Determining priority for installing a patch into multiple patch recipients of a network

• US 8,181,173 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Childress, Rhonda L., Goldberg, Itzhack, Kumhyr, David Bruce, Watt, Stephen James
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Ziaul A
• Application Number:
  US11/871,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

A method, computer program product, and system are disclosed for installing a patch on at least some of the servers of a network having multiple servers. A plurality of servers of the network are identified that requires installation of the patch. Two or more priority values are assigned to each of the identified servers. The priority values for a given identified server are each associated with a different criterion in a set of criteria. The assigned priority values are selectively processed for respective identified servers, in order to determine an initial priority, comprising a first sort order, for installing the patch on each identified server. The first sort order is revised in accordance with information pertaining to prior use of respective identified servers, to provide a second sort order. The patch is installed on each of the identified servers, in an order determined by the second sort order.

Claims

1. A method for installing a patch for a program that is included in servers, the method comprising the steps of:

a computer identifying a plurality of the servers, wherein each one of the plurality of the servers requires an installation of the patch;

the computer assigning two or more priority values to each one of the plurality of the servers, wherein each one of the two or more priority values is associated with a different one of a plurality of criterion;

the computer assigning an importance level to each one of the plurality of criterion relative to other ones of the plurality of criterion, wherein the importance level is assigned according to a patch priority policy of a business;

the computer, for a most important one of the plurality of criterion, sorting the plurality of the servers using one of the two or more priority values that is assigned to each one of the plurality of the servers and that is associated with the most one important one of the plurality of criterion to provide a first sort order;

the computer determining a time when each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program;

the computer receiving a time parameter, wherein the time parameter specifies a length of time;

the computer, for each one of the plurality of the servers, determining whether each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program during the length of time;

the computer revising the first sort order using a determination of whether each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program during the length of time to provide a second sort order, wherein the second sort order corresponds to a second most important one of the plurality of criterion; and

the computer installing the patch on the plurality of the servers in the second sort order.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer assigning the two or more priority values comprises the computer assigning, to a prespecified cluster of the plurality of the servers, a same priority value for one of the two or more priority values.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer continually acquiring and storing the time when each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computer identifying the plurality of the servers comprises the computer determining that the plurality of the servers include a specific version of the program and that the plurality of the servers are running a particular version of an operating system.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the patch priority policy defines a plurality of patch types and a weight assigned to each one of the plurality of patch types.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

the computer creating a table that includes a plurality of columns arranged sequentially from most important to least important, wherein each one of the plurality of columns is associated with only one of the plurality of criterion, and wherein the most important one of the plurality of criterion is associated with a most important one of the plurality of columns, and wherein a least important one of the plurality of criterion is associated with a least important one of the plurality of columns.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

the computer storing the one of the two or more priority values that is associated with the most important one of the plurality of criterion in the most important one of the plurality of columns.

8. A computer program product for installing a patch for a program that is included in servers, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to identify a plurality of the servers, wherein each one of the plurality of the servers requires an installation of the patch;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to assign two or more priority values to each one of the plurality of the servers, wherein each one of the two or more priority values is associated with a different one of a plurality of criterion;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to assign an importance level to each one of the plurality of criterion relative to other ones of the plurality of criterion, wherein the importance level is assigned according to a patch priority policy of a business;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, for a most important one of the plurality of criterion, to sort the plurality of the servers using one of the two or more priority values that is assigned to each one of the plurality of the servers and that is associated with the most one important one of the plurality of criterion to provide a first sort order;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine a time when each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to receive a time parameter, wherein the time parameter specifies a length of time;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, for each one of the plurality of the servers, to determine whether each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program during the length of time;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to revise the first sort order using a determination of whether each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program during the length of time to provide a second sort order, wherein the second sort order corresponds to a second most important one of the plurality of criterion; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to install the patch on the plurality of the servers in the second sort order.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the program instructions to identify the plurality of the servers determine that the plurality of the servers include a specific version of the program and that the plurality of the servers are running a particular version of an operating system.

10. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the patch priority policy defines a plurality of patch types and a weight assigned to each one of the plurality of patch types.

11. The computer program product according to claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to create a table that includes a plurality of columns arranged sequentially from most important to least important, wherein each one of the plurality of columns is associated with only one of the plurality of criterion, and wherein the most important one of the plurality of criterion is associated with a most important one of the plurality of columns, and wherein a least important one of the plurality of criterion is associated with a least important one of the plurality of columns.

12. The computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to store the one of the two or more priority values that is associated with the most important one of the plurality of criterion in the most important one of the plurality of columns.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions to assign the two or more priority values assign, to a prespecified cluster of the plurality of the servers, a same priority value for one of the two or more priority values.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to continually acquire and store the time when each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program.

15. A computer system for installing a patch for a program that is included in servers, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to identify a plurality of the servers, wherein each one of the plurality of the servers requires an installation of the patch;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to assign two or more priority values to each one of the plurality of the servers, wherein each one of the two or more priority values is associated with a different one of a plurality of criterion;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to assign an importance level to each one of the plurality of criterion relative to other ones of the plurality of criterion, wherein the importance level is assigned according to a patch priority policy of a business;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, for a most important one of the plurality of criterion, to sort the plurality of the servers using one of the two or more priority values that is assigned to each one of the plurality of the servers and that is associated with the most one important one of the plurality of criterion to provide a first sort order;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine a time when each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to receive a time parameter, wherein the time parameter specifies a length of time;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, for each one of the plurality of the servers, to determine whether each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program during the length of time;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to revise the first sort order using a determination of whether each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program during the length of time to provide a second sort order, wherein the second sort order corresponds to a second most important one of the plurality of criterion; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to install the patch on the plurality of the servers in the second sort order.

16. The computer system according to claim 15, wherein the patch priority policy defines a plurality of patch types and a weight assigned to each one of the plurality of patch types.

17. The computer system according to claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to create a table that includes a plurality of columns arranged sequentially from most important to least important, wherein each one of the plurality of columns is associated with only one of the plurality of criterion, and wherein the most important one of the plurality of criterion is associated with a most important one of the plurality of columns, and wherein a least important one of the plurality of criterion is associated with a least important one of the plurality of columns.

18. The computer system according to claim 17, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to store the one of the two or more priority values that is associated with the most important one of the plurality of criterion in the most important one of the plurality of columns.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the program instructions to assign the two or more priority values assign, to a prespecified cluster of the plurality of the servers, a same priority value for one of the two or more priority values.

20. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to continually acquire and store the time when each one of the plurality of the servers last used the program.