Multi-installer product advertising

• US 8,640,124 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2007
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Barr, Paul C., Nduaguba, Nnaemeka M. C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Satish
• Application Number:
  US11/623,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20080172736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,570 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 707723-724, 707/770, 709220-231
• US Class Current: 717/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

Methods, computer program products, and systems advertise multi-installer programs in a local system context with single installer deployment. A method involves initiating in a local system a custom action associated with a core installer of a multi-installer program, finding a satellite installer associated with the core installer, and gathering data associated with the local system on which the multi-installer program is to be advertised. The method also involves scheduling another custom action for later execution to advertise the satellite installer, spawning from within the custom action the other custom action by leveraging privileges associated with installing the core installer on the local system, impersonating a target user of the local system, accessing pre-generated scripts associated with the satellite installers, and advertising the satellite installers via the local system. Pre-generated scripts of the satellite installers are accessed and the scripts are applied to the target user to facilitate satellite installer advertisement/assignment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for multi-installer program advertising in a local system context with single installer deployment, comprising:

initiating in a local system a custom action associated with a core installer of a multi-installer program, the custom action comprising advertising the multi-installer program on the local system via a software deployment technology configured only for single installer software products, the single installer software products comprising a software product including application binaries and application specific resources bundled into a single installer, the custom action further including code to identify that the core installer has been cached and code to identify that more installers are needed for a complete installation;

determining a source location of the core installer;

publishing the core installer, the core installer being advertised upon publication, the advertisement comprising a displayed entry point for manual instantiation of the complete installation;

determining at least one satellite installer associated with the core installer;

gathering data associated with the local system on which the multi-installer program is to be advertised wherein the multi-installer program comprises the core installer and the at least one satellite installer;

scheduling at least one other custom action for later execution to advertise the at least one satellite installer;

spawning from within the custom action the at least one other custom action by leveraging privileges associated with installing the core installer on the local system;

accessing pre-generated scripts associated with the at least one satellite installer;

advertising the at least one satellite installer via the local system;

updating a source location of the at least one satellite installer by accessing actual values instead of default values included in the pre-generated scripts;

cleaning metadata associated with the at least one satellite installer so that the source location of the at least one satellite installer identifies the source location of the core installer; and

actuating an install trigger to install the at least one satellite installer of the multi-installer program;

impersonating a target user of the local system from within the at least one other custom action to ensure an accurate advertising target wherein gathering data associated with the local system comprises collecting at least one identifier associated with the target user of the local system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein impersonating the target user comprises:

collecting the at least one identifier wherein the at least one identifier comprises a session identifier of the target user;

retrieving an access token associated with the session identifier; and

impersonating the access token.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein impersonating the target user further comprises:

collecting the at least one identifier wherein the at least one identifier comprises a username of the target user and a user domain of the target user; and

comparing the username and the user domain to a username and a user domain of the impersonated access token for validation therein executing in a security context of the target user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein advertising the at least one satellite installer comprises applying the pre-generated scripts to a correct target user.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising terminating spawning of the at least one other custom action and returning to the custom action.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein advertising the at least one satellite installer comprises applying the pre-generated scripts for publication of a plurality of satellite installers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one satellite installer comprises finding a plurality of satellite installers associated with the core installer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the core installer includes application binaries and the satellite installers include resource strings.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising impersonating a machine account of the local system before advertising the at least one satellite installer wherein gathering data associated with the local system comprises collecting data associated with the machine account therein utilizing permissions in a security context of the local system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein advertising the at least one satellite installer comprises allowing the at least one satellite installer to become installable on the local system without any additional privileges.

