Systems and methods for product updates with provisioning of data items

• US 8,065,671 B1
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United States Automobile Association (United Services Automobile Association)
• Inventors: Beker, Gabriel Alejandro
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri; Anil
• Application Number:
  US11/833,516
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-175, 709203-204
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running

Abstract

Software deployment systems and techniques allow unattended and virtually real-time provisioning of a data item, such as a set of commands, a patch, update, or upgrade, of a product on one or more client computing devices. An example product may be a large-scale software application, such as a development environment. Update engines are used in conjunction with policy files so that the product'"'"'s versions and updates on the client computing devices are consistent with each other and with the main development environment as represented by a main policy file.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions to provision a data item, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for:

disabling an update engine associated with a computing device such that a user of the computing device is prevented from independently updating the computing device;

receiving the data item at an entity separate from the computing device; and

enabling the data item for deployment to the computing device and installing a software application on the computing device prior to disabling the update engine, the update engine being disabled responsive to the installing of the software application.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the data item comprises at least one of an update, a patch, or an upgrade to the software application.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the software application comprises a development environment.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for evaluating the data item prior to enabling the data item for deployment.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for receiving a notice of the availability of the data item prior to receiving the data item at the entity.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein enabling the data item for deployment to the computing device comprises editing a policy file at the entity to include information pertaining to the received data item.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions to provision a data item, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for:

enabling a previously disabled update engine associated with a computing device such that the computing device is configured to allow the data item to be installed thereon;

determining whether the data item has already been installed on the computing device;

if the data item has not already been installed on the computing device, then installing the data item on the computing device; and

generating a history log based on the installation of the data item and associated information related to the computing device and determining whether the data item has already been installed on the computing device comprises the update engine scanning the computing device for supported products and associated data items.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein determining whether the data item has already been installed on the computing device comprises comparing a policy file associated with the computing device with a policy file associated with an entity that has already received the data item, the entity being separate from the computing device.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein installing the data item on the computing device is performed by a system provisioning tool with command line triggering capability.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the data item comprises at least one of an update, a patch, or an upgrade to a development environment software application.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions for storing the history log in a storage device associated with an entity separate from the computing device, the entity having initially received the data item prior to enabling the update engine associated with the computing device.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions to provision a data item, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for:

installing a software application on a plurality of computing devices associated with a first entity;

preventing each of the computing devices from installing the data item associated with the software application without a direction from the first entity;

receiving the data item associated with the software application at the first entity from a second entity;

installing the data item on each of the computing devices as needed to make the software application on each of the computing devices consistent with each other;

generating a history log comprising information pertaining to the data item installed on each computing device; and

storing the history log in a storage device associated with the first entity and preventing each of the computing devices from installing the data item comprises disabling a update engine on each of the computing devices, and wherein installing the data item on each of the computing devices comprises re-enabling the update engine on each of the computing devices as needed.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the data item comprises at least one of an update, a patch, or an upgrade to the software application.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the first entity and each of the computing devices has a respective policy file, and further comprising instructions for comparing the policy file at the first entity with each of the policy files at the computing devices prior to installing the data item.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for validating and packaging the data item at the first entity prior to installing the data item.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for maintaining a license for the software application using the history log.