Resource assessment method and system

• US 8,438,560 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2007
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Dhas, Prashant Baktha Kumara, Badri, Madhvesh Navkal, Govindarajan, Narayanan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAYIM, SAMUEL E
• Application Number:
  US11/874,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20080109783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,028 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A resource assessment method and system. The method comprises identifying at least one information technology resource, providing characteristics of the information technology resource, maintaining a database of characteristics of at least one software product, generating a data collector software tool based on the characteristics of the information technology resource and the characteristics of the software product, composing a resource assessment agent that includes the data collector software tool, adapted for installation on the information technology resource to collect data pertaining to the information technology resource, to perform an analysis of the data by reference to the characteristics of the software product and to return at least one result of the analysis, deploying the resource assessment agent on the information technology resource, receiving the result of the analysis from the information technology resource, and outputting the result of the analysis.

Claims

1. A computer implemented resource assessment method, comprising:

providing characteristics of an information technology resource;

accessing characteristics of at least one software product from a database;

generating a data collector software tool with a data collector generator based on said characteristics of said information technology resource and said characteristics of said at least one software product;

an agent composer software tool determining whether suitable resource assessment agents already exist and in response to no suitable resource assessment agents existing, composing a resource assessment agent that includes said data collector software tool, adapted for installation on said information technology resource to collect data pertaining to system information relating to said information technology resource, to perform an analysis of said data by reference to said characteristics of said at least one software product to determine a compatibility of said information technology resource with said at least one software product and to return at least one result of said analysis;

deploying said resource assessment agent on said information technology resource with a deployment server software tool, wherein the resource assessment agent includes a system data collector, analysis engine, and product configuration information of the at least one software product; and

receiving and outputting said result of said analysis from said information technology resource with a computing device.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further includes:

determining with the deployment server software tool whether a previous resource assessment agent is located on the information technology resource;

in response to a previous resource assessment agent being located on the information technology resource, determining with the deployment server software tool if the previous resource assessment agent is identical to the resource assessment agent composed by the agent composer software tool; and

in response to the previous resource assessment agent and the resource assessment agent composed by the agent composer software tool being identical, indicating deployment is complete.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, including providing said resource assessment agent with the analysis engine for performing said analysis on the information technology resource.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, including generating said data collector software tool with a data collector generator, composing the resource assessment agent with an agent composer software tool, deploying said resource assessment agent on said information technology resource with a deployment server software tool, and providing said database of characteristics of the at least one software product, said at least one analysis result, said data collector generator, said agent composer software tool and said deployment server software tool in a computing device or system.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said database includes characteristics of a plurality of software products and said method includes selecting said at least one software product from said plurality of software products.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, including maintaining a further database of characteristics of one or more information technology resources.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium provided with program data that, when executed on a computing device or system, controls the device or system to perform the method of claim 1.

7. A resource assessment computing system having a processor, comprising:

an input on a computing device for receiving data identifying an information technology resource;

a data collector generator adapted to generate a data collector software tool based on characteristics of said information technology resource and characteristics of at least one software product accessed from a database;

agent composer software tool adapted to first determine if a suitable resource assessment agent exists and in response to no suitable resource assessment agents existing adapted to second compose a resource assessment agent that includes said data collector software tool, adapted for installation on said information technology resource to collect data pertaining to system information relating to said information technology resource, to perform an analysis of said data by reference to said characteristics of said at least one software product to determine a compatibility of said information technology resource with said at least one software product and to return at least one result of said analysis;

a deployment server software tool adapted to deploy said resource assessment agent on said information technology resource, wherein the resource assessment agent includes a system data collector, analysis engine, and product configuration information of the at least one software product;

and an output on the computing device;

wherein said system is adapted to receive said result of said analysis from said information technology resource and is controllable to output said result of said analysis with said output.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7, adapted to provide said resource assessment agent with the analysis engine for performing said analysis on the information technology resource.

9. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said database includes characteristics of a plurality of software products.

10. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the data collector generator is adapted to access a further database including characteristics of one or more information technology resources.