Automatic selection of lowest configuration feature level by functionality exploited

• US 8,930,902 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bolton, Stephen P., Webster, Matthew A., Joseph, Winchester R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Qing
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lyons, Andrew M
• Application Number:
  US13/410,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20130047139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 717/121
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

Methods and systems of generating product configuration files may involve receiving an identification of a set of features for a software product via a file editor interface. The lowest version of the software product that supports the set of features may be determined, wherein a configuration file can be generated based on the lowest version. In one example, the configuration file identifies the set of features and includes the lowest version as an attribute of the configuration file.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

outputting one or more prompts via a file editor interface;

receiving an identification of a set of features for a software product via the file editor interface, wherein the set of features includes one or more application programming interface (API) functions and the software product includes a server;

automatically determining, via the file editor interface, a lowest version of the software product that supports the set of features from among a plurality of versions of the software product;

automatically assigning, via the file editor interface, the lowest version of the software product that supports the set of features to a configuration file in response to the automatic determination of the lowest version by adding an attribute to the configuration file that indicates the lowest version of the software product as a level of compatibility, wherein the lowest version of the software product is automatically assigned even when the file editor interface is compatible with a version of the software product that supports the set of features which is higher than the lowest version of the software product; and

automatically generating, via the file editor interface, the configuration file for the software product, wherein the configuration file includes an event binding file, identifies the set of features, and indicates the lowest version via the attribute of the configuration file.

2. The method of claim 1, further including excluding version information from the one or more prompts.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the lowest version includes:

maintaining a list of a plurality of features and corresponding version levels for the software product; and

comparing the set of features to the list.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the server includes a customer information control system server.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more prompts display a plurality of features from which the set of features are selected and exclude the version information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the file editor interface allows a user to select the set of features without regard to a version level of an execution environment.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the file editor interface allows the user to select the set of features without having to explicitly set the version level of the execution environment.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of versions include two or more versions of the software product that support the set of features, and wherein the file editor automatically determines and automatically assigns the lowest version of the software product that supports the set of features from among the two or more versions.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of versions includes one or more versions of the software product that do not support the set of features and one or more versions of the software product that supports an unneeded feature.

18. The method of claim 17, further including excluding the one or more versions of the software product that do not support the set of features and the one or more versions of the software product that supports the unneeded feature to automatically determine the lowest version of the software product that supports the set of features.

19. The method of claim 1, further including providing the configuration file to an execution environment, wherein the configuration file is installed based on a determination that the lowest version of the software product is compatible with a current version of the software product at the execution environment.

20. The method of claim 19, further including generating a plurality of configuration files for a plurality of execution environments, wherein the plurality of execution environments includes a runtime environment and a development environment.

5. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving an identification of a set of features for a software product via a file editor interface;

determining, via the file editor interface, a lowest version of the software product that supports the set of features from among a plurality of versions of the software product;

automatically assigning, via the file editor interface, the lowest version of the software product that supports the set of features to a configuration file in response to the automatic determination of the lowest version by adding an attribute to the configuration file that indicates the lowest version of the software product as a level of compatibility, wherein the lowest version of the software product is automatically assigned even when the file editor interface is compatible with a version of the software product that supports the set of features which is higher than the lowest version of the software product; and

automatically generating, via the file editor interface, the configuration file for the software product, wherein the configuration file identifies the set of features and indicates the lowest version via the attribute of the configuration file.

6. The method of claim 5, further including outputting one or more prompts for entry of the identification of the set of features via the file editor interface.

7. The method of claim 6, further including excluding version information from the one or more prompts.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the lowest version includes:

maintaining a list of a plurality of features and corresponding version levels for the software product; and

comparing the set of features to the list.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of features includes one or more application programming interface (API) functions.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the configuration file includes an event binding file.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the software product includes a server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the server includes a custom information control system server.