Repository including installation metadata for executable applications

• US 8,347,263 B1
• Filed: 01/15/2009
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Offer, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US12/354,399
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 717104-108, 717140-145, 717170-175
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44536 Selecting among different versions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

Systems and methods of executing and/or provisioning an application in an application specific runtime environment are disclosed. The application specific runtime environment is defined by an application environment specification to include a minimal or reduced set of software resources required for execution of the application. These software resources are optionally stored in a resource repository that includes resources associated with a plurality of operating systems and/or executable applications. Various embodiments of the invention include the development of hierarchical resource metadata configured to characterize the various files, packages and file families included in the resource repository. In some embodiments this metadata is used to select between files and different versions of files when provisioning an application specific runtime environment.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a repository configured to store a plurality of resources included in a distribution of a general purpose runtime environment and metadata including installation metadata associated with an executable application; and

a computing device comprising;

one or more computer processors; and

a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, that when executed, control the one or more computer processors to be configured to;

receive an installation package for the executable application,

extract installation metadata from the installation package, and

store the extracted installation metadata in the repository,

wherein the installation metadata is used to install the executable application on an application specific runtime environment, the application specific runtime environment including a subset of resources of the distribution of the general purpose runtime environment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the repository further includes executable code associated with a plurality of executable applications.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to parse the installation package.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored installation metadata includes file path information configured to identify an installation location.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored installation metadata includes registry keys.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored installation metadata includes an installer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored installation metadata includes information extracted from a MSI software package.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored installation metadata includes information extracted from a RPM software package.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored installation metadata includes information extracted from a JAR software package.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored installation metadata includes information extracted from a WIM software package.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored installation metadata includes package dependencies.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a provisioning server configured to provision the executable application on a target platform including the application specific runtime environment using the stored installation metadata.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the installation metadata is sufficient to allow installation options at a time the executable application is provisioned on the target platform.

14. A system comprising:

a repository configured to store a plurality of resources included in a distribution of a general purpose runtime environment and repository metadata, the repository metadata including installation metadata associated with an executable application; and

a provisioning server device comprising;

one or more computer processors; and

a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, that when executed, control the one or more computer processors to be configured to;

provision the executable application on a computing device by selecting the installation metadata associated with the executable application; and

use the installation metadata to install the executable application on an application specific runtime environment, the application specific runtime environment including a subset of resources of the distribution of the general purpose runtime environment.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the installation metadata includes an identity of a standard installer and the provisioning server includes an installation logic template configured to mimic the standard installer.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the provisioning server is configured to use the installation metadata to install the executable application on a plurality of different operating systems.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the provisioning server is configured to redirect requests for resources to the repository.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the provisioning server is configured to configure commands generated using the installation metadata such that the commands cause the executable application to be installed over a network.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the installation metadata is derived from an installation package that was configured for local rather than network installation.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the provisioning server is configured to read the installation metadata into a plurality of alternative installation logic templates, each of the alternative installation logic templates configured for installation of the executable application on a different operating system or multiple application configurations on the same operating system.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the installation logic is configured to retrieve resources from the repository.

22. A method comprising:

receiving an installation package;

parsing, by a computing device, the installation package to identify executable code files and installation metadata;

storing, by the computing device, the identified executable code files and installation metadata in a repository in a disassembled form, the repository configured to store resources included in a distribution of a general purpose runtime environment from the installation package,

wherein the installation metadata is used to install the executable application on an application specific runtime environment, the application specific runtime environment including a subset of resources of the distribution of the general purpose runtime environment.

23. A method comprising:

receiving a request to provision an executable application on a target platform;

identifying, by a computing device, executable code files and installation metadata associated with the executable application in a repository, the installation metadata being disassembled from an installation package and the repository including resources included in a distribution of a general purpose runtime environment; and

installing, by the computing device, the executable application on the target platform including an application specific runtime environment, the application specific runtime environment including a subset of resources of the distribution of the general purpose runtime environment using the identified installation metadata.