Method of building dynamic installation packages using a declarative authoring tool

• US 7,503,043 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2004
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pichetti, Luigi, Lupini, Francesco, Secomandi, Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr.; Lewis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mitchell; Jason
• Application Number:
  US10/835,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20050055692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,776 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168, 717174-178
• US Class Current: 717/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

Building a package for installing a software application on a data processing system with a distributed architecture is provided. The installation package is built using an authoring tool based on a declarative model. A descriptor is used to define a desired configuration of the system. The installation package is built declaring a discoverer element, a producer element and a consumer element into the wizard tree. During the installation process, the discoverer element detects a current configuration of the system. The producer creates a working queue dynamically, inserting the installation operations that are needed for reaching the desired configuration from the current configuration of the system. The producer then executes the installation operations defined in the working queue. In this way, the installation operations are determined at runtime.

Claims

1. A method of installing a software application on a data processing system according to installation elements being previously declared, the method including the steps of:

a specification element defining a target configuration for a role of at least one target computer that is played by the at least one target computer of the data processing system, wherein the specification element is embedded along with at least one product image for the software application in a Bean into a wizard tree that is invoked during an installation process, and wherein the role is a logic role that is inferred from software products installed on the at least one target computer during the installation process;

at least one first standard Bean displaying at least one of a welcome panel, a destination panel, and a setup panel on the at least one target computer, wherein the at least one first standard Bean is inserted into the wizard tree that is invoked during the installation process;

a discoverer element detecting a current configuration of the at least one target computer during the installation process including the role played by the at least one target computer, wherein the discover element is embedded into the wizard tree that is invoked during the installation process;

at least one complex input parameter Bean displaying a custom panel on the at least one target computer that allows at least one complex parameter to be entered during the installation process, wherein the at least one complex input parameter Bean is inserted into the wizard tree that is invoked during the installation process;

a producer element creating a working structure dynamically, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching the target configuration defined in the specification element from the current configuration, wherein the producer element is embedded into the wizard tree that is invoked during the installation process;

at least one second standard Bean displaying at least one of a license approval panel, a password panel, and a preview panel on the at least one target computer, wherein the at least one second standard Bean is inserted into the wizard tree that is invoked during the installation process; and

a consumer element executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure, wherein the consumer element is embedded into the wizard tree that is invoked during the installation process.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data processing system includes a plurality of processing entities each one associated with at least one of a plurality of predefined roles and wherein a target configuration of the data processing system includes a target configuration for each role, the step of detecting the current configuration of the data processing system including:

detecting the at least one role of each entity.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the target configuration for each role includes a definition of at least one software product to be installed, the definition of the at least one software product including an indication of first installation operations for installing the at least one software product when a previous version of the at least one software product is already installed and an indication of second installation operations for installing the at least one software product otherwise, and wherein the step of detecting the current configuration of the data processing system includes:

detecting the software products installed on each entity.

4. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of:

a console element interactively controlling execution of the installation operations indicated in the working structure.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of controlling execution of the installation operations includes:

storing an indication of each installation operation failed during the installation process, and

repeating the execution of each failed installation operation.

6. A method of building an installation package for installing a software application on a data processing system, the package being built using a tool based on a declarative model requiring a declaration of installation elements to be embedded in the installation package for use during an installation process, wherein the method includes the steps of:

initializing an authoring tool;

declaring a specification element, wherein the specification element defines a target configuration for a role of at least one target computer that is played by the at least one target computer of the data processing system, wherein the specification element is embedded along with at least one product image for the software application in a Bean into a wizard tree, and wherein the role is a logic role that is inferred from software products installed on the at least one target computer during the installation process;

inserting at least one first standard Bean into the wizard tree, wherein the at least one first standard Bean is at least one of a welcome Bean, a destination Bean, and a setup Bean that generates a display on the at least one target computer;

declaring a discoverer element into the wizard tree for detecting a current configuration of the at least one target computer during the installation process including the role played by the at least one target computer;

inserting at least one complex input parameter Bean into the wizard tree for displaying a custom panel on the at least one target computer that allows at least one complex parameter to be entered during the installation process;

declaring a producer element into the wizard tree for creating a working structure dynamically during the installation process, the working structure including an indication of installation operations for reaching the target configuration from the current configuration;

inserting at least one second standard Bean into the wizard tree, wherein the at least one second standard Bean is at least one of a license approval Bean, a password Bean, and a preview Bean that generates a display on the at least one target computer;

declaring a consumer element into the wizard tree for executing the installation operations indicated in the working structure during the installation process; and

embedding the declared elements and Beans into the installation package.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the data processing system includes a plurality of processing entities each one associated with at least one of a plurality of predefined roles, a target configuration of the data processing system including a target configuration for each role and the current configuration including the at least one role of each entity.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the target configuration for each role includes a definition of at least one software product to be installed, the definition of the at least one software product including an indication of first installation operations for installing the at least one software product when a previous version of the at least one software product is already installed and an indication of second installation operations for installing the at least one software product otherwise, and wherein the current configuration of the data processing system includes an indication of the software products installed on each entity.

9. The method according to claim 7, further including the step of:

declaring a console element for interactively controlling execution of the installation operations indicated in the working structure during the installation process.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the console element is suitable to store an indication of each installation operation failed during the installation process and to repeat the execution of each failed installation operation.