Automated service solution delivery

• US 9,665,656 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lui, King Shing Kelvin, Nigul, Leho
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, TUAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/212,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20130047148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,112 Days
• Field of Search: 717121, 717171, 717174, 709223, 726 25, 707102, 706 47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A group of software update uniform resource locators (URLs) that each reference software support information related to one of a group of initial logical components of a deployed software package are hosted at a software update server. The group of initial logical components represent problem reporting domains of the deployed software package. A request, initiated by a selection at a computing device of one of the software update URLs, for the software support information referenced by the selected software update URL for the one of the group of initial logical components of the software package is detected. The software support information referenced by the selected software update URL for the one of the group of initial logical components is downloaded.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

by a software update server;

partitioning different logically-related functional aspects of a software package into different product support problem reporting areas that are independent of software partitioning within the software package;

creating, for each product support problem reporting area, software support information related to the logically-related functional aspects of the software package partitioned into the respective product support problem reporting area;

hosting, for each product support problem reporting area, a different problem reporting web-based domain, with each problem reporting web-based domain accessed by one of a plurality of software update uniform resource locators (URLs), where each software update URL provides access to the software support information created for the respective product support problem reporting area;

linking, within the software package, each software update URL to an error condition associated with the respective logically-related functional aspects of the software package to provide automated access to the respective software update URLs responsive to detected errors in the execution of the software package;

tracking a frequency and quantity of requests to retrieve the software support information of each product support problem reporting area based upon detected selections of individual ones of the plurality of software update URLs; and

adjusting, during deployment of the software package, the partitioning of the product support problem reporting areas and the software update URL error condition linkages within the software package based, at least in part, upon the tracked frequency and quantity of requests.

2. The method of claim 1, where the software update server hosting, for each product support problem reporting area, the different problem reporting web-based domain comprises the software update server:

identifying an initial plurality of problem reporting web-based domains associated with the partitioned product support problem reporting areas of the software package;

creating the plurality of software update URLs; and

creating, for each software update URL, web content that comprises the software support information created for the respective product support problem reporting area.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the software update server:

retrieving at least one predefined notification condition associated with a product support problem reporting area of the software package that specifies at least one notification criterion associated with repartitioning of the product support problem reporting area;

determining that the retrieved at least one predefined notification condition has been met by one of the tracked frequency and the tracked quantity of requests to retrieve the software support information of the product support problem reporting area based upon the detected selections of the software update URL that accesses the software support information; and

generating a notification indicating the at least one predefined notification condition has been met; and

where adjusting, during the deployment of the software package, the partitioning of the product support problem reporting areas and the software update URL error condition linkages within the software package based, at least in part, upon the tracked frequency and quantity of requests comprises the software update server;

receiving an instruction to repartition the product support problem reporting areas into a new set of product support problem reporting areas, and responsive to the instruction;

(i) repartitioning the product support problem reporting areas into the new set of product support problem reporting areas; and

(ii) changing the software update URL error condition linkages within the software package based upon the repartitioning of the product support problem reporting areas into the new set of product support problem reporting areas.

4. The method of claim 1, where a scope of the product support problem reporting areas and the software support information accessed by the plurality of software update URLs is dynamically modifiable and adaptive to problem identification as part of automated service solution delivery during deployment of the software package, and further comprising the software update server one of:

changing a product support problem reporting scope of at least one of the product support problem reporting areas; and

changing the logically-related functional aspects of at least one of the product support problem reporting areas.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the software update server:

identifying a new logically-related functional aspect of the software package;

creating a new product support problem reporting area associated with the new logically-related functional aspect of the software package;

creating new software support information related to the new logically-related functional aspect of the new product support problem reporting area;

creating a new problem reporting web-based domain, accessed by a new software update URL, that provides access to the new software support information created for the new product support problem reporting area; and

linking, within the software package, the new software update URL to a new error condition associated with the new logically-related functional aspect of the software package to provide automated access to the new software update URL responsive to a detected error in the execution of the software package associated with the new error condition.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the software update server:

identifying a new subset of the logically-related functional aspects of the software package associated with at least two of the product support problem reporting areas;

identifying software update URLs associated with the new subset of the at least two product support problem reporting areas;

creating a new software update URL to host support information associated with the new subset of the logically-related functional aspects of the software package;

linking, during the deployment of the software package and within the software package, the new software update URL to an error condition associated with the new subset of the logically-related functional aspects of the software package to provide automated access to the new software update URL responsive to detected errors in the execution of the software package associated with the new subset of the logically-related functional aspects of the software package; and

linking software update URL requests associated with the at least two product support problem reporting areas to the new software update URL.

