Integrated system and method for the management of a complete end-to-end software delivery process

• US 7,735,080 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2001
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barturen, Maria-Jose Arbulu, Gonzalez, Ignacio Fernandez, Fernandez, Mariano Diez, Garijo, Elisa Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): RUTTEN, JAMES D
• Application Number:
  US09/943,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20030046681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,204 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168, 717172-174, 717177-178, 714/38, 709/221
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

A software delivery process including sub-processes of configuration management and version control, change and problem management, building, packaging, and distribution and installation. The process is implemented by an integrated management system that includes a configuration management sub-system, a change and problem management sub-system, a building sub-system, a packaging sub-system, a distribution sub-system, and a tracking sub-system. The subsystems are integrated in order to manage the software along its whole life cycle, from development to installation in production. The tracking sub-system captures and integrates information about the status of the delivery from the other sub-systems along all steps of the process.

Claims

1. An integrated data processing system for managing a process of delivery of software products to target software product execution units in a network environment, comprising:

a central repository for storing software components of at least one software product;

a first sub-system for identifying within the central repository software components of a software product to be delivered;

a second sub-system for creating at least one software product package from the identified software components identified by the first sub-system;

a third sub-system for distributing the at least one software product package created by the second sub-system to the target software product execution units;

a fourth sub-system for performing a building process of software code components among the identified software components of the software product to be delivered, the fourth sub-system storing a result of the building process in the central repository;

a fifth sub-system for managing a process of applying changes to the at least one software product distributed by the third sub-system; and

a sixth sub-system for recording information provided by at least one of the first through fifth sub-systems of the integrated data processing system during delivery of the software product.

2. A method of developing and installing a software product on a plurality of target computers, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of components in a central repository;

using at least some of the plurality of stored components to build the software product;

storing the built software product in the central repository;

creating an installable software package that includes at least some of the plurality of components and the built software product;

storing the installable software package in a second repository;

distributing the installable software package to at least some of the plurality of target computers; and

installing the distributed installable software package on the at least some of the plurality of target computers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the software product comprises a newly developed software product.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the software product comprises a new release and/or a new version of an already released software product.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising recording information regarding the software product in a tracking sub-system.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the built software product comprises execution code that is generated from a source code component stored in the central repository.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a configuration management subsystem that controls and manages different versions of the software components stored in the central repository.