Workstation uptime, maintenance, and reboot service

• US 9,141,371 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Feeser, Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente, Emerson
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, HIREN P
• Application Number:
  US13/963,156
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

Managing updates to executable programming code on a computer system in a computer network. A maintenance service utility is configured to launch a maintenance procedure at a specified time during operation of the computer system. Operation of a maintenance timer utility is activated during startup of the computer system to track and monitor the amount of time the computer system has been operating since startup. The maintenance service utility determines if there any updates to the executable programming code that require installation. The maintenance procedure is launched after a specified time if there are updates to the executable programming code. The computer system is automatically rebooted to install the updates to the executable programming code. A maintenance service editor utility enables the maintenance service utility to be configured to launch the maintenance procedure after a specified time if there are updates to the executable programming code.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

configuring a maintenance service utility to launch a maintenance procedure at a specified time during operation of a computer system;

selecting a sleep mode for the maintenance service utility;

activating operation of a maintenance timer utility to track an amount of time that the computer system has been operating since startup, wherein the maintenance timer utility automatically reboots the computer system when the amount of time the computer system has been operating since startup exceeds a predetermined threshold limit;

automatically causing the maintenance service utility to go to sleep for a predetermined period of time;

automatically causing the maintenance service utility to wake up after the predetermined period of time has elapsed;

determining whether there are any updates to the executable programming code that require installation responsive to the maintenance service utility waking up;

determining at least one process needs to be executed;

determining whether to execute the process immediately or wait a predefined period of time before executing the process;

placing an executable code to be launched in a directory accessible by the computer system;

creating a sub-key in a computer system registry key having a unique name for the executable code to launch;

creating a set of values under the sub-key that will cause the executable code to launch at the specified time;

launching the maintenance procedure after the specified time when there are updates to the executable programming code by launching a thread which launches an update executable code identified by a predefined path, the update executable code comprising the updates to be installed to the executable programming code, wherein the launching of the thread invokes a flag value being set to keep the thread from being launched again;

determining whether the at least one computer system is operating on a workstation that is part of a global exception group; and

preventing an automatic reboot of the workstation due to a computer program operating on the workstation that cannot be interrupted for updates to the executable programming code when the at least one workstation is identified as part of the global exception group but maintaining logs related to the workstation when the at least one workstation is identified as part of the global exception group;

wherein the configuring of the maintenance service utility to launch a maintenance procedure further comprises selecting an iterative mode for the maintenance service utility, wherein the iterative mode enables the maintenance service utility to awake each hour following a specified wait time to determine whether there is a new maintenance procedure to launch.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring of the maintenance service utility to launch a maintenance procedure comprises selecting a sleep mode for the maintenance service utility.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sleep mode is selected from a list comprising hourly, a specified wait, a day of week, a date time, and daily.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a wait time for the maintenance service utility to remain dormant.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring of the maintenance service utility can be performed locally on the computer system or remotely from another computer system in the computer network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a message to a user requesting reboot of the computer system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating of the operation of the maintenance timer utility occurs during startup of the computer system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the created set of values comprises a sleep mode value, the unique executable code name, and a path to the executable code to launch.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sleep mode value is a numeric value that corresponds to a sleep mode selected from a list comprising hourly, a specified wait, a day of week, a date time, and daily.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the created set of values further comprises at least one parameter to pass to the executable code to launch.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable code stored therein, the computer readable code, when executed by at least one processor, configured to cause the at least one processor to:

configure a maintenance service utility to launch a maintenance procedure at a specified time during operation of a computer system;

select a sleep mode for the maintenance service utility;

activate operation of a maintenance timer utility to track an amount of time that the computer system has been operating since startup, wherein the maintenance timer utility automatically reboots the computer system when the amount of time the computer system has been operating since startup exceeds a predetermined threshold limit;

automatically cause the maintenance service utility to go to sleep for a predetermined period of time;

automatically cause the maintenance service utility to wake up after the predetermined period of time has elapsed;

determine whether there are any updates to the executable programming code that require installation responsive to the maintenance service utility waking up;

determine at least one process needs to be executed;

determine whether to execute the process immediately or wait a predefined period of time before executing the process;

place an executable code to be launched in a directory accessible by the computer system;

create a sub-key in a computer system registry key having a unique name for the executable code to launch;

create a set of values under the sub-key that will cause the executable code to launch at the specified time;

launch the maintenance procedure after the specified time when there are updates to the executable programming code, the maintenance procedure configured to launch a thread which launches an update executable code identified by a predefined path, the update executable code comprising the updates to be installed to the executable programming code, wherein the thread invokes a flag value being set to keep the thread from being launched again;

determine whether the at least one computer system is operating on a workstation that is part of a global exception group; and

prevent an automatic reboot of the workstation due to a computer program operating on the workstation that cannot be interrupted for updates to the executable programming code when the at least one workstation is identified as part of the global exception group but maintain logs related to the workstation when the at least one workstation is identified as part of the global exception group;

wherein the configure of the maintenance service utility to launch a maintenance procedure further comprises a selection of an iterative mode for the maintenance service utility, wherein the iterative mode enables the maintenance service utility to awake each hour that follows a specified wait time to determine whether there is a new maintenance procedure to launch.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer program code is further configured to cause the at least one processor to configure the maintenance service utility to launch a maintenance procedure that enables selecting a sleep mode for the maintenance service utility.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the sleep mode is selected from a list comprising hourly, a specified wait, a day of week, a date time, and daily.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, the computer program code further configured to cause the at least one processor to enable selecting of a wait time for the maintenance service utility to remain dormant.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the maintenance service utility can be executed locally on the computer system or remotely from another computer system in the computer network.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, the computer program code further configured to cause the at least one processor to display a message to a user requesting reboot of the computer system.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the activating of the operation of the maintenance timer utility occurs during startup of the computer system.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the created set of values comprises a sleep mode value, the unique executable code name, and a path to the executable code to launch.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the sleep mode value is a numeric value that corresponds to a sleep mode selected from a list comprising hourly, a specified wait, a day of week, a date time, and daily.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the created set of values further comprises at least one parameter to pass to the executable code to launch.