Managing Incrementally Applied System Updates

• US 20130275741A1
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Winter, Michael G., Bates, Kevin B., Carpenter, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,262,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• 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 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a computer system updates a system including a plurality of sever instances, and includes at least one processor. The computer system determines a level of configuration for each operating server instance. One or more sets of operational features are added to the system based on a comparison between the determined levels of configuration of the operating server instances and minimum levels of configuration associated with the one or more sets of operational features. Server operations are performed and one or more corresponding sets of operational features are applied to the server operations in response to the addition of those corresponding sets of operational features to the system. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and computer program product for updating a system including a plurality of server instances in substantially the same manner described above.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of updating a system including a plurality of sever instances comprising:

determining a level of configuration for each operating server instance;

adding one or more sets of operational features to the system based on a comparison between the determined levels of configuration of the operating server instances and minimum levels of configuration associated with the one or more sets of operational features; and

performing server operations of the operating server instances and applying one or more corresponding sets of operational features to the server operations in response to the addition of those corresponding sets of operational features to the system.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each set of operational features includes a portion of a system update to incrementally update the system.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sets of operational features pertain to a system update, and determining the configuration level further includes:

maintaining one or more server instances operational to enable incremental application of the system update across the plurality of server instances without disabling the entire system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering each server instance and added set of operational features with the system to provide information pertaining to associated configuration levels.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating a server instance within the system to perform an initial sequence of operations;

determining the minimum configuration level for each of the added sets of operational features;

comparing a level of configuration of the initiated server instance with the determined minimum levels of configuration associated with each of the added sets of operational features; and

terminating the initial sequence of operations in response to the level of configuration of the initiated server instance being insufficient for one or more sets of added operational features.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein adding one or more sets of operational features to the system includes:

adding one or more sets of operational features to the system in response to the determined levels of configuration of the operating server instances being sufficient for each of the one or more sets of operational features.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring a lock mechanism to prevent initiation of additional server instances within the system.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the server operations include conditional logic to control performance of server operations based on the presence of a specified set of operational features within the system, and performing server operations includes:

determining the presence of the specified set of operational features within the system;

bypassing server operations utilizing the specified set of operational features based on the conditional logic and in response to the absence of the specified set of operational features within the system; and

performing server operations utilizing the specified set of operational features based on the conditional logic and in response to the presence of the specified set of operational features within the system.

9. A computer system for updating a system including a plurality of sever instances comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

determine a level of configuration for each operating server instance;

add one or more sets of operational features to the system based on a comparison between the determined levels of configuration of the operating server instances and minimum levels of configuration associated with the one or more sets of operational features; and

perform server operations and apply one or more corresponding sets of operational features to the server operations in response to the addition of those corresponding sets of operational features to the system.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein each set of operational features includes a portion of a system update to incrementally update the system.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the one or more sets of operational features pertain to a system update, and one or more server instances are maintained to be operational to enable incremental application of the system update across the plurality of server instances without disabling the entire system.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

register each server instance and added set of operational features with the system to provide information pertaining to associated configuration levels.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

initiate a server instance within the system to perform an initial sequence of operations;

determine the minimum configuration level for each of the added sets of operational features;

compare a level of configuration of the initiated server instance with the determined minimum levels of configuration associated with each of the added sets of operational features; and

terminate the initial sequence of operations in response to the level of configuration of the initiated server instance being insufficient for one or more sets of added operational features.

14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein adding one or more sets of operational features to the system includes:

adding one or more sets of operational features to the system in response to the determined levels of configuration of the operating server instances being sufficient for each of the one or more sets of operational features.

15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

acquire a lock mechanism to prevent initiation of additional server instances within the system.

16. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the server operations include conditional logic to control performance of server operations based on the presence of a specified set of operational features within the system, and performing server operations includes:

determining the presence of the specified set of operational features within the system;

bypassing server operations utilizing the specified set of operational features based on the conditional logic and in response to the absence of the specified set of operational features within the system; and

performing server operations utilizing the specified set of operational features based on the conditional logic and in response to the presence of the specified set of operational features within the system.

17. A computer program product for updating a system including a plurality of sever instances comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising computer readable program code configured to;

determine a level of configuration for each operating server instance;

add one or more sets of operational features to the system based on a comparison between the determined levels of configuration of the operating server instances and minimum levels of configuration associated with the one or more sets of operational features; and

perform server operations and apply one or more corresponding sets of operational features to the server operations in response to the addition of those corresponding sets of operational features to the system.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein each set of operational features includes a portion of a system update to incrementally update the system.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the one or more sets of operational features pertain to a system update, and one or more server instances are maintained to be operational to enable incremental application of the system update across the plurality of server instances without disabling the entire system.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises computer readable program code configured to:

register each server instance and added set of operational features with the system to provide information pertaining to associated configuration levels.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises computer readable program code configured to:

initiate a server instance within the system to perform an initial sequence of operations;

determine the minimum configuration level for each of the added sets of operational features;

compare a level of configuration of the initiated server instance with the determined minimum levels of configuration associated with each of the added sets of operational features; and

terminate the initial sequence of operations in response to the level of configuration of the initiated server being insufficient for one or more sets of added operational features.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein adding one or more sets of operational features to the system includes:

adding one or more sets of operational features to the system in response to the determined levels of configuration of the operating server instances being sufficient for each of the one or more sets of operational features.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises computer readable program code configured to:

acquire a lock mechanism to prevent initiation of additional server instances within the system.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code configured to perform server operations includes conditional logic to control performance of server operations based on the presence of a specified set of operational features within the system, and the computer readable program code configured to perform server operations includes computer readable program code configured to:

determine the presence of the specified set of operational features within the system;

bypass server operations utilizing the specified set of operational features based on the conditional logic and in response to the absence of the specified set of operational features within the system; and

perform server operations utilizing the specified set of operational features based on the conditional logic and in response to the presence of the specified set of operational features within the system.