Space efficient software package management

• US 8,806,477 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: DeHaan, Michael Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Sun, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/610,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20110107326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,747 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A space management tool can consolidate the duplicate files in the software packages while maintaining the file structure of the software packages. The space management tool can search the software packages to identify duplicate files and consolidate the duplicate files without altering the file structure of the software packages. In particular, the space management tool can consolidate the storage space utilized by the software packages by removing duplicate files in the software packages and replacing the removed files with a reference to the remaining file.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a processor, a plurality of duplicate files, each of the plurality of duplicate files being associated with a different software package of a set of software packages stored in a computer readable storage device and each of the software packages comprising a file structure;

removing, by the processor, one of the plurality of duplicate files from a storage location in the computer readable storage device; and

storing, by the processor, in the storage location, a reference to a remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files, wherein the file structure of each of the software packages is maintained.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining, by the processor, locations of the set of software packages stored in the computer readable storage device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of duplicate files comprises:

comparing files contained in the set of software packages to determine files with identical file names.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference comprises a hard link to a storage location of the remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files in the computer readable storage device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the removed one of the plurality of duplicate files was stored in a first file system of the computer readable storage device and the remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files is stored in a second file system of the computer readable storage device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference comprises a symbolic link to a storage location of the remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files in the computer readable storage device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the removed one of the plurality of duplicate files was stored in a first computer readable storage device and the remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files is stored in a second computer readable storage device.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage device having instructions therein, which when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

determining, by the processor, a plurality of duplicate files, each of the plurality of duplicate files being associated with a different software package of a set of software packages stored in a memory and each of the software packages comprising a file structure;

removing, by the processor, one of the plurality of duplicate files from a storage location in the memory; and

storing, by the processor, in the storage location, a reference to a remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files, wherein the file structure of each of the software packages is maintained.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, by the processor, locations of the set of software packages stored in the memory.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein determining the plurality of duplicate files comprises:

comparing, by the processor, files contained in the set of software packages to determine files with identical file names.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the reference comprises a hard link to a storage location of the remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files in the memory.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the removed one of the plurality of duplicate files was stored in a first file system of the memory and the remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files is stored in a second file system of the memory.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the reference comprises a symbolic link to a storage location of the remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files in the memory.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the removed one of the plurality of duplicate files was stored in a first memory and the remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files is stored in a second memory.

15. A system comprising:

a computer readable storage device; and

a processor, to communicate with the computer readable storage device and to execute a space management tool, wherein the space management tool is to;

determine a plurality of duplicate files, each of the plurality of duplicate files being associated with a different software package of a set of software packages stored in the computer readable storage device and each of the software packages comprising a file structure;

remove one of the plurality of duplicate files from a storage location in the computer readable storage device; and

store, in the storage location, a reference to a remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files, wherein the file structure of each of the software packages is maintained.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the space management tool is further to:

determine locations of the set of software packages stored in the computer readable storage device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein determining the plurality of duplicate files comprises:

comparing files contained in the set of software packages to determine files with identical file names.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the reference comprises a hard link to a storage location of the remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files in the computer readable storage device.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the removed one of the plurality of duplicate files was stored in a first file system of the computer readable storage device and the remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files is stored in a second file system of the computer readable storage device.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the reference comprises a symbolic link to a storage location of the remaining one of the plurality of duplicate files in the computer readable storage device.