Apparatus and method for establishing dependencies in a software dependency map

• US 8,645,947 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Wookey, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Marina
• Application Number:
  US13/149,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20110231836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 717120-121, 714 25- 473
• US Class Current: 717/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates

Abstract

A virtual installation map, and method involving installing a software functionality using the same, the virtual installation map including a first software installation map including a plurality of software elements representative of a related software file, the software elements also including at least one dependency to another software element. The virtual installation map further including a second software installation map also including a second plurality of software elements representative of related software file along with related dependencies. The first and second software installation maps may be hosted in separate databases and may relate to software products provided by different vendors. One or both software installation maps may include a pointer or other reference to the other installation map thereby providing a virtual installation map, in one example.

Claims

1. A method for generating dependencies within a software installation map comprising:

creating a first software element in a software installation map, wherein the first software element represents a first software file;

creating a second software element in the software installation map, wherein the second software element represents a second software file;

analyzing a first software package being a source of the first software file and the second software file to identify a dependency between the first software file and the second software file, the first software package utilized to install a software functionality on a plurality of client devices;

creating a first dependency pointer within the software installation map, the first dependency pointer representing the dependency from the first software file to the second software file;

assigning a confidence factor to the first dependency pointer, the confidence factor indicating at least a number of a plurality of successful prior installations involving the first software package on the plurality of client devices;

assigning a timestamp to the first dependency pointer, the timestamp storing a date the dependency was generated in the software installation map;

receiving a success indication based on an installation of the software functionality on a client device involving the first software file and the second software file; and

adiusting the confidence factor of the first dependency pointer as a function of the success indication.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing includes extracting a declared dependency between the first software file and the second software file.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the declared dependency is located in one of the following types of software files residing within the first software package:

a) a shared library file;

b) a configuration file;

c) an executable file; and

d) a symbol table.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing includes analyzing shared libraries to identify a declared dependency between the first software file and the second software file.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing includes analyzing configuration files to identify a declared dependency between the first software file and the second software file.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising analyzing a symbol file of at least one executable file of the first software package to identify dependency between the first software file and the second software file.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing at least one executable file of the first software package to identify the dependency between the first software file and the second software file.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

extracting a plurality of software files from the first software package, the plurality of files comprising at least the first software file and the second software file.

9. An apparatus for generating dependencies within a software installation map comprising:

a computer-readable medium with computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing device, are configured for performing the operations of;

creating a first software element in a software installation map, wherein the first software element represents a first software file;

creating a second software element in the software installation map, wherein the second software element represents a second software file, the first software package utilized to install a software functionality on a plurality of client devices;

analyzing a first software package being a source of the first software file and the second software file to identify a dependency between the first software file and the second software file;

creating a first dependency pointer within the software installation map, the first dependency pointer representing the dependency from the first software file to the second software file;

assigning a confidence factor to the first dependency pointer, the confidence factor indicating at least a number of a plurality of successful prior installations involving the first software package on the plurality of client devices;

assigning a timestamp to the first dependency pointer, the timestamp storing a date the dependency was generated in the software installation map;

receiving a success indication based on an installation of the software functionality on a client device involving the first software file and the second software file; and

adjusting the confidence factor of the first dependency pointer as a function of the success indication.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the analyzing includes extracting a declared dependency between the first software file and the second software file.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the declared dependency is located in one of the following types of software files residing within the first software package:

a) a shared library file;

b) a configuration file;

c) an executable file; and

d) a symbol table.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further configured to perform extracting a plurality of software files from the first software package, the plurality of files comprising at least the first software file and the second software file.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the analyzing includes analyzing shared libraries to identify a declared dependency between the first software file and the second software file.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the analyzing includes analyzing configuration files to identify a declared dependency between the first software file and the second software file.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 further configured to perform the analyzing a symbol file of at least one executable file of the first software package to identify dependency between the first software file and the second software file.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 further configured to perform executing at least one executable file of the first software package to identify dependency between the first software file and the second software file.