Installing method, installer, and installing program

• US 8,584,116 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Platforms, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NEC Infrontia Corporation (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Shima, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Deng, Anna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bourzik, Brahim
• Application Number:
  US12/334,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

An installer generates an application list containing application program type of each application, generates, based on the application list, a configuration file containing predetermined items set for all the installed applications and predetermined item set for respective installed applications, sets a common item in a registry, sets the number of installed applications and the like as attributes of the common item, sets an item for each application immediately under the common item, sets program installation folder and the like as attributes of the item set for each application, sets the number of installed applications in the field of number of installed applications in the registry using a computer, sets a value of an IP address in the field of IP address in the registry, and installs selected applications.

Claims

1. An installer system comprising:

a first processor unit that generates an application list and records the generated application list in a storage device of a first computer, the application list containing, for each application to be installed in a second computer, an application program type indicating whether the application to be installed is a PC application or a browser application, an indication of whether the application is to communicate with a Central Processing Unit (CPU), necessity or unnecessity of Personal Computer (PC) reboot after installation, a default installation folder/program name, and a default icon folder/program name, the application program type of the browser application indicating a case where an application program of an application server on a network is utilized through a browser at the second computer;

the first processor unit generating a configuration file to be used for installation, based on the application list stored in the storage device and recording the generated configuration file in a storage medium of the first computer, the configuration file containing a total number of applications to be installed in all markets and a specified market and containing, for each of the applications to be installed, an application name, information indicating whether the application is released or not into the specified market, the application program type indicating whether the application to be installed is a PC application or a browser application, the necessity or unnecessity of communication with the CPU, the necessity or unnecessity of reboot after installation, a program installation path, and an icon installation path;

a second processor unit for setting common items in a registry of the second computer, setting a number of installed applications and an IP address of the CPU as attributes of the common items, setting items for each application immediately under the common items, and setting a program installation folder/file name and an icon installation folder/file name as attributes of the items set for each application;

the second processor unit setting, in a field of the number of installed applications in the registry of the second computer, a number of selected applications which has been determined based on both of user'"'"'s selection and the information, contained in the configuration file, indicating whether the application is released or not into the specified market;

the second processor unit setting a value of the IP address input by the user in a field of the IP address in the registry of the second computer; and

the second processor unit installing, in the second computer, applications selected by the user, wherein the second processor unit performs installation based on a Microsoft Windows.RTM. Installer (MSI) file stored in the storage medium for an application whose application program type contained in the configuration file is a PC application, while, for an application whose application program type contained in the configuration file is a browser application, the second processor unit sets a shortcut for connecting to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) input by the user and an icon of the shortcut and sets the set destinations of the shortcut and icon in the registry of the second computer,

in the installation based on the MSI file, the second processor unit sets, as needed, the IP address that has been set in the registry, in a configuration of the application to be installed in the second computer, and

the second processor unit checks the configuration file to determine whether, among the installed applications, at least one application requiring reboot after installation exists, and performs reboot of the second computer only once after installation if the at least one application requiring reboot after installation exists.

2. The installer system according to claim 1, comprising a unit for setting a pull-down menu in a toolbar application, displaying information representing other applications when the pull-down menu is selected, and activating a selected one of the applications on the pull-down menu by referring to the registry.

3. The installer system according to claim 1, comprising a unit for setting a toolbar in a Windows.RTM application, displaying an icon representing other applications on the toolbar, and activating an application corresponding to a selected one of the icons on the tool bar by referring to the registry.

4. An installing method comprising:

a step of generating an application list by a first computer and recording the generated application list in a storage of the first computer, the application list containing, for each application to be installed in a second computer, an application program type indicating whether the application to be installed is a PC application or a browser application, an indication of whether the application is to communicate with a Central Processing Unit (CPU), necessity or unnecessity of Personal Computer (PC) reboot after installation, a default installation folder/program name, and a default icon folder/program name, the application program type of the browser application indicating a case where an application program of an application server on a network is utilized through a browser at the second computer;

a step of generating by the first computer a configuration file to be used for installation, based on the application list stored in the storage and recording the generated configuration file in a storage medium by the first computer, the configuration file containing a total number of applications to be installed in all markets and a specified market and containing, for each of the applications to be installed, an application name, information indicating whether the application is released or not into the specified market, the application program type indicating whether the application to be installed is a PC application or a browser application, the necessity or unnecessity of communication with the CPU, the necessity or unnecessity of reboot after installation, a program installation path, and an icon installation path;

