Automated hotfix handling model

• US 8,713,554 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Chopra, Shelesh, Scott, William, Sears, Christopher, Vasanad, Shivashankar
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERMAN, STEPHEN DAVID
• Application Number:
  US13/618,634
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for automated handling of a hotfix. In some embodiments, this includes obtaining defects submitted to a defect repository, querying the defect repository to obtain a defect, permitting the users to approve the defect as a cumulative hotfix candidate, receiving and storing check-in data corresponding to the cumulative hotfix candidate to a source code repository, approving the check-in data, triggering an automated compiling of a build of the version of the software, examining the build, triggering an automated testing of the build based on a determination that the build is clean, storing the build in a build repository when the automated testing of the build completes without error, and publishing the build.

Claims

1. A processor-executed method comprising:

receiving defects submitted to a defect repository, wherein each of the defects is associated with an identifier, a status and a keyword indicating the type of the defect;

querying the defect repository to obtain a list of cumulative hotfix candidates based on a set of rules and the keyword associated with each of the defects, wherein the list of cumulative hotfix candidates includes one or more defects from the defect repository;

storing the list of cumulative hotfix candidates in the defect repository;

approving the list of cumulative hotfix candidates, associating the list of cumulative hotfix candidates to a version;

receiving and storing check-in data corresponding to the list of cumulative hotfix candidates to a source code repository;

approving the check-in data, and triggering an automated compiling of at least one build using the check-in data stored in the source code repository, wherein the at least one build is associated with the version;

upon completion of the build, examining the at least one build;

triggering an automated testing of the at least one build based on a determination that the at least one build is clean, wherein the automated testing uses test cases mapped to the version associated with the at least one build;

storing the at least one build in a build repository; and

publishing a cumulative hotfix based on the at least one build stored in the build repository, and sending an automated notification of the cumulative hotfix.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein querying the defect repository to obtain the list of cumulative hotfix candidates based on the set of rules and the keyword associated with each of the defects comprises for each of the defects:

determining for a defect whether a keyword associated with the defect matches the set of rules;

based on a determination that the keyword matches the set of rules, selecting the defect into the list of cumulative hotfix candidates.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the defects is associated with a description.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein approving the check-in data comprises:

upon receiving the automated notification of the check-in, determining whether to approve the check-in data;

upon the determination of approving the check-in data, approving the check-in data;

writing test cases for the version;

generating documents for the version based on the check-in data and descriptions associated with the defects;

storing the documents in a knowledge base repository as entries; and

upon the determination of rejecting the check-in data, triggering an automated notification of the rejection.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein publishing the cumulative hotfix includes publishing the cumulative hotfix, retrieving the entries from the knowledge bases, and posting the documents.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein examining the at least one build includes triggering an automated notification based on a determination that the at least one build is not clean, wherein the automated notification includes a request for updated check-in data.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the automated testing includes at least one automated continuous integration testing and at least one automated regression testing.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein publishing the cumulative hotfix includes selecting a build from the at least one build stored in the build repository based on the version and a determination that automated testing of the build completes without error;

and publishing the cumulative hotfix based on the build.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the check-in data includes the version, source codes to fix the corresponding list of cumulative hotfix candidates, defect identifiers, and comments.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein storing the list of cumulative hotfix candidates in the defect repository includes storing the list of cumulative hotfix candidates in the defect repository, updating statuses associated with the list of cumulative hotfix candidates, and triggering an automated notification of the list of cumulative hotfix candidates.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein approving the list of cumulative hotfix candidates includes approving the list of cumulative hotfix candidates, updating statuses associated with the list of cumulative hotfix candidates, and triggering an automated notification of the approval.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving and storing check-in data corresponding to the list of cumulative hotfix candidates to a source code repository includes receiving and storing check-in data corresponding to the list of cumulative hotfix candidates, updating statuses associated with the list of cumulative hotfix candidates, and triggering an automated notification of the check-in data.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein approving the check-in data includes approving the check-in data, updating statuses associated with the list of cumulative hotfix candidates, and triggering an automated notification.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein triggering an automated testing of the at least one build based on a determination that the at least one build is clean includes triggering an automated testing of the at least one build based on a determination that the at least one build is clean, updating statuses associated with the list of cumulative hotfix candidates, and triggering an automated notification.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein publishing a cumulative hotfix based on the at least one build stored in the build repository includes publishing a cumulative hotfix based on the at least one build stored in the build repository, and updating statuses associated with the list of cumulative hotfix candidates.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein approving the list of cumulative hotfix candidates includes for each of the list of cumulative hotfix candidates, approving a cumulative hotfix candidate by selecting from a list of options, wherein the list of options includes an approve option and a reject option, wherein selecting the approve option triggers an approval process of the cumulative hotfix candidate and updating the status of the cumulative hotfix candidate.

17. A hotfix handling system comprising:

a computer processor;

a memory storing instructions that when executed by the computer processor cause the computer processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving defects submitted to a defect repository, wherein each of the defects is associated with an identifier, a status and a keyword indicating the type of the defect;

querying the defect repository to obtain a list of cumulative hotfix candidates based on a set of rules and the keyword associated with each of the defects, wherein the list of cumulative hotfix candidates includes one or more defects from the defect repository;

storing the list of cumulative hotfix candidates in the defect repository;

approving the list of cumulative hotfix candidates, associating the list of cumulative hotfix candidates to a version;

receiving and storing check-in data corresponding to the list of cumulative hotfix candidates to a source code repository;

approving the check-in data, and triggering an automated compiling of at least one build using the check-in data stored in the source code repository, wherein the at least one build is associated with the version;

upon completion of the build, examining the at least one build;

triggering an automated testing of the at least one build based on a determination that the at least one build is clean, wherein the automated testing uses test cases mapped to the version associated with the at least one build;

storing the at least one build in a build repository; and

publishing a cumulative hotfix based on the at least one build stored in the build repository, and sending an automated notification of the cumulative hotfix.

18. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having machine readable code embodied therein for:

receiving defects submitted to a defect repository, wherein each of the defects is associated with an identifier, a status and a keyword indicating the type of the defect;

querying the defect repository to obtain a list of cumulative hotfix candidates based on a set of rules and the keyword associated with each of the defects, wherein the list of cumulative hotfix candidates includes one or more defects from the defect repository;

storing the list of cumulative hotfix candidates in the defect repository;

approving the list of cumulative hotfix candidates, associating the list of cumulative hotfix candidates to a version;

receiving and storing check-in data corresponding to the list of cumulative hotfix candidates to a source code repository;

approving the check-in data, and triggering an automated compiling of at least one build using the check-in data stored in the source code repository, wherein the at least one build is associated with the version;

upon completion of the build, examining the at least one build;

triggering an automated testing of the at least one build based on a determination that the at least one build is clean, wherein the automated testing uses test cases mapped to the version associated with the at least one build;

storing the at least one build in a build repository; and

publishing a cumulative hotfix based on the at least one build stored in the build repository, and sending an automated notification of the cumulative hotfix.