Discovering multi-component software products based on weighted scores

• US 8,010,947 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pastorelli, Bernardo, Cerri, Fabio, Perrone, Antonio, Carbone, Giancarlo
• Primary Examiner(s): Deng; Anna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Qing
• Application Number:
  US11/752,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 717120-123
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

A solution for discovering shared software components (C₁-C₉) of software products (PROD_a-PROD_e) installed on a data processing system is proposed. In order to achieve this result, for each software product the corresponding software components are aggregated into groups (G_a1-G_e1); each group includes software components that must be linked by a corresponding relationship (such as a co-location on the same operating system image). In this way, it is possible to assign a software component available on the system to its software product even when it may be used by more of them. Particularly, the operation is performed deterministically when the available software component is included in a single valid group (i.e., a group including all the required software components); in this case, the available software component (C₂) is assigned to the software product (PROD_b) associated with the single valid group (G_b1). Alternatively, when an (ambiguous) available software component (C₄,C₈,C₉) is included in more valid groups, a score is calculated for each associated (eligible) software product according to the corresponding available software components; the eligible software product with the highest score (PROD_c) is then selected for assigning the ambiguous software component.

Claims

1. A method for discovering software components belonging to software products in a data processing system, at least one of the software components being suitable to belong to a plurality of software products, wherein the method comprises:

associating each software product with the definition of at least one group of software components based on a relationship among the software components of the group,

detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group,

identifying the groups being valid according to the inclusion of the software components of the corresponding definition, and

assigning each available software component to at least one of the plurality of software products having at least one associated valid group including the available software component, wherein assigning each available software component to at least one of the plurality of software products comprises;

calculating a score of each software product according to available software components included in the at least one associated valid group, and

selecting an eligible software product having a best score, and wherein calculating the score of each software product comprises;

combining a first number, a second number, a third number and a fourth number of the available software components included in the associated valid groups, wherein the associated valid groups being required and exclusive, required and shared, optional and exclusive, and optional and shared, respectively, according to a corresponding first weight, second weight, third weight and fourth weight, respectively.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the relationship defining at least one of the groups comprises a co-location of the corresponding software components in a common logical environment, and wherein detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group, for each logical environment available in the data processing system, comprises:

scanning the available logical environment to determine the available software components belonging thereto.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the relationship defining at least one of the groups comprises an intercommunication of the corresponding software components, and wherein detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group comprises:

monitoring the intercommunications of the available software components.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the relationship defining at least one of the groups comprises an invocation dependency of the corresponding software components, and wherein detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group comprises:

monitoring the invocations of the available software components.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the relationship defining at least one of the groups comprises an access to a predefined memory structure by the corresponding software components, and wherein detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group comprises:

monitoring the accesses of the available software components to the predefined memory structure.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein assigning each available software component to at least one of the plurality of software products comprises:

assigning each available software component included in a valid group associated with a single software product to the single software product, and

assigning each available software component included in a plurality of eligible ones of the valid groups associated with a plurality of eligible ones of the software products to a selected one of the eligible software products by;

calculating a score of each eligible software product according to the available software components included in the associated valid groups, and

selecting the eligible software product having the best score.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, for each group for which each corresponding software component is required, when necessary to define the group or optional otherwise, identifying the groups being valid according to the inclusion of the software components of the corresponding definition comprises:

identifying the groups being valid in response to the availability of all the corresponding software components being required.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein each software component is shared by a plurality of software products.

9. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium for discovering software components belonging to software products in a data processing system, which is capable of executing a method on a data processing system at least one of the software components being suitable to belong to a plurality of software products, wherein the method comprises:

associating each software product with the definition of at least one group of software components based on a relationship among the software components of the group,

detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group,

identifying the groups being valid according to the inclusion of the software components of the corresponding definition, and

assigning each available software component to at least one of the plurality of software products having at least one associated valid group including the available software component, wherein assigning each available software component to at least one of the plurality of software products comprises;

calculating a score of each software product according to available software components included in the at least one associated valid group, and

selecting an eligible software product having a best score, and wherein calculating the score of each software product comprises;

combining a first number, a second number, a third number and a fourth number of the available software components included in the associated valid groups, wherein the associated valid groups being required and exclusive, required and shared, optional and exclusive, and optional and shared, respectively, according to a corresponding first weight, second weight, third weight and fourth weight, respectively.

10. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the relationship defining at least one of the groups comprises an invocation dependency of the corresponding software components, and wherein detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group comprises:

monitoring the invocations of the available software components.

11. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the relationship defining at least one of the groups comprises an access to a predefined memory structure by the corresponding software components, and wherein detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group comprises:

monitoring the accesses of the available software components to the predefined memory structure.

12. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein assigning each available software component to at least one of the plurality of software products comprises:

assigning each available software component included in a valid group associated with a single software product to the single software product, and

assigning each available software component included in a plurality of eligible ones of the valid groups associated with a plurality of eligible ones of the software products to a selected one of the eligible software products by;

calculating a score of each eligible software product according to the available software components included in the associated valid groups, and

selecting the eligible software product having the best score.

13. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein each software component is shared by a plurality of software products.

14. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the relationship defining at least one of the groups comprises a co-location of the corresponding software components in a common logical environment, and wherein detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group, for each logical environment available in the data processing system, comprises:

scanning the available logical environment to determine the available software components belonging thereto.

15. A discovering system for discovering software components belonging to software products in a data processing system, at least one of the software components being suitable to belong to a plurality of software products, wherein the discovering system includes:

a microprocessor,

a memory,

a software catalogue for associating each software product with the definition of at least one group of software components based on a relationship among the software components of the group,

an engine for detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group,

an analyzer for identifying the groups being valid according to the inclusion of the software components of the corresponding definition, and

an agent for assigning each available software component to at least one of the plurality of software products having at least one associated valid group including the available software component, wherein the agent assigns each available software component to at least one of the plurality of software products by;

calculating a score of each software product according to available software components included in the at least one associated valid group, and

selecting an eligible software product having a best score, and wherein calculating the score of each software product comprises;

combining a first number, a second number, a third number and a fourth number of the available software components included in the associated valid groups, wherein the associated valid groups being required and exclusive, required and shared, optional and exclusive, and optional and shared, respectively, according to a corresponding first weight, second weight, third weight and fourth weight, respectively.

16. The discovering system according to claim 15, wherein the relationship defining at least one of the groups comprises a co-location of the corresponding software components in a common logical environment, and wherein the engine for detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group, for each logical environment available in the data processing system, comprises:

means for scanning the available logical environment to determine the available software components belonging thereto.

17. The discovering system according to claim 15, wherein the relationship defining at least one of the groups comprises an intercommunication of the corresponding software components, and wherein the engine for detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group comprises:

means for monitoring the intercommunications of the available software components.

18. The discovering system according to claim 15, wherein the relationship defining at least one of the groups comprises an invocation dependency of the corresponding software components, and wherein the engine for detecting the software components available in the data processing system being included in each group comprises:

means for monitoring the invocations of the available software components.

19. The discovering system according to claim 15, wherein the agent comprises:

means for assigning each available software component included in a valid group associated with a single software product to the single software product,

means for assigning each available software component included in a plurality of eligible ones of the valid groups associated with a plurality of eligible ones of the software products to a selected one of the eligible software products,

means for calculating a score of each eligible software product according to the available software components included in the associated valid groups, and

means for selecting the eligible software product having the best score.

20. The discovering system according to claim 15, wherein, for each group for which each corresponding software component is required, when necessary to define the group or optional otherwise, the analyzer comprises:

means for identifying the groups being valid in response to the availability of all the corresponding software components being required.