Method, system, and computer program product for maintaining software on a computer system with automatic dependency resolution

• US 8,261,255 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Spiegel, David N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutten, James D
• Application Number:
  US09/708,129
• Time in Patent Office: 4,319 Days
• Field of Search: 717/169, 717/170, 717120-123, 707/203
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

Software is maintained on a computer system. A software recording application having data on maintenance items already installed on the computer system is started in a host session. A database application is started in a second host session. The database application has a database of maintenance items which can be applied. Each item in the database includes prerequisite and corequisite items. A maintenance application is activated on the computer system and a list of maintenance items to be installed on the computer system is entered. The database is searched for prerequisite and corequisite items for each item on the entered list and those items are added to the list. Items on the list which have already been received are determined from the software recording application and those items not received are added to an order list. Items on the order list are ordered, received, and applied to the computer system.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining software on a computer system, comprising the steps of:

bringing up first and second host sessions on a computer system;

starting in said first host session, a software recording application having data on existing first maintenance items that have been previously applied to said computer system;

starting in said second host session, a database application having a database of second maintenance items that are known as being able to be installed on the computer system, and prerequisite items and corequisite items corresponding to each of said known second maintenance items;

activating a maintenance application on said computer system;

entering a first list of new third maintenance items in said maintenance application;

searching said database of known second maintenance items for records matching each of said new third maintenance items to find records that have said prerequisite items and corequisite items and adding said corresponding prerequisite items and corequisite items to said first list;

thereafter determining from said software recording application which items on said first list have already been received, and adding those items not received to an order list; and

thereafter ordering, receiving, and applying said items on said order list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer system is a mainframe.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer system further comprises an operating system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said computer system further comprises network software.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said software recording application tracks what software has been put on or taken off said computer system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said database application is Service Link.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving step further comprises storing said items on said order list in a file on said computer system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said applying step further comprises updating said software on said computer system with said items on said order list.

9. A system for maintaining software on a computer system, comprising:

means for bringing up first and second host sessions on a computer system;

a software recording application having data on existing first maintenance items previously applied to said computer system;

a database application having a database of second maintenance items that are known as being able to be installed on the computer system, and prerequisite items and corequisite items corresponding to each of said known second maintenance items;

a maintenance application having a first list of new third maintenance items, wherein the first list comprises a list of maintenance items needed to be applied to said computer system;

means for searching said database of known second maintenance items for records matching each of said new third maintenance items to find records that have said prerequisite items and corequisite items and adding said corresponding prerequisite items and corequisite items to said first list;

means for thereafter determining from said software recording application which items on said first list have already been received, and adding those items not received to an order list; and

means for thereafter ordering, receiving, and applying said items on said order list.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said computer system is a mainframe.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said computer system further comprises an operating system.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein said computer system further comprises network software.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein said recording application tracks what software has been put on or taken off said computer system.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said database application is Service Link.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for storing said items on said order list in a file on said computer system.

16. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for updating said software on said computer system with said items on said order list.

17. A computer system for maintaining software, said system comprising:

means for bringing up first and second host sessions on a computer system;

means for starting in said first host session, a software recording application having data on existing first maintenance items previously applied to said computer system;

means for starting in said second host session, a database application having a database of second maintenance items that are known as being able to be installed on the computer system, and prerequisite items and corequisite items corresponding to each of said known second maintenance items;

means for activating a maintenance application on said computer system;

means for entering a first list of new third maintenance items in said maintenance application;

means for searching said database of known second maintenance items for records matching each of said new third maintenance items to find records that have said prerequisite items and corequisite items and adding said corresponding prerequisite items and corequisite items to said first list;

means for thereafter determining from said software recording application which items on said first list have already been received, and adding those items not received to an order list; and

means for thereafter ordering, receiving, and applying said items on said order list.

18. A computer program product for instructing a processor to maintain software, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium;

program instruction means for bringing up first and second host sessions on a computer system;

program instruction means for starting in said first host session, a software recording application having data on existing first maintenance items previously applied to said computer system;

program instruction means for starting in said second host session, a database application having a database of second maintenance items that are known as being able to be installed on the computer system, and prerequisite items and corequisite items corresponding to each of said known second maintenance items;

program instruction means for activating a maintenance application on said computer system;

program instruction means for entering a first list of new third maintenance items in said maintenance application;

program instruction means for searching said database of known second maintenance items for records matching each of said new third maintenance items to find records that have said prerequisite items and corequisite items and adding said corresponding prerequisite items and corequisite items to said first list;

program instruction means for thereafter determining from said software recording application which items on said first list have already been received, and adding those items not received to an order list; and

program instruction means for thereafter ordering, receiving, and applying said items on said order list; and

wherein all said program instruction means are recorded on said medium.

19. A method for maintaining software on a computer system, the method comprising:

bringing up in a first session on the computer system a recording application for recording what software has been put on the computer system, tracking what software has been put on the computer system, recording what software has been taken off the computer system, and recording what software has been cloned;

recording by the recording application whether a first maintenance item has been received by the computer system, the first maintenance item having been received if the first maintenance item has been stored in a file on the computer system;

starting in a first session on the computer system a database application having a searchable database of second maintenance items that are known as being able to be installed on the computer system, and corresponding prerequisite items, corequisite items, descriptions of known problems, and mentions of known fixes;

activating a maintenance application on the computer system;

entering into the maintenance application a list of third maintenance items needed to be put on to the computer system;

searching for each third maintenance item in the list of the database of known second maintenance items to find records that have prerequisite items and corequisite items that correspond to a third maintenance item;

adding any found prerequisite and any found corequisite items from the searching step to the list;

comparing each member of the list to recorded first maintenance items to determine which members of the list have not been received, not received members having not been found in the recorded first maintenance items;

storing in an order list the results of the comparing step;

ordering using the maintenance application all members in the order list;

receiving received items as a result of the ordering step; and

applying the received items by at least one of installing a received item and updating an earlier version with the received item.