; Satish
• Application Number:
  US11/238,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20060075398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 717/100, 717/122, 717/107, 717/158, 709/220
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine

Abstract

The present invention includes systems and methods for the controlled deployment of software in a web-based environment where multiple versions of a single application are supported to provide field experience of various versions before general deployment. The systems and methods of the invention support backwards compatibility, which allows older versions of the same software to be accessed concurrently with newer (revised) versions. Likewise, data item opaqueness is supported whereby data items not recognized by a software level or tier are not rejected but are passed on to another tier or level where they may be recognized.

Claims

1. A system for controlling the deployment of software in a multiple version environment, said system comprised of:

one or more servers comprising a respective processor configured to simultaneously execute at least a first and a second version of a particular software application stored in a respective memory of said one or more servers;

one or more user terminals comprising a respective processor configured to access the one or more servers over a network, wherein said respective processor of said one or more user terminals is configured to generate a request to access said particular software application from at least one of said one or more user terminals by including in said request an identifier indicating the version of the particular software application to be accessed, wherein said identifier is specified by indicating a version number in one or more of a said request, wherein the version number is included in;

a path in a URL included in the request;

a query string in a URL included in the request;

separate domain names in a URL included in the request;

a domain name in a URL included in the request;

a cookie in a browser that originated the request; and

a device comprising a processor configured to route said request to the version of the particular software application to be accessed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the device for routing the request to the version of the particular software application to be accessed is a switch.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the device for routing the request to the version of the particular software application to be accessed is a translator that translates the request to a format acceptable to the version of the software to be accessed.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is an Internet connection and the particular software application is a carrier management system.

5. A system for controlling the deployment of software in a multiple version environment, said system comprised of:

one or more sewers comprising a respective processor configured to simultaneously execute at least a first and a second version of a particular software application stored in a respective memory of said one or more servers;

one or more user terminals comprising a respective processor configured to access the one or more servers over a network, wherein said respective processor of at least one of said one or more user terminals is configured to generate a request to access said particular software application and the version of the particular software application to be accessed is identified by indicating a version number in one or more of a said request, wherein the version number is included in;

a path in a URL included in the request;

a query string in a URL included in the request;

separate domain names in a URL included in the request;

a domain name in a URL included in the request;

a cookie in a browser that originated the request; and

means for routing said request to the version of the particular software application to be accessed.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the network is an Internet connection and the particular software application is a carrier management system.

7. A system for simultaneously executing multiple tiers of software in a multiple version environment, said system comprised of:

one or more sewers comprising a respective processor configured to simultaneously execute at least first and second versions of a particular software application stored in a respective memory of said one or more servers, wherein the at least first and second version of the particular software application comprise the multiple tiers of software;

one or more user terminals comprising a respective processor configured to access the one or more servers over a network, wherein said respective processor of at least one of said one or more user terminals is configured to generate a request to access said particular software application by including in said request an identifier indicating the version of the particular software application to be accessed, wherein said identifier is specified by indicating a version number in one or more of a said request, wherein the version number is included in;

a path in a URL included in the request;

a query string in a URL included in the request;

separate domain names in a URL included in the request;

a domain name in a URL included in the request;

a cookie in a browser that originated the request; and

a device comprising a processor configured to route said request to the version of the particular software application to be accessed, wherein said variables, data items, or arguments of said request are passed from a tier of software where they are not recognized to a tier of software where said variables, data items, or arguments are recognized by the version of the particular software application executing at that tier of software.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the device for routing the request to the version of the particular software application to be accessed is a switch.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the device for routing the request to the version of the particular software application to be accessed is a translator that translates the request to a format acceptable to the version of the software to be accessed.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the network is an Internet connection and the particular software application is a carrier management system.

11. A method of controlling the deployment of software in a multiple version environment comprising:

simultaneously executing at least a first and a second version of a particular software application using a respective processor of one or more servers;

receiving logon information from a user terminal wherein a user logs onto a website using said user terminal using said logon information;

determining from said logon information a designated version of said particular software application for said user, wherein said designated version of the particular software application is the version of said particular software application that said user is authorized to access;

making a request from said user terminal over a network to said one or more servers to access the designated version of software, wherein said request identifies the designated version of the particular software application to be accessed, wherein making the request from said user terminal over a network to said one or more servers to access the designated version of software that identifies the designated version of the particular software application to be accessed comprises identifying the particular software application by indicating a version number in one or more of a said request, wherein the version number is included in;

a path in a URL included in the request;

a query string in a URL included in the request;

separate domain names in a URL included in the request;

a domain name in a URL included in the request;

a cookie in a browser that originated the request; and

accessing said designated version of the particular software application.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein accessing said designated version of the particular software application comprises routing the request to the designated version of the software application to be accessed by a switch.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein accessing said designated version of the particular software application comprises routing the request to a translator that translates the request to a format acceptable to the designated version of the software to be accessed.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein making a request from said user terminal over a network to said one or more servers to access the designated version of software the request is made via an Internet connection and the designated version of software is a specific release version of a carrier management system.

15. A method for simultaneously executing multiple tiers of software in a multiple version environment comprising the steps of:

simultaneously executing at least a first and a second version of a particular software application using a processor of one or more servers, wherein the at least first and second version of the particular software application comprise the multiple tiers of software;

accessing the one or more servers over a network using one or more user terminals;

making a request comprised of at least one of variables, data items or arguments is made to access said particular software application from at least one of said one or more user terminals, wherein said request identifies the version of the particular software application to be accessed, wherein making said request comprised of at least one of variables, data items or arguments is made to access said particular software application from at least one of said one or more user terminals and said request identifies the version of the particular software application to be accessed identifies the version of the particular software application to be accessed by indicating a version number in one or more of a said request, wherein the version number is included in;

a path in a URL included in the request;

a query string in a URL included in the request;

separate domain names in a URL included in the request;

a domain name in a URL included in the request;

a cookie in a browser that originated the request; and

routing said request to the version of the particular software application to be accessed, wherein said variables, data items, or arguments of said request are passed from a tier of software where they are not recognized to a tier of software where said variables, data items, or arguments are recognized by the version of the particular software application executing at that tier of software.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein routing said request to the version of the particular software application to be accessed comprises routing the request to a switch that routes said request to the version of the particular software application to be accessed.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein routing said request to the version of the particular software application to be accessed comprises routing the request to a translator that translates the request to a format acceptable to the version of the software to be accessed.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein providing one or more user terminals that access the one or more servers over a network is accomplished over an Internet connection and the particular software application is a carrier management system.