7. The method of claim 1, where the software support information accessed by the software update URLs comprises, for each product support problem reporting area, a combination of a documentation link, a reference to a blog post, a configuration option, and a usage suggestion associated with the respective logically-related functional aspect of the software package.

8. A system, comprising:

a communication interface; and

a processor programmed to;

partition different logically-related functional aspects of a software package into different product support problem reporting areas that are independent of software partitioning within the software package;

create, for each product support problem reporting area, software support information related to the logically-related functional aspects of the software package partitioned into the respective product support problem reporting area;

host, for each product support problem reporting area, a different problem reporting web-based domain, with each problem reporting web-based domain accessed by one of a plurality of software update uniform resource locators (URLs), where each software update URL provides access to the software support information created for the respective product support problem reporting area;

link, within the software package, each software update URL to an error condition associated with the respective logically-related functional aspects of the software package to provide automated access to the respective software update URLs responsive to detected errors in the execution of the software package;

track a frequency and quantity of requests via the communication interface to retrieve the software support information of each product support problem reporting area based upon detected selections of individual ones of the plurality of software update URLs; and

adjust, during deployment of the software package, the partitioning of the product support problem reporting areas and the software update URL error condition linkages within the software package based, at least in part, upon the tracked frequency and quantity of requests.

9. The system of claim 8, where, in being programmed to host, for each product support problem reporting area, the different problem reporting web-based domain, the processor is programmed to:

identify an initial plurality of problem reporting web-based domains associated with the partitioned product support problem reporting areas of the software package;

create the plurality of software update URLs; and

create, for each software update URL, web content that comprises the software support information created for the respective product support problem reporting area.

10. The system of claim 8, where the processor is further programmed to:

retrieve at least one predefined notification condition associated with a product support problem reporting area of the software package that specifies at least one notification criterion associated with repartitioning of the product support problem reporting area;

determine that the retrieved at least one predefined notification condition has been met by one of the tracked frequency and the tracked quantity of requests to retrieve the software support information of the product support problem reporting area based upon the detected selections of the software update URL that accesses the software support information; and

generate a notification indicating the at least one predefined notification condition has been met; and

where, in being programmed to adjust, during the deployment of the software package, the partitioning of the product support problem reporting areas and the software update URL error condition linkages within the software package based, at least in part, upon the tracked frequency and quantity of requests, the processor is programmed to;

receive an instruction to repartition the product support problem reporting areas into a new set of product support problem reporting areas, and responsive to the instruction;

(i) repartition the product support problem reporting areas into the new set of product support problem reporting areas; and

(ii) change the software update URL error condition linkages within the software package based upon the repartitioning of the product support problem reporting areas into the new set of product support problem reporting areas.

11. The system of claim 8, where a scope of the product support problem reporting areas and the software support information accessed by the plurality of software update URLs is dynamically modifiable and adaptive to problem identification as part of automated service solution delivery during deployment of the deployed software package, and where the processor is further programmed to one of:

change a product support problem reporting scope of at least one of the product support problem reporting areas; and

change the logically-related functional aspects of at least one of the product support problem reporting areas.

12. The system of claim 8, where the processor is further programmed to:

identify a new logically-related functional aspect of the software package;

create a new product support problem reporting area associated with the new logically-related functional aspect of the software package;

create new software support information related to the new logically-related functional aspect of the new product support problem reporting area;

create a new problem reporting web-based domain, accessed by a new software update URL, that provides access to the new software support information created for the new product support problem reporting area; and

link, within the software package, the new software update URL to a new error condition associated with the new logically-related functional aspect of the software package to provide automated access to the new software update URL responsive to a detected error in the execution of the software package associated with the new error condition.

13. The system of claim 8, where the software support information accessed by the software update URLs comprises, for each product support problem reporting area, a combination of a documentation link, a reference to a blog post, a configuration option, and a usage suggestion associated with the respective logically-related functional aspect of the software package.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium including computer readable program code, where the computer readable program code when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

partition different logically-related functional aspects of a software package into different product support problem reporting areas that are independent of software partitioning within the software package;

create, for each product support problem reporting area, software support information related to the logically-related functional aspects of the software package partitioned into the respective product support problem reporting area;

host, for each product support problem reporting area, a different problem reporting web-based domain, with each problem reporting web-based domain accessed by one of a plurality of software update uniform resource locators (URLs), where each software update URL provides access to the software support information created for the respective product support problem reporting area;

link, within the software package, each software update URL to an error condition associated with the respective logically-related functional aspects of the software package to provide automated access to the respective software update URLs responsive to detected errors in the execution of the software package;

track a frequency and quantity of requests to retrieve the software support information of each product support problem reporting area based upon detected selections of individual ones of the plurality of software update URLs; and

adjust, during deployment of the software package, the partitioning of the product support problem reporting areas and the software update URL error condition linkages within the software package based, at least in part, upon the tracked frequency and quantity of requests.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, where in causing the computer to host, for each product support problem reporting area, the different problem reporting web-based domain, the computer readable program code when executed on the computer causes the computer to:

identify an initial plurality of problem reporting web-based domains associated with the partitioned product support problem reporting areas of the software package;

create the plurality of software update URLs; and

create, for each software update URL, web content that comprises the software support information created for the respective product support problem reporting area.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, where the computer readable program code when executed on the computer further causes the computer to:

retrieve at least one predefined notification condition associated with a product support problem reporting area of the software package that specifies at least one notification criterion associated with repartitioning of the product support problem reporting area;

determine that the retrieved at least one predefined notification condition has been met by one of the tracked frequency and the tracked quantity of requests to retrieve the software support information of the product support problem reporting area based upon the detected selections of the software update URL that accesses the software support information; and

generate a notification indicating the at least one predefined notification condition has been met; and

where, in causing the computer to adjust, during the deployment of the software package, the partitioning of the product support problem reporting areas and the software update URL error condition linkages within the software package based, at least in part, upon the tracked frequency and quantity of requests, the computer readable program code when executed on the computer causes the computer to;

receive an instruction to repartition the product support problem reporting areas into a new set of product support problem reporting areas, and responsive to the instruction;

(i) repartition the initial plurality of product support problem reporting areas into the new set of product support problem reporting areas; and

(ii) change the software update URL error condition linkages within the software package based upon the repartitioning of the product support problem reporting areas into the new set of product support problem reporting areas.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, where a scope of the product support problem reporting areas and the software support information accessed by the plurality of software update URLs is dynamically modifiable and adaptive to problem identification as part of automated service solution delivery during deployment of the software package, and where the computer readable program code when executed on the computer further causes the computer to one of:

change a product support problem reporting scope of at least one of the product support problem reporting areas; and

change the logically-related functional aspects of at least one of the product support problem reporting areas.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, where the computer readable program code when executed on the computer further causes the computer to:

identify a new logically-related functional aspect of the software package;

create a new product support problem reporting area associated with the new logically-related functional aspect of the software package;

create new software support information related to the new logically-related functional aspect of the new product support problem reporting area;

create a new problem reporting web-based domain, accessed by a new software update URL, that provides access to the new software support information created for the new product support problem reporting area; and

link, within the software package, the new software update URL to a new error condition associated with the new logically-related functional aspect of the software package to provide automated access to the new software update URL responsive to a detected error in the execution of the software package associated with the new error condition.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, where the computer readable program code when executed on the computer further causes the computer to:

identify a new subset of the logically-related functional aspects of the software package associated with at least two of the product support problem reporting areas;

identify software update URLs associated with the new subset of the at least two product support problem reporting areas;

create a new software update URL to host support information associated with the new subset of the logically-related functional aspects of the software package;

link, during the deployment of the software package and within the software package, the new software update URL to an error condition associated with the new subset of the logically-related functional aspects of the software package to provide automated access to the new software update URL responsive to detected errors in the execution of the software package associated with the new subset of the logically-related functional aspects of the software package; and

link software update URL requests associated with the at least two product support problem reporting areas to the new software update URL.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, where the software support information accessed by the software update URLs comprises, for each product support problem reporting area, a combination of a documentation link, a reference to a blog post, a configuration option, and a usage suggestion associated with the respective logically-related functional aspect of the software package.