Installation engine and package format for parallelizable, reliable installations

• US 8,893,116 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2012
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Haubold, Jeremy, Pacciarini, Claudio
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): KABIR, MOHAMMAD H
• Application Number:
  US13/350,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,038 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168, 717/174
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

In one embodiment, an application updater may cleanly update a computer application 112 without causing a fault or a reboot of either the system or the process. A processor 220 may execute a predecessor version 508 of a computer application 112. The processor 220 may install a successor version 512 of the computer application 112 on a user account level. The processor 220 may execute the successor version 512 of the computer application 112.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

executing a predecessor version of a computer application in a primary user account of a computer device;

installing a successor version of the computer application for the primary user account; and

executing the successor version of the computer application in the primary user account while a secondary user account of the computer device has the predecessor version.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading a complete successor version using an updater module.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

executing the updater module invisibly to a user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

placing the successor version in a clean successor data storage location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining execution of the predecessor version while installation of the successor version occurs.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing a switch from the predecessor version to the successor version.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

maintaining a presentation of a user interface of the computer application during the switch.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the predecessor version and the successor version simultaneously.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

uninstalling the predecessor version while executing the successor version.

10. A tangible machine-readable medium having a set of instructions detailing a method stored thereon that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform the method, the method comprising:

executing a predecessor version of a computer application referenced by a primary file name of a primary user account of a computer device;

downloading a complete successor version using an updater module disregarding the predecessor version;

installing the complete successor version of the computer application referenced by the primary file name in a clean successor data storage location.

11. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

installing the complete successor version of the computer application on a machine level.

12. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

elevating a user status to an administrative privilege.

13. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

installing the complete successor version of the computer application on a user account level.

14. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

executing the updater module invisibly to a user.

15. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

resetting the primary file name to be a hard link to an administrator successor version.

16. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

maintaining a presentation of a user interface during the switch.

17. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

executing the predecessor version and the complete successor version simultaneously.

18. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

scheduling the predecessor version for an uninstall operation during a system reboot.

19. An application updater, comprising:

a communications interface that downloads a complete successor version of a computer application;

a data storage that stores a predecessor version of the computer application in a predecessor data storage location and the complete successor version in a clean successor data storage location; and

a processor that executes the predecessor version and installs the complete successor version of the computer application in a primary user account while a secondary user account has the predecessor version.

20. The application updater of claim 19, wherein the processor maintains execution of the predecessor version while installation of the complete successor version occurs.