EP0632371A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Process for configuration management
Assignee: Xerox Corp
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Filing: 1994-05-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2014-05-26
Abstract
Abstract In a process for ensuring compatibility of components in a system, system components are defined and relationships between two or more system components identified. From relationships between components, inter-relationships between these identified relationships and possibly other components are determined. By validating integrity of either or both of the identified relationship and determined inter- relationship and, based on a validating result, ensuring integrity of the identified relationship or determined inter-relationship, compatibility of the components in the system is ensured. This process is particularly useful in eliminating incompatibilities between resident and migrational software in an automated computer system.
Inventors
- 👤 Atashi C. Sonty
- 👤 Jose A. Faria
- 👤 Alan W. Willett
- 👤 Kim P. Ciulla
- 👤 Christopher Comparetta
- 👤 Jack T. Latone
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 18:11
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F8/00; G06F8/70; G06F8/71
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
72 words
A process for managing a configuration and ensuring compatibility of components in a computing system, including defining components of the system; identifying relationships between at least two computing system components; determining inter-relationships between at least two relationships; validating integrity of at least one of the relationship and inter-relationship; obtaining a validating result; and based on the validating result, maintaining integrity of the relationship and inter-relationship, thus ensuring compatibility of the system components.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
43 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein the validating result indicates that the integrity of the at least one relationship or inter-relationship no longer exists and the step of maintaining integrity comprises a step of taking corrective action to re-establish a lost integrity.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the system components comprise at least one of hardware, software applications and software languages.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A process according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the step of maintaining integrity comprises a step of writing data to a computer log for subsequent use in the step of validating integrity.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
128 words
A process for eliminating incompatibilities between resident software in an automated computer system and migrational software, comprising the steps of: defining resident software and migrational software used in the automated computer system; identifying compatibility relationships between a first resident software and at least one of a second resident software and the migrational software; determining compatibility inter-relationships between at least one first compatibility relationship and a previously defined second compatibility relationship or a component; assigning a dedicated control field to each compatibility inter-relationship or compatibility inter- relationship; storing said dedicated control field for subsequent retrieval; prior to performing a computer operation, validating integrity of the computer system by identifying incompatibilities; and subsequent to validating integrity and performing a computer operation, ensuring integrity of the computer system by eliminating incompatibilities.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
43 words
A process according to claim 5, wherein the step of validating integrity comprises the steps of: reading migrational software and resident software identification data; and verifying compatibility between resident software and migrational software by comparing identification data against the corresponding dedicated control field.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
A process according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the computer operation is at least one of an installation of migrational software or an upgrade or downgrade to resident software.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
A process according to any one of claims 5 to 7, further comprising the step of revalidating integrity of the computer system subsequent to performing a computer operation.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
A process according to any one of claims 5 to 8, further comprising the step of restoring the resident software on the automated computer system to a pre-operation configuration in response to an identified incompatibility.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
146 words
A process for managing a configuration and ensuring compatibility of components in a computing system, comprising the steps of: identifying components of he system; identifying an initial configuration of the components by identifying at least a first relationship between at least a first relationship between at least a first pair of said components and a second relationship between at least a second pair of said components; identifying at least one inter-relationship between said at least first relationship and said second relationship; periodically sampling a current configuration of said components; comparing said current configuration to said initial configuration to obtain a validity result; indicating one of a compatibility state and an incompatibility state based on said validating result; and taking corrective action when said indicating step indicates said incompatibility state and recording as said initial configuration said current configuration when said indicating step indicates said compatibility state.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
160 words
A process for eliminating incompatibilities between resident software and migrational software in an automated computer system, comprising the steps of: identifying resident software and migrational software used in the automated computer system; identifying compatibility relationships between a first resident software and at least one of a second resident software and the migrational software; identifying compatibility inter-relationships between at least one of said compatibility relationships and at least one of another of said compatibility relationships, a previously defined second compatibility relationship and a component; assigning a dedicated control field at at least one of each of said compatibility relationships and said compatibility inter-relationships; storing each of said dedicated control fields for subsequent retrieval; periodically sampling current configurations of said relationships and inter-relationships; comparing said current configurations to said dedicated control fields; and taking corrective action when said comparing step indicates inconsistencies in compatibility and recording said dedicated control fields as said current configurations when said comparing step indicates consistency in compatibility.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
EP0498130A2
Cited
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