Modularized web provisioning

• US 8,176,408 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ammerlaan, Michael H, Kamath, Rajesh, Harwood, Peter K
• Primary Examiner(s): STORK, KYLE R
• Application Number:
  US11/224,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20070061705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,430 Days
• Field of Search: 715/205, 715/234, 715/243, 715/254, 715/255
• US Class Current: 715/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A system and method for modularized Web provisioning. Functionalities available for Web provisioning are modularized into individual feature files. A site template may reference one or more of such features. A site provisioned using the site template activates the referenced features by default. Features may be added to or removed from the site. A feature may include atomic Web provisioning elements, custom code, metadata specifying properties of the features, and/or activation dependency information specifying precedent features that need to be activated before the feature can be activated. Feature provisioning can be processed through a command-line tool, an object model, and/or a graphic user interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for modularized Web provisioning within a Web farm that includes at least one site collection that further includes a plurality of Web sites, the method comprising:

modularizing a plurality of functionalities into a plurality of features available for Web site provisioning, wherein each feature comprises a package of one or more provisioning elements that are integrated to provide a specific functionality for support by a Web site, wherein each specific functionality comprises performing one or more tasks to provide a Web solution, and wherein at least one of the features comprises metadata specifying a limitation on how the at least one of the features may be used;

applying a scope to each of the features, wherein the at least one of the features comprises a Web-farm-level scope that requires the Web-farm-level-scoped feature to be included in all Web sites in the Web farm;

creating a plurality of site templates for Web site provisioning;

adding, in a first site template of the plurality of site templates, a first reference to a first feature of the plurality of features, wherein the first feature corresponds to a first Web solution, and wherein the adding a first reference to a first feature occurs by indicating that a status of the first feature for the first site template is activated;

adding, in a second site template of the plurality of site templates, a second reference to the first feature of the plurality of features, wherein the second site template is different from the first site template, and wherein the adding a second reference to the first feature occurs by indicating that a status of the first feature for the second site template is activated;

instantiating the first site template of the plurality of site templates to build a first Web site, wherein the instantiating activates the first feature referenced in the first site template if the first feature is activated in the first site template, and wherein activating the first feature causes the first Web solution to be available on the first Web site;

instantiating the second site template of the plurality of site templates to build a second Web site, wherein the instantiating activates the first feature referenced in the second site template if the first feature is activated in the second site template, and wherein activating the first feature causes the first Web solution to be available on the second Web site;

checking for a new Web site requirement, the new Web site requirement comprising the addition or removal of a feature of the plurality of features; and

reprovisioning the Web site based on the new Web site requirement.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a new feature for a functionality that is not provided by the plurality of features but is required by the first site template; and

referencing the new feature in the first site template.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

customizing a second feature referenced in the first site template.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding a third feature of the plurality of features to the first Web site that is not referenced by the first site template but is needed by the first Web site.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the modularized Web provisioning is accomplished through one or more from the group consisting of:

a graphic user interface, an object model, and a command-line tool.

6. A Web provisioning system within a Web farm that includes at least one site collection that further includes a plurality of Web sites, the system comprising:

a computing device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory are communicatively arranged to;

modularize a plurality of functionalities into a plurality of features available for Web site provisioning, wherein each feature comprises a package of one or more provisioning elements that are integrated to provide a specific functionality for support by a Web site, wherein each specific functionality comprises performing one or more tasks to provide a Web solution, and wherein at least one of the features comprises metadata specifying a limitation on how the at least one of the features may be used;

apply a scope to each of the features, wherein the at least one of the features comprises a Web-farm-level scope that requires the Web-farm-level-scoped feature to be included in all Web sites in the Web farm;

create a plurality of site templates for Web site provisioning;

add, in a first site template of the plurality of site templates, a first reference to a first feature of the plurality of features, wherein the first feature corresponds to a first Web solution, and wherein the adding a first reference to a first feature occurs by indicating that a status of the first feature for the first site template is activated;

