Data processing: software development – installation – and managem – Software program development tool – Translation of code
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-30
2001-04-24
Dinh, Dung C. (Department: 2153)
Data processing: software development, installation, and managem
Software program development tool
Translation of code
C709S220000, C709S221000, C713S001000, C713S100000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223345
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates in general to building application packages in a distributed client/server computing environment. The invention more particularly relates to building a client application package and a corresponding server application package.
2. Background Art
Modem data processing systems are often implemented as distributed computing environments. A typical distributed computing environment configuration includes one or more “client” computers, including personal computers and workstations, that communicate with one or more “server” computers. In this “client/server” environment, the client computers request data, files or other information from the server computer, and the server computer serves the client computer with the requested information. In some distributed computing environments, a computer may operate as a client computer and as a server computer.
A custom application package building system for use in a client/server distributed computing environment was described in co-owned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/756067, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CUSTOMIZED APPLICATION PACKAGE BUILDING AND INSTALLATION” and filed Nov. 25, 1996 (the “Custom Package Building application”), which patent application is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. The application package building system described therein enabled a user to define and build a custom application package for either a client computer or for a server computer.
The application package building system enabled a client application package for use on a client computer to be defined and built. A server application package, corresponding to the client application package, had to be defined and built in a separate operation. Separate client and server application packages were required to accommodate the various hardware/software platforms associated with the client computers and the server computers.
Business function information defining business logic used by the application packages, as well as the specification information defining the application components of the application packages, were dependent upon the particular hardware/software platforms that would receive the application packages. In addition, each hardware/software platform had a particular system for maintaining and utilizing data. Thus, a separate application package had to be defined for the client computers and for the server computers, wherein the application packages accommodated the particular hardware/software platform of the associated client and server computers.
Although the application package building system enabled the building of client and server application packages, the amount of time required to complete the building of both the client and server application packages was relatively long. In this regard, the client and server application packages were defined separately as each application package had its own unique requirements. Consequently, the selection of applications, modules and other components made while defining the client application package required repeating when subsequently defining the server application package. Furthermore, the application package building system was not able to build a fill server application package.
Building the server application package for more than one server computer added additional time to complete the process. The additional time was due to the need to separately define and build a server application package for each server computer that required the server application package.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved application package building system that can build a client application package, and a corresponding server application package, in a relatively quick, effortless and efficient manner.
The prior application package building system also extended the time required to build update packages for the client application package and the server application package. Each update package, including both the client and server application packages, represented a snap shot in time of specific modifications made to the application packages. As time progressed, and additional changes were required for the client and server application packages, additional update packages for each modification were required.
Although the update packages enabled the originally built client and server application packages to be modified to accommodate subsequent revisions, such update packages were not efficient for re-building the application packages or for building the application packages on newly added client or server computers. The inefficiency resulted from the need to reinstall the original client or server application package, and then install each and every subsequent update package associated with the original application package. Furthermore, when an installation process failed to complete the installation of the client or server application packages, the installation process had to be restarted from the beginning.
Therefore, it would also be highly desirable to have a new and improved system and method for building client and server application packages which enables the client and server application packages to be updated so that the application packages maintained on the client and server computers are substantially current. Such a system and method should enable the installation of only the remaining portions of the client and server application packages which were not installed after the installation process was interrupted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved application package building system and a method of using it, wherein the application package building system builds client and server application packages quickly and efficiently. Such an application package building system should build update packages to keep client and server application packages current, and should reduce installation time even when installation irregularities occur.
Briefly, the above and further objects of the present invention are realized by providing a new and improved application package building system which builds client and server application packages, and also build update packages for the client and server application packages according to a novel method of the present invention.
The application package building system includes an application storage maintaining specification and component information, and a client package build system which creates an application package definition for both a client application package and a server application package. The package definition identifies required specification and component information for both the client application package and the server application package. A client package build engine builds the client application package using the required specification and component information, and a server package build engine builds the server application package from the required specification and component information.
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Jones Robert William
Knight Janet
Marshall James Bruce
Priser Martha
Dinh Dung C.
J.D. Edwards World Source Company
Ross P.C. Sheridan
Trim Nkosi
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