Method and system of installing a program on a first computer, and duplicating the installation on a second computer

• US 8,789,039 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Shufer, Ilan, Ledenev, Alexei, Paz, Hilik
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): MACASIANO, JOANNE GONZALES
• Application Number:
  US12/239,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20100083058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,125 Days
• Field of Search: 717/174
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading

Abstract

Installing a program on a first or primary computer system, and duplicating the installation on a second or secondary computer system. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising installing a software program on a first computer system by way of a human interacting with the first computer system (the installing by way of a plurality of operations), programmatically duplicating each operation on a second computer system coupled to the first computer system (the duplicating of each operation on the second computer system in real time with each operation on the first computer system), programmatically analyzing a result of each operation on the first computer system against a result of each operation on the second computer system, and notifying the human (by way of the first computer system) when the result of the operation on the second computer system is unexpected.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

installing a software program on a first computer system by way of a human interacting with the first computer system during installation of the software program, the installing by way of a plurality of operations;

while installing the software program on the first computer system, programmatically duplicating, by the first computer system, each operation on a second computer system coupled to the first computer system, the duplicating of each operation on the second computer system in real time concurrently with each corresponding operation on the first computer system;

programmatically analyzing a result of each operation on the first computer system against a result of corresponding each operation on the second computer system; and

notifying the human, by way of the first computer system, when the result of the operation on the second computer system is unexpected;

wherein programmatically duplicating further comprises;

recording a representation of operations with respect to the software program on the first computer system;

recognizing whether data specific to the primary computer system is being used during an operation;

for an operation for which no data specific to the first computer system is used during an operation, sending to the second computer system the representation of that operation;

for an operation for which data specific to the first computer system is used during an operation, sending a value specific to the second computer system to the second computer system; and

programmatically applying, on the second computer system, each representation and data specific to the second computer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein programmatically analyzing further comprises:

creating the representation of results of each operation by the first computer system;

creating a representation of results of each operation by the second computer system;

the programmatically analyzing performed by at least one selected from the group consisting of;

the first computer system; and

the second computer system.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

correcting, by the human from the first computer system, the unexpected result of the operation on the second computer system;

refraining from notifying the human when a future result of operations on the second computer system differs from a corresponding future result on the first computer system for reason of the correcting.

4. A system comprising:

a primary computer system;

a secondary computer system coupled to the primary computer system by way of a computer network;

the primary computer system is configured to record representations of interactions between a human and software under installation on the primary computer system, and the primary computer system is further configured to send representations of the interactions to the secondary computer system;

the secondary computer system is configured to receive the representations of interactions and, while the software is being installed on the primary computer system apply, in real time with the interactions on the primary computer system, the representations of the interactions to a duplicate copy of the software under installation on the secondary computer system;

the system is configured to analyze a result of interactions of the human with the software under installation against a respective result of application of the representations of the interactions to the duplicate copy of the software under installation; and

the system is configured to alert the human by way of the primary computer system when results as between the primary and the secondary computer system indicate an unexpected result;

wherein when the primary computer system is to send representations of the interactions to the secondary computer system, the primary computer system is to recognize use of data specific to the primary computer system and to send to the secondary computer system a value indicative of data specific to the secondary computer system.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein when the system alerts the human, the system is further configured to alert the user when results on the secondary computer system are different than results on the primary computer system for reasons other than data specific to the primary or secondary computer system.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the primary and secondary computer systems are configured to enable the human, by way of the primary computer system, to make adjustments to the installation of the duplicate copy of the software under installation after an alert.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein when the system analyzes, the system is further configured to:

create, by the primary computer system, a representation of results of each operation on the primary computer system;

create, by the secondary computer system, a representation of results of each operation on the secondary computer system; and

analyze the representation of the results of the first computer system against the representation of results of the secondary computer system, the analysis performed by at least one selected from the group consisting of;

the primary computer system; and

the secondary computer system.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable media storing software that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

record an interaction of a human with a program being installed on a first computer system in which the processor resides;

while the program is being installed on the first computer system, send, in real time with the interaction, a representation of each interaction for an operation that does not use data specific to the computer system to a second computer system coupled to the processor by way of a computer network;

recognize use of data specific to the first computer system during an operation and send a value indicative of data specific to the secondary computer system to the second computer system;

determine a result of the interaction between the human and the program being installed on the first computer system; and

alert the human if the result of the interaction in comparison to a result of performance of the representation of the interaction on the second computer system indicates an occurrence of an unexpected result on the second computer system.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein, prior to when the processor alerts the human, the program further causes the processor to:

receive from the second computer system an indication of a result of applying the representation of the interaction to a duplicate program being installed on the second computer system;

evaluate a relationship between the indication of the result received from the second computer system and the result of the interaction between the human and the program being installed.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein, prior to when the processor alerts the human, the program further causes the processor to:

send to the second computer system an indication of the result of the interaction between the human and the program being installed;

receive from the second computer system an indication of a relationship between the result of the interaction between the human and the program being installed by the processor and a result of applying the representations of the interaction to a duplicate copy of the software being installed on the second computer system.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein when the processor alerts the human, the program further causes the processor to alert the human when results on the second computer system are different than results on the first computer system for reasons other than data specific to the second computer system.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein the software is to cause the processor to generate a user interface which contains a graphical representation of a user interface of the second computer system.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12 wherein the software is to cause the processor to alter the graphical representation of the user interface of the second computer system upon determination of an unexpected result.