Systems and methods for abstracting software content management in a software provisioning environment

• US 8,640,122 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: DeHaan, Michael Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr., Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Tina
• Application Number:
  US12/395,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 707/769, 709/226
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

To provision software content from the different software repositories and manage updates to the repositories, a provisioning server can maintain a repository record. The repository record can include an identification of the repositories associated with the provisioning server. Additionally, the repository record can associate, with each identification of a repository, the type of repository, the software content contained in the repository, and provisioning objects associated with the software content contained in the repository. The provisioning server can be configured to utilize the repository record during provisioning processes for software content and for updating software content of target machines.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a processor, a repository record, wherein the repository record comprises an identification of a plurality of software repositories, an identification of a plurality of software content associated with each software repository of the plurality of software repositories, and an identification of one or more provisioning objects of a plurality of provisioning objects associated with each software repository of the plurality of software repositories, wherein a first software repository of the plurality of software repositories uses a first type of system to maintain software content associated with the first software repository and a second repository of the plurality of software repositories uses a second type of system to maintain software content associated with the second software repository;

initiating, by the processor, a provisioning process on a target machine in a network of target machines for a provisioning object of the plurality of provisioning objects;

examining, by the processor, the repository record to determine a target repository of the plurality of software repositories for obtaining target software content of the plurality of software content associated with the provisioning object;

performing, by the processor, the provisioning process utilizing the target software content;

identifying, by the processor, an update to software content associated with one or more of the plurality of software repositories;

determining, by the processor, whether the provisioning object is affected by the update to the software content associated with the one or more of the plurality of software repositories; and

in response to determining that the provisioning object is affected by the update to the software content associated with the one or more of the plurality of software repositories, performing, by the processor, an update provisioning process on the target machine and updating the provisioning object.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

retrieving the target software content from the target repository prior to performing the provisioning process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the provisioning process comprises installing the target software content on the target machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of provisioning objects comprises at least one of a profile for the provisioning process, a template for the provisioning process, a software content record for the provisioning process, and or an inventory record for the target machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the provisioning object comprises:

altering the provisioning object in view of the update to the software content associated with the one or more of the plurality of software repositories.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of software repositories comprise different types of software repositories.

7. A system, comprising:

a network interface to a network of target machines; and

a provisioning server, communicating with the network interface and a plurality of software repositories, the provisioning server to;

maintain a repository record, wherein the repository record comprises an identification of the plurality of software repositories, an identification of a plurality of software content associated with each software repository of the plurality of software repositories, and an identification of one or more provisioning objects in a plurality of provisioning objects associated with each software repository of the plurality of software repositories, wherein a first software repository of the plurality of software repositories uses a first type of system to maintain software content associated with the first software repository and a second repository of the plurality of software repositories uses a second type of system to maintain software content associated with the second software repository;

initiate a provisioning process on a target machine in the network of target machines for a provisioning object of the plurality of provisioning objects;

examine the repository record to determine a target repository of the plurality of software repositories for obtaining target software content of the plurality of software content associated with the provisioning object;

perform the provisioning process utilizing the target software content;

identify an update to software content associated with one or more of the plurality of software repositories;

determine whether the provisioning object is affected by the update to the software content associated with the one or more of the plurality of software repositories; and

in response to determining that the provisioning object is affected by the update to the software content associated with the one or more of the plurality of software repositories, perform an update provisioning process on the target machine and update the provisioning object.

8. The system of claim 7, the provisioning server further to:

retrieve the target software content from the target repository prior to performing the provisioning process.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the provisioning process comprises installing the target software content on the target machine.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of provisioning objects comprises at least one of a profile for the provisioning process, a template for the provisioning process, a software content record for the provisioning process, and or an inventory record for the target machine.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein to update the provisioning object, the provisioning server is to:

alter the provisioning object in view of the update to the software content associated with the one or more of the plurality of software repositories.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of software repositories comprise different types of software repositories.