add, in a second site template of the plurality of site templates, a second reference to the first feature of the plurality of features, wherein the second site template is different from the first site template, and wherein the adding a second reference to the first feature occurs by indicating that the status of the first feature for the second site template is activated;

instantiate the first site template of the plurality of site templates to build a first Web site, wherein the instantiating activates the first feature referenced in the first site template if the first feature is activated in the first site template, and wherein activating the first feature causes the first Web solution to be available on the first Web site;

instantiate the second site template of the plurality of site templates to build a second Web site, wherein the instantiating activates the first feature referenced in the second site template if the first feature is activated in the second site template, and wherein activating the first feature causes the first Web solution to be available on the second Web site;

check for a new Web site requirement, the new Web site requirement comprising the addition or removal of a feature of the plurality of features; and

reprovision the Web site based on the new Web site requirement.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein a change to the first feature is automatically reflected in the first and second site templates referencing the first feature.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of features are defined in XML format.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein one of the plurality of features comprises one or more atomic units providing a specific functionality for a Web site.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein one of the plurality of features comprises one or more references to custom code.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the custom code is used to configure an entity other than the feature itself.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the metadata defines one or more properties associated with the at least one of the features.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein one of the plurality of features comprises activation dependency information identifying one or more of the plurality of features that need to be activated before activation of the feature.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein at least a second one of the features comprises one or more from the group consisting of:

a site collection scope, wherein the associated feature is applied to a collection of sites; and

a site scope, wherein the associated feature is only applied to an individual site.

15. A computer storage medium not consisting of a propagated data signal storing a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for modularizing Web provisioning within a Web farm that includes at least one site collection that further includes a plurality of Web sites, the method comprising:

modularizing a plurality of functionalities into a plurality of features available for Web site provisioning, wherein each feature comprises a package of one or more provisioning elements that are integrated to provide a specific functionality for support by a Web site, wherein each specific functionality comprises performing one or more tasks to provide a Web solution, and wherein at least one of the features comprises metadata specifying a limitation on how the at least one of the features may be used;

applying a scope to each of the features, wherein the at least one of the features comprises a Web-farm-level scope that requires the Web-farm-level-scoped feature to be included in all Web sites in the Web farm;

creating a plurality of site templates for Web site provisioning;

adding, in a first site template of the plurality of site templates, a first reference to a first feature of the plurality of features, wherein the first feature corresponds to a first Web solution, and wherein the adding a first reference to a first feature occurs by indicating that a status of the first feature for the first site template is activated;

adding, in a second site template of the plurality of site templates, a second reference to the first feature of the plurality of features, wherein the second site template is different from the first site template, and wherein the adding a second reference to the first feature occurs by indicating that a status of the first feature for the second site template is activated;

instantiating the first site template of the plurality of site templates to build a first Web site, wherein the instantiating activates the first feature referenced in the first site template if the first features is activated in the first site template, and wherein activating the first feature causes the first Web solution to be available on the first Web site;

instantiating the second site template of the plurality of site templates to build a second Web site, wherein the instantiating activates the first feature referenced in the second site template if the first feature is activated in the second site template, and wherein activating the first feature causes the first Web solution to be available on the second Web site;

checking for a new Web site requirement, the new Web site requirement comprising the addition or removal of a feature of the plurality of features; and

reprovisioning the Web site based on the new Web site requirement.

16. The computer storage medium not consisting of a propagated data signal of claim 15, further comprising:

creating a new feature for a functionality that is not provided by the plurality of features but is required by the first site template; and

referencing the new feature in the first site template.

17. The computer storage medium not consisting of a propagated data signal of claim 15, further comprising:

customizing a second feature referenced in the first site template.

18. The computer storage medium not consisting of a propagated data signal of claim 15, further comprising:

adding a third feature of the plurality of features to the first Web site that is not referenced by the first site template but is needed by the first Web site.