Architecture blueprint tool and method

• US 7,716,631 B1
• Filed: 01/20/2005
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Katzer, Robin Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam; Tuan Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, CHENECA
• Application Number:
  US11/039,160
• Time in Patent Office: 1,937 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

A development system for developing enterprise software. The system consists of a data store maintaining information related to enterprise hardware components, including information on servers and applications operating on the servers. The system also includes an architectural component including a display operable for architecture of the enterprise software by selection via the display of one or more of the servers and applications operating on the servers. Also included in the development system is a development engine that can deploy a first integrated development environment for development of a first software component, and deploy a second integrated development environment for development of a second software component. The system also includes an interface component that allows information stored in a data store by the first integrated development environment to be accessible by the second integrated development environment.

Claims

1. A development system for developing enterprise software, the development system comprising:

a one or more data stores maintaining at least one of the group consisting of;

information and programming code related to enterprise hardware components including information on at least some servers and applications operating on these servers;

information and programming code related to operating system settings; and

information and programming code related to enterprise hardware components and operating system settings;

an architectural component including a display operable for architecture of the enterprise software by selection via the display of one or more of the servers and applications operating on the servers;

a development engine operable for deployment of at least a first commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment for development of a first software component of the enterprise software, the development engine further operable for deployment of at least a second commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment for development of a second software component of the enterprise software, wherein the second commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment is a different type of integrated development environment than the first commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment; and

an interface component to promote sharing of data between the first commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment and the second commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment, wherein data developed in the first commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment during development of the first software component is stored by the development engine to the one or more data stores under control of the first commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment and is accessable by the development engine under control of the second commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment for use in development of the second software component by the second commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment.

2. The development system of claim 1 wherein the operating system settings and the hardware information are maintained to promote development and compatibility of developed software.

3. The development system of claim 2 wherein related operating system settings and related hardware information are stored and implemented in a single location.

4. The development system of claim 1 further comprising templates selectable by the developers for the applications operating on the enterprise hardware, the templates compatible with the respective server application and enterprise hardware component.

5. The development system of claim 1 wherein the information maintained by the one or more data stores related to the enterprise hardware includes at least one of a manufacturer, a model number, a processor speed, a RAM capacity, and a hard drive capacity.

6. The development system of claim 1 wherein the information maintained by the one or more data stores related to the applications operating on the enterprise hardware includes at least one of a file system, an operating system, a database capacity, a database cache size, and a database record length.

7. The development system of claim 1 wherein the development engine is further defined as Eclipse.

8. The development system of claim 1 wherein the enterprise hardware components are network servers.

9. The development system of claim 1 wherein the applications operating on the enterprise hardware components may include server applications to support at least one of CORBA, MQ Series, BEA Web Logic, WebSphere ICS, Apache, iPlanet, Oracle, and DB2 applications.

10. The development system of claim 1, wherein the first integrated development environment and the second integrated development environment are selected from the group consisting of a WebSphere ICS integrated development environment, an Oracle integrated development environment, a Java integrated development environment, and a MacroMedia MX integrated development environment.

11. A method for development of an architectural blueprint for development of enterprise software applications, the method comprising:

providing one or more data stores maintaining at least one of the group consisting of;

information and programming code related to enterprise hardware and software components including server information and information related to the applications operating on the servers;

information and programming code relating to operating system settings; and

information and programming code related to enterprise hardware and software components and operating system settings;

architecting enterprise software applications by arrangement, via a display of a software tool, of the enterprise hardware and software components to support the enterprise software application to be developed;

launching, via a development engine, a first commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment for development of a first software component of the enterprise software application to be developed;

storing, via the development engine to the one or more data stores in a location and a format that is accessible by other commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development engines, information that is developed in the first integrated development environment in the development of the first software component of the enterprise software application to be developed;

launching, via the development engine, a second commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment for development of a second software component of the enterprise software application to be developed, wherein the second commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment is different than the first commercial-off-the-shelf integrated development environment; and

accessing, via the development engine, the information stored in the one or more data stores related to the enterprise software application to be developed by the second integrated development environment to promote development of the second software component of the enterprise software application to be developed, and further accessing, via the development engine, the information stored in the one or more data stores related enterprise hardware and software components to promote development of the second software component of the enterprise software application to be developed.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising storing and implementing related operating system settings and related hardware information in a single location.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising templates selectable by the developers for the applications operating on the enterprise hardware, the templates compatible with the respective server application and enterprise hardware component.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the information maintained by the one or more data stores related to the enterprise hardware includes at least one of a manufacturer, a model number, a processor speed, a RAM capacity, and a hard drive capacity.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the information maintained by the one or more data stores related to the applications operating on the enterprise hardware includes at least one of a file system, an operating system, a database capacity, a database cache size, and a database record length.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the development engine is further defined as Eclipse.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the enterprise hardware components are network servers.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising accessing, via the development engine, the information stored in the one or more data stores related to the enterprise software application to be developed by the first integrated development environment to promote development of the first software component of the enterprise software application to be developed, and further accessing, via the development engine, the information stored in the one or more data stores related enterprise hardware and software components to promote development of the first software component of the enterprise software application to be developed.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein one of

the first integrated development environment is a WebSphere ICS integrated development environment and the second integrated development environment is selected from the group consisting of an Oracle integrated development environment, a Java integrated development environment, and a MacroMedia MX integrated development environment;

the first integrated development environment is an Oracle integrated development environment and the second integrated development environment is selected from the group consisting of a WebSphere ICS integrated development environment, a Java integrated development environment, and a MacroMedia MX integrated development environment;

the first integrated development environment is a Java integrated development environment and the second integrated development environment is selected from the group consisting of a WebSphere ICS integrated development environment, an Oracle integrated development environment, and a MacroMedia MX integrated development environment;

or

the first integrated development environment is a MacroMedia MX integrated development environment and the second integrated development environment is selected from the group consisting of a WebSphere ICS integrated development environment, an Oracle integrated development environment, and a Java integrated development environment.