Data processing: software development – installation – and managem – Software program development tool – Translation of code
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-10
2001-09-04
Powell, Mark R. (Department: 2122)
Data processing: software development, installation, and managem
Software program development tool
Translation of code
C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286137
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for directing and assisting a user through procedures of a program required to perform various tasks on a complex software system.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that the installation of software systems on mainframe computers requires entry of many parameters and accomplishment of a large number of steps before the software is ready to run. During the installation process, an entry error or other mistake can result in substantial time being expended to debug the data that has been entered. The prior art has attempted to cope with this problem through a system that helps the user through the installation process.
One example of such prior art is disclosed in the IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin (TDB), Volume 34, No. 11, April 1992 at page 174. There, it is noted that a local area network distribution system requires a large number of user actions to set up a workstation to remotely install a local area network (LAN) requester program. Previously, the LAN administrator would be required to create map files manually for all requesters that require remote installation. The IBM TDB article suggests that a preprocessor be used to help the LAN administrator customize the set-up for remote requesters. The preprocessing program creates a map file for each workstation wherein a requestor program is to be installed. For each requester, the LAN administrator inputs the requester's name, domain name and drive where the program will be installed. The preprocessing program reads these input parameters and creates a map file with appropriate default values. The preprocessing program is said to reduce the chance of user error by utilizing predefined inputs and by displaying appropriate error messages.
It is further known to direct a user through the various steps that are required for installing an application program. However, such installation instructions are generally set out as a listed series of tasks to accomplish, with little information being given as to their interrelationship, the status of various subtasks which comprise the overall task, or the overall relationship of the various subtasks to each other and to the task as a whole.
In fact, to successfully install a complex program, it is often a necessity that the user be an expert on how to install the program, on how to adapt and/or alter parameters that are inserted during the installation procedure, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes these and other shortcomings of prior systems, by accomplishing the objective of providing an improved method, apparatus and article of manufacture for assisting a user via a program on a workstation, running under an operating system and being connected to a mainframe computer.
More specifically, the present invention provides an improved method, apparatus and article of manufacture for polling the status of jobs requested by the user of a workstation, where the jobs are being executed on a mainframe. The present invention does so by continuously polling to determine when a particular output file is present. When the output file is found to be present, the user is given an indication of the status of the job originally requested by the user.
The present invention also provides an improved method, apparatus and article of manufacture for assisting the user in setting parameters during loading of System Modification Program Extended (SMPE) libraries, installation, migration, fallback, remigration and update tasks of a program. Loading of SMPE libraries refers to a preinstallation which takes place prior to installation. Installation refers to the initial load of a program, while migration refers to moving from an older to a newer version of the program. Fallback is used to return to a state where the older version of the program is operational without uninstalling the newer version. Remigration is used to return to the newer version of the program when the reason for the fallback is resolved. Finally, an update is used to provide upgrades in the current version of the program.
When the user is in the process of setting parameters, the user is initially asked to choose one of two options to select system parameters. If the first option is selected, the user is presented with a series of information windows regarding the parameters. Within each of the windows, the user may select to change the associated parameter. If the user chooses to change the associated parameter, the system goes from the information window to a predefined window in which the parameter can be changed. Once this is done, the user is returned to the information window last viewed by the user. If the second option is used, the user is given a list of the predefined windows, each of which may be selected by the user to change an associated parameter.
The present invention also provides an improved method, apparatus and article of manufacture for providing an indication to a user of a workstation as steps of a task have been completed. The tasks include load SMPE libraries, install, migrate, fallback, remigrate and update. Each step in a task is represented by a button in a window. Behind each button is a text field of a color different from the background color of the window and which is also of a color different from that of the button. Additionally, the text field is larger than the button. Initially, the text field is hidden. This indicates that the task indicated on the button is not yet complete. When the user completes a task indicated by the button, the text field behind that button is shown. Since the text field is larger than the button and is in a color different from the background color of the window and from the button itself, when shown, the text field, appears to provide a highlighted border around the button. Thus, the user can determine which steps of a task have been completed by looking to see which step buttons have a highlighted border.
The present invention further provides an improved method, apparatus and article of manufacture for checking the integrity of catalog and directory databases before a migrate task, for example, is performed on the databases. This is done by performing a series of jobs to verify the integrity of the catalog and directory databases.
The present invention also provides an improved method, apparatus and article of manufacture for providing information, in the form of a defaults list, to the user of a program regarding parameters whose default values have changed, which parameters are of particular concern to the specific user. During a migrate task, for example, a list of parameters is generated. This list is displayed with only those parameters where the default value has changed from the prior version of the program and where a user of the system selected the default value of the parameter in the prior version of the program. This allows a user of the system to easily view parameters having new default values, where a user had selected the default values of the parameters in a prior version of the program.
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Bleizeffer Terry M.
Church Nathan D.
Devine Kathryn W.
Hughes, Jr. Virginia W.
Kilburn Barbara J.
International Business Machines - Corporation
Nguyen-Ba Hoang-Vu Antony
Powell Mark R.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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