Automated solution that detects configuration problems in an eclipse-based software application

• US 8,230,397 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2008
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Farrell, Peter L. H., Wijenayake, Sudarsha D. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Das, Chameli
• Application Number:
  US12/018,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20090187823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 717/124, 717/107
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automated method for detecting configuration problems in an ECLIPSE-based software application. Such a method can begin with the receipt of a user-command to test a configuration of an ECLIPSE-based software application or with a detection of a feature addition/update when an auto-testing feature is enabled. Information about the available sites for the ECLIPSE-based application can then be obtained. Then, a list of software elements required to operate the ECLIPSE-based software application can be compiled. At least one data attribute can be extracted from the meta data of each software element in the compiled list. The extracted data attributes can then be analyzed. When the analysis identifies a configuration problem, the existence of the configuration problem can be validated.

Claims

1. An ECLIPSE framework feature configuration testing software comprising:

a set of programmatic instructions digitally stored in a non-transitory machine readable storage media, wherein said programmatic instructions are executable by at least one processor of at least one computing device, wherein said set of programmatic instructions are configured to;

identify a bundle for a specific feature of a plurality of discrete features of an ECLIPSE-based application, wherein each of the discrete features are each separately versioned, wherein a hierarchical dependency structures exists between the discrete features, which must be satisfied for the ECLIPSE-based application to function properly wherein said bundle comprises at least one included dependency and specifies at least one required dependency for the specific feature, wherein each of the included and required dependencies are specific versions of different ones of the discrete features which must be satisfied by the ECLIPSE-based application for the specific feature of the bundle to install or update correctly, wherein each included dependency comprises included and installable code for a versioned feature or feature patch for one of the different ones of the discrete features, and wherein the bundle does not include installable code for a versioned feature or feature patch for another of the different ones of the discrete features;

analyze the hierarchical dependency structure to determine if the specific feature of the bundle is able to be installed or upgraded for the ECLIPSE-based application; and

determine an existence of configuration problems if any, based on the hierarchical dependency structure and to report determined configuration problems, wherein the specific feature must have a valid manifest in the bundle in order for the bundle to be integrated within the ECLIPSE-based application, wherein the configuration problems occur when attempting to install or update the specific feature using the bundle, and wherein the configuration problems indicate that one of the discrete features is not properly installed, or versioned and that indicates that an improperly installed feature lacks an included dependency within the bundle to resolve itself, wherein improperly installed ones of the discrete features provide no functionality to the ECLIPSE-based application whether or not other bundles for the improperly installed features or feature patents are present in an application build.

2. The software of claim 1, wherein the software is a component of an ECLIPSE development software tool able to be triggered based upon a user selection within a graphics based software development interface.

3. The software of claim 1, wherein the software is at least one of a component of the ECLIPSE-based application and a software executable able to interact with the ECLIPSE-based application, wherein said software automatically executes when a new feature or feature update is applied to the ECLIPSE-based application, and wherein detection of a configuration problem during the automatic execution causes the application of the new feature or feature update to be aborted.

4. The software of claim 1, wherein at least one of the configuration problems determined and reported by the software represents an unmet operating condition of at least one of the ECLIPSE framework, a software engineering standard, and an ECLIPSE standard, and wherein at least one of the configuration problems is one of a software element unavailability, a corruption of the set of meta data, an absence of the set of meta data, a violation of the at least one ECLIPSE standard, a conflict between version of the software element, an unfulfilled dependency between software elements, an absence of a branding plug-in, and an exclusion of a software element from the ECLIPSE-based software application.

5. An automated method for detecting configuration problems in an ECLIPSE-based software application comprising:

receiving a user-command to test a configuration of an ECLIPSE-based software application having a plurality of discrete features each separately versioned, wherein a hierarchical dependency structure exists between the discrete features, which must be satisfied for the ECLIPSE-based application to function properly;

at least one computing device obtaining available sites for the ECLIPSE-based application;

wherein the computing device comprising one or more processors;

