Software management process, software management apparatus, and computer-readable medium storing software management program

• US 20080059953A1
• Filed: 04/26/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Savva, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

In a software management process, a software management apparatus, and a computer-readable medium storing a software management program for managing software installed in clients: a profile for a client is updated in accordance with a change notice on receipt of the change notice from the client; settings of the software in other clients which belong to the same group as the above client are determined to be synchronized with the settings of the software in the above client by reference to group information when the above profile for the above client is updated; and a synchronization notice indicating that the update of the above profile is to be reflected in the settings of the software in the other clients is sent to the other clients, and each of one or more profiles for the other clients is updated in accordance with the synchronization notice.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium storing a software management program which makes a computer realize a software management apparatus for managing software installed in a plurality of clients, said software management apparatus comprising:

a profile storing unit which stores a plurality of profiles for the plurality of clients, where each of the plurality of profiles contains information on settings of said software in one of the plurality of clients corresponding to said each of the plurality of profiles;

a group-information storing unit which stores group information defining one or more groups each constituted by one or more of said plurality of clients;

a profile updating unit which performs an update of one of said plurality of profiles for one of said plurality of clients in accordance with a change notice when said software management apparatus receives the change notice from the one of the plurality of clients and the change notice indicates that a change is made in the settings of said software in the one of the plurality of clients;

a synchronized-object determination unit which refers to said group-information storing unit, and determines that the settings of said software in one or more other clients belonging to the same group as said one of the plurality of clients are to be synchronized with the settings of said software in the one of the plurality of clients, when said one of the plurality of profiles for the one of the plurality of clients is updated; and

a synchronization control unit which sends to said one or more other clients a synchronization notice indicating that said update of said one of said plurality of profiles is to be reflected in the settings of said software in the one or more other clients, and performs an update of one or more of said plurality of profiles for the one or more other clients in accordance with the synchronization notice.

2. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein said synchronization control unit performs the update of one of said one or more of the plurality of profiles for each of said one or more other clients after said software management apparatus receives from said each of the one or more other clients an acknowledgment response to said synchronization notice.

3. The computer-readable medium according to claim 2, wherein said synchronization control unit starts continuous monitoring of said one or more other clients when the synchronization control unit fails in communication with the one or more other clients, and sends the synchronization notice to the one or more other clients when the synchronization control unit detects that communication with the one or more other clients becomes possible.

4. The computer-readable medium according to claim 2, wherein when said software management apparatus receives from one of said one or more other clients an acknowledgment response to said synchronization notice and the acknowledgment response from the one of the one or more other clients indicates refusal of at least a part of a change in the settings of said software in the one of the one or more other clients, said synchronization control unit omits updating of all or a part, corresponding to said at least a part of the change in the settings, of one of said plurality of profiles for the one of the one or more other clients, and displays in a display device a report of a failure in synchronization.

5. The computer-readable medium according to claim 2, wherein when said software management apparatus receives from a first one of said one or more other clients an acknowledgment response to said synchronization notice and the acknowledgment response from the first one of the one or more other clients indicates refusal of at least a first part of said change in the settings of said software in the first one of the one or more other clients, said synchronization control unit omits updating of all or part, corresponding to said at least a first part of the change in the settings, of a first one of said plurality of profiles for the first one of the one or more other clients, and adds to said first one of the plurality of profiles a first refusal record indicating the refusal of said at least a first part of the change in the settings of said software in the first one of the one or more other clients;

and

said synchronized-object determination unit omits at least a second part of a change in the settings of said software in a second one of said one or more other clients when a second one of said plurality of profiles for the second one of the one or more other clients contains a second refusal record indicating refusal of said at least a second part of the change in the settings of the software in the second one of the one or more other clients.

6. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein said software management apparatus further comprises,

an item-list storing unit which stores, for each type of software, an item list indicating one or more setting items which are to be included in said plurality of profiles, and

a profile registration unit which refers to said item-list storing unit and sends to one of said plurality of clients an item list for a type of software designated by a registration request when the software management apparatus receives from the one of said plurality of clients the registration request designating the type of software, and thereafter produces one of said plurality of profiles for the one of the plurality of clients on the basis of information on settings corresponding to said item list for the type of software designated by the registration request and stores the produced one of the plurality of profiles in said profile storing unit when the software management apparatus receives from the one of the plurality of clients the information on settings corresponding to said item list for the type of software designated by the registration request.

7. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein said software management apparatus further comprises a file storing unit which stores one or more files necessary for execution of said software, and said synchronization control unit acquires from said file storing unit a file and sends the file together with said synchronization notice to said one or more other clients when a change in the settings of said software in the one or more other clients indicated by the synchronization notice includes addition of said file.

8. The computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein said file storing unit further stores information on a license for said software, and said synchronization control unit refers to the information on the license when the synchronization control unit acquires said file from the file storing unit, and sends the file together with said synchronization notice to each of said one or more other clients only when said addition of the file in said each of the one or more other clients does not violate the license.

9. A software management process for managing software installed in a plurality of clients, comprising the steps of:

(a) performing an update of one of a plurality of profiles for one of said plurality of clients in accordance with a change notice on receipt of the change notice from the one of said plurality of clients, where the plurality of profiles are respectively stored for the plurality of clients and respectively contain information on settings of said software in the plurality of clients;

(b) referring to group information, which is stored and defines one or more groups each constituted by one or more of said plurality of clients, and determining that settings of said software in one or more other clients which belong to the same group as said one of the plurality of clients are to be synchronized with the settings of said software in the one of the plurality of clients, when said one of the profiles for the one of the plurality of clients is updated; and

(c) sending to said one or more other clients a synchronization notice indicating that said update of said one of said profiles is to be reflected in the settings of said software in the one or more other clients, and performing an update of one or more of said profiles for the one or more other clients in accordance with the synchronization notice.

10. The software management process according to claim 9, wherein said update of one of said one or more of the plurality of profiles for each of said one or more other clients is performed after receipt of an acknowledgment response to said synchronization notice from said each of the one or more other clients.

11. The software management process according to claim 10, wherein when a failure occurs in communication with the one or more other clients in said step (c), said one or more other clients are continuously monitored after the failure, and said synchronization notice is sent to the one or more other clients when the communication with the one or more other clients becomes possible.

12. The software management process according to claim 10, wherein when an acknowledgment response to said synchronization notice is received from one of said one or more other clients, and the acknowledgment response from the one of said one or more other clients indicates refusal of at least a part of a change in the settings of said software in the one of the one or more other clients, updating of all or a part, corresponding to said at least a part of the change in the settings, of one of said plurality of profiles for the one of the one or more other clients is omitted, and a report of a failure in synchronization is displayed on a display device.

13. The software management process according to claim 10, wherein when an acknowledgment response to said synchronization notice is received from a first one of said one or more other clients, and the acknowledgment response from the first one of the one or more other clients indicates refusal of at least a first part of said change in the settings of said software in the first one of the one or more other clients, updating of all or part, corresponding to said at least a first part of the change in the settings, of a first one of said plurality of profiles for the first one of the one or more other clients is omitted, and a first refusal record indicating the refusal of the change in said at least a first part of the change in the settings of said software in the first one of the one or more other clients is added to said first one of the plurality of profiles;

and

when a second one of said plurality of profiles for a second one of the one or more other clients contains a second refusal record indicating refusal of at least a second part of a change in the settings of the software in the second one of the one or more other clients, said at least a second part of the change in the settings of the software in the second one of said one or more other clients is omitted in step (c).

