Proactive caching of remote actions

• US 8,805,955 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2011
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Such, Miroslav
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, ROBERT A
• Application Number:
  US13/185,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0836 to enhance reliability, e.g. reduce downtime
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A method and system for managing maintenance events in an enterprise computing environment. A client receives a maintenance file associated with a maintenance event from a server. The client device stores the maintenance file in local storage (e.g., cache), without installing the maintenance file. Subsequently, the client device receives an instruction from the server to install the previously downloaded and stored maintenance file.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a processing device, a request to a server for information relating to a scheduled maintenance event;

receiving, from the server, a file relating to the scheduled maintenance event;

storing the file in a local storage, without installation of the file;

querying the server, by the processing device, to determine a maintenance window associated with the installation of the file;

receiving, from the server, in response to the query, an instruction to install the file if the maintenance window associated with the installation of the file is open; and

installing, by the processing device, the file in response to the instruction from the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a downloaded file identifier is received with the file relating to the scheduled maintenance event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein installing the file in response to the instruction from the server further comprises:

receiving, from the server, a maintenance file identifier relating to a scheduled maintenance event that is due, and

comparing the downloaded file identifier and the maintenance file identifier, wherein the file is installed if there is a match.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the file comprises at least one of a software package, a remote script, or a configuration file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein there is a time interval of a minimum number of hours between receiving, the file relating to the scheduled maintenance event and installing the file in response to the instruction from the server.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the processing device, a request from a client for information relating to a scheduled maintenance event;

identifying a scheduled maintenance event for the client;

downloading to the client a file relating to the scheduled maintenance event;

receiving, from the client, a query to determine a maintenance window associated with the installation of the file;

providing, by the processing device, in response to the query, the client with an instruction to install the file relating to the scheduled maintenance event, if the maintenance window associated with the installation is open.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, further comprising providing the client with a downloaded file identifier.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, further comprising providing a maintenance file identifier with the instruction to install.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the file comprises at least one of a software package, a remote script, or a configuration file.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 further comprising maintaining a maintenance schedule comprising a plurality of maintenance events for a plurality of client devices.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 further comprising receiving the file associated with the scheduled maintenance event from a server maintenance file repository.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the server maintenance file repository stores a plurality of files received from a maintenance file source.

13. A computer system comprising:

a memory comprising instructions,

a processing device, coupled to the memory, the processing device executes the instructions from the memory to;

receive, from a server, a file relating to a scheduled maintenance event, and store the file in a local storage, without installation of the file;

query the server to determine a maintenance window associated with the installation of the file

receive, from the server, in response to the query, an instruction to install the file if the maintenance window associated with the installation is open, and

install the file in response to the instruction from the server.

14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the processing device receives a downloaded file identifier with the file relating to the scheduled maintenance event.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the processing device receives, from the server, a maintenance file identifier relating to the scheduled maintenance event, and compares the downloaded file identifier and the maintenance file identifier, wherein the file is installed if there is a match.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the file comprises at least one of a software package, a remote script, or a configuration file.

17. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the server comprises:

a server memory, a server processing device, coupled to the server memory; and

a server maintenance schedule manager, executed from the server memory by the server processing device, to;

receive a request from a client device for information relating to the scheduled maintenance event,

download to the client device the file relating to the scheduled maintenance event,

receive, from the client device, a query to determine a maintenance window associated with the installation of the file,

provide the client device with an instruction to install the file relating to the maintenance event if the maintenance window associated with the installation of the file is open.

18. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the server comprises:

a server memory,

a server processing device, coupled to the server memory; and

a server maintenance schedule manager, executed from the server memory by the server processing device, to;

download to a client device a file associated with the scheduled maintenance event, during a download phase, and

provide the client device with an instruction to install the previously downloaded file associated the scheduled maintenance event, during an installation phase.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein there is a time interval of a minimum number of hours between the download phase and the installation phase.