11. A tangible computer-readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions which, when executed on a computing device, will cause the computing device to perform a method advertising satellite installers of a multi-installer program during installation of a core installer, the method comprising:

initiating a custom action associated with a core installer of a multi-installer program, the custom action comprising advertising the multi-installer program on the computing device via a software deployment technology configured only for single installer software products, the single installer software products comprising a software product including application binaries and application specific resources bundled into a single installer, the custom action further including code to identify that the core installer has been cached and code to identify that more installers are needed for a complete installation;

determining a source location of the core installer;

publishing the core installer, the core installer being advertised upon publication, the advertisement comprising a displayed entry point for manual instantiation of the complete installation;

finding satellite installers associated with the core installer;

collecting data associated with the computer on which the multi-installer program is to be advertised wherein the multi-installer program comprises the core installer and the satellite installers;

scheduling from within the custom action other custom actions for later execution to advertise the satellite installers;

spawning from within the custom action other custom actions to advertise the satellite installers by leveraging privileges associated with installing the core installer on the computer;

pausing the custom action;

accessing pre-generated scripts associated with the satellite installers; and

applying the pre-generated scripts to a target user;

updating a source location of the satellite installers by accessing actual values instead of default values included in the pre-generated scripts;

cleaning metadata associated with the satellite installers so that the source location of the satellite installers identifies the source location of the core installer; and

actuating an install trigger to install the satellite installers of the multi-installer program;

impersonating the target user of the computer from within the other custom actions to ensure an accurate advertising target wherein collecting data associated with the computer comprises collecting at least one identifier associated with the target user of the computer.

12. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein impersonating the target user comprises:

collecting the at least one identifier wherein the at least one identifier comprises a session identifier of the target user;

retrieving an access token associated with the session identifier; and

impersonating the access token.

13. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein impersonating the target user further comprises:

collecting the at least one identifier wherein the at least one identifier comprises at least one of the following;

a username of the target user; and

a user domain of the target user; and

comparing the username and the user domain to a username and a user domain of the impersonated access token for validation therein executing in a security context of the target user.

14. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising computer-readable program code for causing the computer to terminate spawning of the other custom actions and resume the custom action.

15. A computer-implemented system for advertising scripts associated with satellite installers of a multi-installer product, the system comprising:

a memory and a processor coupled to the system;

an installer deployment module operative to publish a core installer to a local computer and initiate a custom action associated with the core installer of a multi-installer product, the custom action comprising advertising the multi-installer product on the local computer via a software deployment technology configured only for single installer software products, the single installer software products comprising a software product including application binaries and application specific resources bundled into a single installer;

code of the custom action operative to;

install the core installer;

identify that the core installer has been cached;

determine a source location of the core installer;

publish the core installer, the core installer being advertised upon publication, the advertisement comprising a displayed entry point for manual instantiation of the complete installation;

identify that more installers are needed for a complete installation;

find satellite installers associated with the core installer;

collect data associated with a target user currently logged on to the local computer on which the multi-installer program is to be advertised wherein the multi-installer program comprises the core installer and the satellite installers;

schedule from within the custom action other custom actions for later execution to advertise the satellite installers;

spawn from within the custom action other custom actions to advertise the satellite installers by leveraging privileges associated with installing the core installer;

update a source location of the satellite installers by accessing

actual values instead of default values included in the pre-generated scripts; and

clean metadata associated with the satellite installers so that the source location of the satellite installers identifies the source location of the core installer code of the other custom actions operative to;

pause the custom action;

access pre-generated scripts associated with the satellite installers;

apply the pre-generated scripts to a target user; and

actuate an install trigger to install the satellite installers of the multi- installer product, the install trigger being actuated by a boot process on the local computer;

,

impersonate a target user of the local computer from within the custom action to ensure an accurate advertising target wherein gathering data associated with the local computer comprises collecting at least one identifier associated with the target user of the local computer.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the code of the other custom actions is further operative to impersonate the target user of the local computer from within the other custom actions to ensure an accurate advertising target;

wherein the code of the custom action operative to collect data associated with the target user is operative to collect a session identifier, a username, and a user domain associated with the target user of the local computer; and

wherein the code of the other custom actions operative to impersonate the target user is operative to;

retrieve an access token associated with the session identifier; and

impersonate the access token;

compare the username and the user domain to a username and a user domain of the impersonated access token for validation therein executing in a security context of the target user.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the code of the other custom actions is further operative to terminate spawning of the other custom actions and resume the custom action.