14. The software management process according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of,

(d) when a registration request designating a type of software is received from one of said plurality of clients before the step (a), referring to an item list indicating one or more setting items which are to be included in said plurality of profiles for each type of software, and sending an item list for said type of software designated by said registration request to said one of said plurality of clients, and

(e) when information on settings corresponding to said item list for said type of software designated by said registration request is received from said one of the plurality of clients after the step (d), producing one of said plurality of profiles for the one of the plurality of clients on the basis of the information on the settings corresponding to the item list for the type of software designated by the registration request, and storing the produced one of the plurality of profiles.

15. A software management apparatus for managing software installed in a plurality of clients, comprising:

a profile storing unit which stores a plurality of profiles for the plurality of clients, where each of the plurality of profiles contains information on settings of said software in one of the plurality of clients corresponding to said each of the plurality of profiles;

a group-information storing unit which stores group information defining one or more groups each constituted by one or more of said plurality of clients;

a profile updating unit which performs an update of one of said plurality of profiles for one of said plurality of clients in accordance with a change notice when said software management apparatus receives the change notice from the one of the plurality of clients and the change notice indicates that a change is made in the settings of said software in the one of the plurality of clients;

a synchronized-object determination unit which refers to said group-information storing unit, and determines that the settings of said software in one or more other clients belonging to the same group as said one of the plurality of clients are to be synchronized with the settings of said software in the one of the plurality of clients, when said one of the plurality of profiles for the one of the plurality of clients is updated; and

a synchronization control unit which sends to said one or more other clients a synchronization notice indicating that said update of said one of said plurality of profiles is to be reflected in the settings of said software in the one or more other clients, and performs an update of one or more of said plurality of profiles for the one or more other clients in accordance with the synchronization notice.

16. The software management apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said synchronization control unit performs the update of one of said one or more of the plurality of profiles for each of said one or more other clients after said software management apparatus receives from said each of the one or more other clients an acknowledgment response to said synchronization notice.

17. The software management apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said synchronization control unit starts continuous monitoring of said one or more other clients when the synchronization control unit fails in communication with the one or more other clients, and sends the synchronization notice to the one or more other clients when the synchronization control unit detects that communication with the one or more other clients becomes possible.

18. The software management apparatus according to claim 16, wherein when said software management apparatus receives from one of said one or more other clients an acknowledgment response to said synchronization notice and the acknowledgment response from the one of the one or more other clients indicates refusal of at least a part of a change in the settings of said software in the one of the one or more other clients, said synchronization control unit omits updating of all or a part, corresponding to said at least a part of the change in the settings, of one of said plurality of profiles for the one of the one or more other clients, and displays in a display device a report of a failure in synchronization.

19. The software management apparatus according to claim 16, wherein when said software management apparatus receives from a first one of said one or more other clients an acknowledgment response to said synchronization notice and the acknowledgment response from the first one of the one or more other clients indicates refusal of at least a first part of said change in the settings of said software in the first one of the one or more other clients, said synchronization control unit omits updating of all or part, corresponding to said at least a first part of the change in the settings, of a first one of said plurality of profiles for the first one of the one or more other clients, and adds to said first one of the plurality of profiles a first refusal record indicating the refusal of said at least a first part of the change in the settings of said software in the first one of the one or more other clients;

and

said synchronized-object determination unit omits at least a second part of a change in the settings of said software in a second one of said one or more other clients when a second one of said plurality of profiles for the second one of the one or more other clients contains a second refusal record indicating refusal of said at least a second part of the change in the settings of the software in the second one of the one or more other clients.

20. The software management apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising,

an item-list storing unit which stores, for each type of software, an item list indicating one or more setting items which are to be included in said plurality of profiles, and

a profile registration unit which refers to said item-list storing unit and sends to one of said plurality of clients an item list for a type of software designated by a registration request when the software management apparatus receives from the one of said plurality of clients the registration request designating the type of software, and thereafter produces one of said plurality of profiles for the one of the plurality of clients on the basis of information on settings corresponding to said item list for the type of software designated by the registration request and stores the produced one of the plurality of profiles in said profile storing unit when the software management apparatus receives from the one of the plurality of clients the information on settings corresponding to said item list for the type of software designated by the registration request.