Determining when to update a package manager software

• US 9,417,865 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Vidal, Seth Kelby, Antill, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): ST LEGER, GEOFFREY R
• Application Number:
  US12/790,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20110296398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,272 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

Updating package manager software on a client. An update tool can interface with a package manager running a first version of the package manager software to inspect an available update to a package installed on the client. The update tool can determine that a second version of the package manager software is required to install the update to the package. The update tool can access the second version of the package manager software, remove the first version of the package manager software from the package manager, and unpack and install the second version of the package manager software on the package manager. Further, the update tool can install the update to the package installed on the client, and can update other resources associated with the client as appropriate.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

inspecting, using a first version of a package manager software, an update to a package prior to installing the update to the package, wherein the package and the package manager software are installed on a client, wherein inspecting the update to the package comprises extracting a version of the package manager software required to install the update to the package from a package repository;

determining, by a processor of the client, in view of the inspection, a dependency between the update to the package and the package manager software, the dependency to indicate that a second version of the package manager software is required to install the update to the package, wherein determining the dependency between the update to the package and the package manager software comprises comparing the second version of the package manager software with the first version of the package manager software; and

updating the package manager software from the first version to the second version prior to installing the update to the package, wherein updating the package manager software from the first version to the second version comprises;

accessing, using the first version of the package manager software, a package comprising the second version of the package manager software;

removing the first version of the package manager software from the client; and

installing the second version of the package manager software on the client, wherein the first version of the package manager software is removed after the second version of the package manager software is installed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing, using the second version of the package manager software, the update to the package on the client.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the package manager software is updated and the update to the package is installed by an update tool associated with a package manager.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the package comprising the second version of the package manager software further comprises files associated with installing the update to the package.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying a user of the client that the second version of the package manager software is required to install the update to the package.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second version of the package manager software is more than one iteration from the first version of the package manager software.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining at least one resource on the client for which an update is necessary to support the second version of the package manager software; and

updating the determined at least one resource on the client.

8. A system, comprising:

an update tool to interface with a package manager; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the update tool to;

inspect, using a first version of a package manager software, an update to a package prior to installing an update to the package, wherein the package and the package manager software are installed on a client, wherein when inspecting the update to the package, the processor is to extract a version of the package manager software required to install the update to the package from a package repository;

determine, in view of the inspection, a dependency between the update to the package and the package manager software, the dependency to indicate that a second version of the package manager software is required to install the update to the package, wherein when determining the dependency between the update to the package and the package manager software, the processor is to compare the second version of the package manager software with the first version of the package manager software; and

update the package manager software from the first version to the second version prior to installing the update to the package, wherein the package manager software is further to;

access, using the first version of the package manager software, a package comprising the second version of the package manager software;

remove the first version of the package manager software from the client; and

install the second version of the package manager software on the client, wherein the first version of the package manager software is removed after the second version of the package manager software is installed.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor to install, using the second version of the package manager software, the update to the package on the client.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the package manager software is updated and the update to the package is installed by an update tool associated with the package manager.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the package comprising the second version of the package manager software further comprises files associated with installing the update to the package.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor further to notify a user of the client that the second version of the package manager software is required to install the update to the package.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the second version of the package manager software is more than one iteration from the first version of the package manager software.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor further to:

determine at least one resource on the client for which an update is necessary to support the second version of the package manager software; and

update the determined at least one resource on the client.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions to cause a processor to:

inspect, using a first version of a package manager software, an update to a package prior to installing the update to the package, wherein the package and the package manager software are installed on a client, wherein the package manager software is further to extract a version of the package manager software required to install the update to the package from a package repository;

determine, by the processor of the client, in view of the inspection, a dependency between the update to the package and the package manager software, the dependency to indicate that a second version of the package manager software is required to install the update to the package, wherein the package manager software is further to compare the second version of the package manager software with the first version of the package manager software; and

update the package manager software from the first version to the second version prior to installing the update to the package, wherein the package manager software is further to;

access, using the first version of the package manager software, a package comprising the second version of the package manager software;

remove the first version of the package manager software from the client and

install the second version of the package manager software on the client, wherein the first version of the package manager software is removed after the second version of the package manager software is installed.