at least one computing device determining the hierarchical dependency structure from at least one of the available sites and obtaining at least one bundle for a specific feature of the ECLIPSE-based application, wherein said bundle comprises at least one included dependency and specifies at least one required dependency for the specific feature wherein each of the included and required dependencies are specific versions of different ones of the discrete features which must be satisfied by the ECLIPSE-based application for the specific feature of the bundle to install or update correctly, wherein each included dependency comprises included and installable code for a versioned feature or feature patch for one of the different ones of the discrete features, and wherein the bundle does not include installable code for a versioned feature or feature patch for another of the different ones of the discrete features;

at least one computing device attempting to install or update the specific feature from the bundle;

analyzing the hierarchical dependency structure to determine if the specific feature of the bundle is able to be installed or upgraded for the ECLIPSE-based application given installed versions of the discrete features of the ECLIPSE-based application and given the included dependencies; and

at least one computing device, when a result of the analyzing step determines an existence of a configuration problem, validating the existence of the configuration problem. Wherein the existence of the configuration problem refers to a dependency of the specific feature not able to be resolved by installing or updating one of the discrete features using the included dependencies of the bundle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein further comprising:

generating a test report containing results of the analyzing step and the validating step, when executed, wherein the test report includes a recommended solution for the configuration problem.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the results in the test report are grouped into at least one section, wherein the at least one section includes a missing software elements section, a missing meta data section, a versioning errors section, a platform filter issues section, an incomplete dependencies section, and a captured errors and warnings section.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the configuration problems indicate that one of the features or feature patches is not properly installed, wherein improperly installed features or feature patches provide no functionality to the ECLIPSE-based application whether or not bundles for the improperly installed features or feature patents are present in an application build.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of extracted data attributes includes one of an element identifier, a version identifier, a set of platform filters, a set of included software elements, a set of required software elements, and an identification of a branding plug-in.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the configuration problem represents an unmet operating condition of at least one of the ECLIPSE-based operating system, an ECLIPSE coding standard, and ECLIPSE framework.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the obtaining, compiling, and extracting steps utilize an Application Programming Interface (API) to interface with the plurality of software elements of the ECLIPSE-based software application.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein said steps of claim 5 are performed by at least one machine in accordance with at least one computer program stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage media, said computer programming having a plurality of code sections that are executable by at least one machine.

13. An automated system that detects configuration problems of an ECLIPSE-based software application comprising:

one or more processors, one or more non-transitory machine readable media;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more machine readable media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors;

an ECLIPSE-based software application having a plurality of discrete features each separately versioned, wherein a hierarchical dependency structure exists between the discrete features, which must be satisfied for the ECLIPSE-based application to function properly; and

a configuration test utility configured to determine an existence of configuration problems between the plurality of software elements of the ECLIPSE-based software application, wherein the configuration test utility produces a test report containing determined configuration problems, wherein the configuration problems indicate that one or more bundles are not properly installed for the ECLIPSE-based software application, wherein each of the bundles comprises at least one included dependency and specifies at least one required dependency for the specific feature wherein each of the included and required dependencies are specific versions of different ones of the discrete features which must be satisfied by the ECLIPSE-based application for the specific feature of the bundle to install or update correctly, wherein each included dependency comprises included and installable code for a versioned feature or feature patch for one of the different ones of the discrete features, and wherein the bundle does not include installable code for a versioned feature or feature patch for another of the different ones of the discrete features, wherein improperly installed or improperly updated features provide no functionality to the ECLIPSE-based software application whether or not bundles for the improperly installed features or feature patents are present in an application build.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein a configuration problem represents an unmet operating condition of at least one of the ECLIPSE framework, a software engineering standard, and an ECLIPSE standard.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the configuration test utility is configured to detect at least four of the following configuration problems:

manifest error, a versioning error, an incompatible platform filter problem, an unavailable required dependency, an unavailable optional dependency, an absence of parent features, a non-standard application of feature patches, and an unavailable branding plug-in.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the set of meta data is captured in a manifest document written in an Extensible Markup Language (XML).

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a user interface configured to accepting a user-configuration of at least one of the configuration test utility and the test report.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the configuration test utility utilizes an Application Programming Interface (API) to interface with the plurality of software elements of the ECLIPSE-based software application.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the determined configuration problems of the test report are grouped into at least one section, wherein the at least one section includes a missing software elements section, a missing meta data section, a versioning errors section, a platform filter issues section, an incomplete dependencies section, and a captured errors and warnings section.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the test report includes a recommended solution for the determined configuration problems.