Method and system for managing configuration changes in a data processing system

• US 7,370,323 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2002
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Marinelli, Claudio, Pichetti, Luigi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr.; Lewis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAUHAN, LOREN B
• Application Number:
  US10/472,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20040153869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,254 Days
• Field of Search: 717/173, 709/221, 709/223
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A method of managing configuration changes in a data processing system, particularly a network wherein software products (250) must be distributed to client workstations. The method provides the definition of reference models (220e-220d) arranged in a tree (215); each reference model includes configuration elements (such as software products and/or hardware features and their desired target status) for the corresponding client workstations (subscribers). A target configuration (230) of the client workstations associated with each reference model is determined by inheriting the configuration elements of the parent reference models. A list of actions (245) to be carried out on each client workstation for reaching the corresponding target configuration is determined by comparing the target configuration with a current configuration of the client workstation stored in a corresponding inventory (245).

Claims

1. A method of managing configuration changes in a data processing system having a plurality of destination units, the method including the steps of:

providing a plurality of reference models arranged in a tree starting from a root reference model,

associating each destination unit with a reference model including configuration information specific for the corresponding destination units, wherein the configuration information includes at least one record indicating a target status of a corresponding configuration element and wherein the tree provides dependency information indicating logic relations between the configuration elements, the target configuration being determined further according to the dependency information of the corresponding configuration elements,

determining a target configuration for the destination units associated with a selected reference model according to the configuration information of the reference models in a path from the root reference model to the selected reference model,

causing each destination unit associated with the selected reference model to be updated according to the target configuration,

providing an inventory storing an indication of a current configuration of each destination unit, and

determining a list of actions for reaching the target configuration on each destination unit associated with the selected reference model according to a comparison between the target configuration and the corresponding current configuration, wherein the configuration information includes an indication of at least one digitally encoded software application product to be installed or removed, and wherein the data processing system comprises a network with a server workstation and a plurality of client workstations each one associated with at least one destination unit, the method further including, for each destination unit associated with the selected reference model, the steps of building a package under the control of the server workstation, the package including each software application product of the target configuration to be installed and instructions for automatically executing the list of actions, distributing the package to the client workstation associated with the destination unit through the network, and updating the inventory according to the actions executed on the client workstation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining the target configuration includes, for each current record of the reference models along the path:

verifying if the target configuration includes a previous record for the configuration element of the current record, and

adding the current record to the target configuration if the verification is negative or replacing the target status of the previous record with the target status of the current record if the verification is positive.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes an indication of at least one hardware pre-requisite required by the at least one digitally encoded software application product, the method further including the step of verifying whether a current hardware structure of each destination unit associated with the selected reference model meets each hardware pre-requisite of the target configuration.

4. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of running a query on a memory structure for dynamically extracting a list of the destination units associated with the selected reference model.

5. The method according to claim 4, further including the step of excluding each destination unit from the list if a corresponding exclusion flag in the memory structure is asserted, wherein the exclusion flag is associated with a given destination unit.