a step of setting common items in a registry of the second computer, setting a number of installed applications and an IP address of the CPU as attributes of the common items, setting items for each application immediately under the common item items, and setting a program installation folder/file name and an icon installation folder/file name as attributes of the items set for each application;

a step of setting, in a field of the number of installed applications in the registry of the second computer, a number of selected applications which has been determined based on both of user'"'"'s selection and the information, contained in the configuration file, indicating whether the application is released or not into the specified market;

a step of setting a value of the IP address input by the user in a field of the IP address in the registry of the second computer; and

an installation step of installing, in the second computer, applications selected by the user, wherein in the installation step, installation is performed based on a Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) file stored in the storage medium for an application whose application program type contained in the configuration file is a PC application, while, for an application whose application program type contained in the configuration file is a browser application, a shortcut for connecting to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) input by the user and an icon of the shortcut are set, and the set destinations of the shortcut and icon are set in the registry of the second computer, in the installation based on the MSI file, the IP address that has been set in the registry is set as needed in a configuration of the application to be installed in the second computer, wherein the method further comprises;

a step of checking the configuration file to determine whether, among the installed applications, at least one application requiring reboot after installation exists, and performing reboot of the second computer only once after installation if the at least one application requiring reboot after installation exists.

5. The installing method according to claim 4, comprising setting a pull-down menu in a toolbar application, displaying information representing other applications when the pull-down menu is selected, and activating a selected one of the applications on the pull-down menu by referring to the registry.

6. The installing method according to claim 4, comprising setting a toolbar in a Windows.RTM application, displaying an icon representing other applications on the toolbar, and activating an application corresponding to a selected one of the icons on the tool bar by referring to the registry.

7. a non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying an installing program for allowing a computer to function as an installer system comprising:

a unit for generating an application list by a first computer and recording the generated application list in a storage of the first computer, the application list containing, for each application to be installed in a second computer, an application program type indicating whether the application to be installed is a PC application or a browser application, an indication of whether the application is to communicate with a Central Processing Unit (CPU), necessity or unnecessity of Personal Computer (PC) reboot after installation, a default installation folder/program name, and a default icon folder/program name, the application program type of the browser application indicating a case where an application program of an application server on a network is utilized through a browser at the second computer;

a unit for generating by the first computer a configuration file to be used for installation, based on the application list stored in the storage and recording the generated configuration file in a storage medium by the first computer, the configuration file containing a total number of applications to be installed in all markets and a specified market and containing, for each of the applications to be installed, an application name, information indicating whether the application is released or not into the specified market, the application program type indicating whether the application to be installed is a PC application or a browser application, the necessity or unnecessity of communication with the CPU, the necessity or unnecessity of reboot after installation, a program installation path, and an icon installation path;

a unit for setting common items in a registry of the second computer, setting a number of installed applications and an IP address of the CPU as attributes of the common items, setting items for each application immediately under the common items, and setting a program installation folder/file name and an icon installation folder/file name as attributes of the items set for each application;

a unit for setting, in a field of the number of installed applications in the registry of second computer, a number of selected applications which has been determined based on both of user'"'"'s selection and the information, contained in the configuration file, indicating whether the application is released or not into the specified market;

a unit for setting a value of the IP address input by the user in a field of the IP address in the registry of the second computer;

and an installation unit for installing, in the second computer, applications selected by the user, wherein the installation unit performs installation based on a Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) stored in the storage medium file for an application whose application program type contained in the configuration file is a PC application, while, for an application whose application program type contained in the configuration file is a browser application, the installation unit sets a shortcut for connecting to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) input by the user and an icon of the shortcut and sets the set destinations of the shortcut and icon in the registry of the second computer,

in the installation based on the MSI file, the installation unit sets, as needed, the IP address that has been set in the registry, in a configuration of the application to be installed in the second computer,

and the installation unit checks the configuration file to determine whether, among the installed applications, at least one application requiring reboot after installation exists, and performs reboot of the second computer only once after installation if the at least one application requiring reboot after installation exists.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the installer comprises a unit for setting a pull-down menu in a toolbar application, displaying information representing other applications when the pull-down menu is selected, and activating a selected one of the applications on the pull-down menu by referring to the registry.

9. the installing program non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the installer comprises a unit for setting a toolbar in a Windows.RTM application, displaying an icon representing other applications on the toolbar, and activating an application corresponding to a selected one of the icons on the tool bar by referring to the registry.