Differentiated installable packages
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of distributing fixes to a software application problem comprising:
- creating a source code change to fix the software application problem;
compiling the source code change into a patch file to be communicated, the patch file including a certificate indicating a level of trust to be assigned to the patch file;
creating executable installer code for installing the patch file;
creating a specialized mechanism that includes additional executable code comprising;
a certificate management utility configured to install a “
for testing”
certificate and set a “
do not remove”
key if a “
for testing”
certificate is not found on a receiving computer; and
a signing component for adjusting a level of security granted to the installer code according to the patch file'"'"'s certificate; and
;
creating a signed “
for testing”
package to be distributed, the “
for testing”
designation being indicative of a test package, where the test package comprises;
the executable installer code;
the patch file; and
the specialized mechanism;
wherein the signed “
for testing”
package, upon installation, causes an indication to be displayed that the test package was installed; and
wherein the certificate management utility, upon installation, tests the patch file'"'"'s certificate and causes the signing component to adjust the level of security granted to the executable installer code.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A code fix is communicated using an automatically executable code patch that has an additional code element that allows the code to perform the functions of registration, detection, setup, reporting, tracking, policy verification or clean up.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of distributing fixes to a software application problem comprising:
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creating a source code change to fix the software application problem; compiling the source code change into a patch file to be communicated, the patch file including a certificate indicating a level of trust to be assigned to the patch file; creating executable installer code for installing the patch file; creating a specialized mechanism that includes additional executable code comprising; a certificate management utility configured to install a “
for testing”
certificate and set a “
do not remove”
key if a “
for testing”
certificate is not found on a receiving computer; anda signing component for adjusting a level of security granted to the installer code according to the patch file'"'"'s certificate; and
;creating a signed “
for testing”
package to be distributed, the “
for testing”
designation being indicative of a test package, where the test package comprises;the executable installer code; the patch file; and the specialized mechanism; wherein the signed “
for testing”
package, upon installation, causes an indication to be displayed that the test package was installed; andwherein the certificate management utility, upon installation, tests the patch file'"'"'s certificate and causes the signing component to adjust the level of security granted to the executable installer code. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer-storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, which when executed by a computer provide a fix to a computer application problem, comprising:
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a patch component that corrects the computer application problem when installed; a package installer component that automatically installs the patch component when the package installer component is activated; a wrapper component to the package installer component, the wrapper component being indicative of a private patch; a certificate management utility component, the certificate management utility component detecting a certificate that trusts the patch component during installation and for setting and detecting a “
do not remove”
bit;a detection algorithm component for finding the patch component content with appropriate title; a signing mechanism component adjusting a level of security as indicated by the patch component, the signing mechanism component assigning a first level of security for a private patch component and a second level of security for an official hotfix package; a mechanism component enforcing a limited installation window; and a naming component differentiating the patch component from other fixes and indicating a level of trust and a patch file intended to modify core system files requires a first level of trust and a patch file intended to modify non-core system files requires a second level of trust; wherein, upon installation, the certificate management utility component scans for other patches, if none are found it sets the “
do not remove”
bit, and otherwise installs the certificate; andupon uninstallation, the certificate management utility component tests for the “
do not remove”
bit and if the “
do not remove”
bit is not found scans the computer for private patches and removes the certificate only if none are found. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A tangible computer storage medium storing computer executable instructions, for distributing fixes to a software application, which when executed perform the steps comprising:
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creating a source code change to fix the software application; compiling the source code into a patch file to be communicated, the patch file including a certificate indicating a level of trust to be assigned to the patch file; creating executable installer code for installing the patch file; creating a specialized mechanism that includes additional executable code comprising; a certificate management utility configured to install a “
for testing”
certificate and set a “
do not remove”
key if a “
for testing”
certificate is not found on a receiving computer; anda signing component for adjusting a level of security granted to the installer code according to the patch file'"'"'s certificate; and
;creating a package to be distributed, the package being designated as “
for testing”
, the “
for testing”
designation being indicative of a test package, where the package comprises;the executable installer code; the patch file; and the specialized mechanism; wherein the signed “
for testing”
package, upon installation, causes an indication to be displayed that the test package was installed; andwherein the certificate management utility, upon installation, tests the patch file'"'"'s certificate and causes the signing component to adjust the level of security granted to the executable installer code. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification