SOFTWARE PACKAGE MANAGEMENT

• US 20010029605A1
• Filed: 06/19/1998
• Published: 10/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: TOUTONGHI, MICHAEL, SLIGER, MICHAEL V., PARTHASARATHY, SRIVATSAN, FORBES, JONATHAN A., STONE, JEREMY D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,381,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A software package manager uses a distribution unit containing components for a software package and a manifest file that describes the distribution unit to manage the installation, execution, and uninstallation of software packages on a computer. Information in the manifest file pertaining to a software package is stored in a code store data structure upon installation of the package. The manifest file also contains information that permits the software package manager to resolve any software dependencies upon installation. The software package manager uses the code store data structure to locate the required components when the software is executed and to remove the components appropriately when the software is uninstalled.

Claims

1. A computerized method for managing software packages on a computer comprising the steps of:

acquiring a manifest file that describes a distribution unit for a software package;

resolving software dependencies for the software package as specified by the manifest file;

acquiring the distribution unit for the software package;

extracting components in the software package from the distribution unit into a directory on the computer;

causing the installation of the software package on the computer; and

updating a code store data structure on the computer with information from the manifest file pertaining to the software package.

2. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the step of resolving the dependencies comprises the steps of:

acquiring, for each of the software dependencies in turn, a dependency manifest file that describes a dependency distribution unit for a dependency software package;

resolving software dependencies for the dependency software package as specified by the dependency manifest file;

acquiring the dependency distribution unit for the dependency software package;

extracting components in the dependency software package from the dependency distribution unit into a directory on the computer;

causing the installation of the dependency software package on the computer; and

updating a code store data structure on the computer with information from the dependency manifest file pertaining to the dependency software package.

3. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the software dependencies are nested so that the step of resolving the dependencies is processed recursively.

4. The method of

claim 1

further comprising the step of:

locating the directory containing the components for the software package using the code store data structure when the execution of software in the software package is requested.

5. The method of

claim 1

further comprising the steps of:

modifying the code store data structure to reflect the removal of the software package when the uninstallation of the software package is requested; and

deleting each component for the software package from the directory when the code store data structure indicates no other software package uses the component.

6. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the manifest file specifies the directory into which the components of the software package are extracted.

7. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the manifest file is Open Software Description format.

8. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the distribution unit is a compressed file.

9. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the manifest file and the distribution unit comprise a distribution unit file and the manifest file and the distribution unit are acquired by extracting each from the distribution unit file.

10. The method of

claim 9

, wherein the distribution unit file comprises a dependency distribution unit.

11. The method of

claim 9

, wherein the distribution unit file comprises a plurality of distribution units.

12. The method of

claim 9

, wherein the distribution unit file is a compressed file.

13. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the manifest file and the distribution unit are distributed on a computer-readable medium.

14. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the components in the software package and the dependencies comprise native code components.

15. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the components in the software package and the dependencies comprise Java classes.

16. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the components in the software package and the dependencies comprise a mixture of native code components and Java classes.

17. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the step of extracting the components comprises the steps of:

copying the components from the distribution unit into a file structure having a file directory;

updating the file directory with information about each component in the file; and

storing the file structure into the directory on the computer.

18. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the code store data structure resides in an existing system data structure and the step of updating the code store data structure comprises the step of interfacing with an existing system data structure manager.

19. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising the steps of:

determining when a component in the software package already exists on the computer;

comparing the versions of the components; and

updating the code store data structure with the location for the component which is the later version.

20. The method of

claim 1

further comprising the steps of:

determining if the manifest file specifies a that the software package cannot shared components with software packages previously installed on the computer; and

isolating the components in the software package by associating the components in the code store data structure with a unique execution space specified by the manifest file.

21. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions to a cause a client computer to perform a method comprising:

downloading a manifest file and a distribution unit for a software package described by the manifest file from a server computer;

resolving software dependencies for the software package as specified by the manifest file;

extracting components in the software package from the distribution unit into a directory on the client computer;

causing the client computer to install the software package; and

updating a code store data structure in the client computer with information from the manifest file pertaining to the software package.

22. The method of

claim 21

, wherein the step of resolving the dependencies comprises the steps of:

acquiring, from a server computer for each of the software dependencies in turn, a dependency manifest file that describes a dependency distribution unit for a dependency software package;

resolving software dependencies for the dependency software package as specified by the dependency manifest file;

extracting components in the dependency software package from the dependency distribution unit into a directory on the client computer;

causing the client computer to install the dependency software package; and

updating a code store data structure on the client computer with information from each dependency manifest file pertaining to the dependency software package.

23. The method of

claim 21

, wherein the software dependencies are nested so that the client computer processes the step of resolving the software dependencies recursively.

24. The method of

claim 21

, wherein the code store data structure resides in an existing system data structure managed by the operating system in the client computer and the step of updating the code store data structure comprises the step of interfacing with the operating system.

25. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of clients; and

a server, communicatively coupled to each of the clients through a transport medium and having local storage holding a manifest file and a distribution unit,

wherein each client acquires the manifest file and the distribution unit through the transport medium.

26. The computer system of

claim 25

, wherein the manifest file and the distribution unit comprise a distribution unit file, and each client acquires the distribution unit file through the transport medium.

27. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a code store data structure comprising:

a name field containing data representing a name of a distribution unit for a software package installed on a computer;

a unit version field containing data representing a version for the distribution unit represented by the first field;

a component field containing data representing a list of components in the distribution unit represented by the first field;

a location field containing data representing a location on the computer for each component in the list represented by the first field; and

a source field containing data representing a source for the distribution unit represented by the first field.

28. The data structure of

claim 27

, wherein the component field further comprising a component name field for each component in the distribution unit.

29. The data structure of

claim 27

, further comprising:

a component version field containing data representing a version for a component in the list represented in the component field; and

a component type field containing data representing a data type for the component represented in the component version field.

30. The data structure of

claim 27

, further comprising:

a digital signature data field containing data representing a digital signature affixed to the distribution unit.

31. A computer system comprising:

a processing unit;

a system memory coupled to the processing unit through a system bus;

a computer-readable medium coupled to the processing unit through the system bus; and

a software package manager executed from the computer-readable medium by the processing unit, wherein the software package manager comprises;

a software installation function that causes the processing unit to store components comprising software and contained in a distribution unit onto a computer-readable medium as directed by a manifest file, to install the software, and to update a code store data structure stored on a computer-readable medium with information contained in the manifest file;

a software execution function that causes the processing unit to locate the appropriate components using the code store data structure when the processing unit is instructed to execute the software; and

an uninstallation function that causes the processing unit to remove the components from the computer-readable medium and to modify the code store data structure when the processing unit is instructed to uninstall the software.

32. The computer system of

claim 31

, further comprising a transport medium coupled to the system bus and further communicatively coupled to a server computer, and wherein the software installation function causes the processing unit to acquire the manifest file and the distribution unit from the server computer through the transport medium.