PREPARING INSTALLATIONS AND UPDATES FOR SOFTWARE SYSTEMS

摘要

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for preparing installations and updates for software systems. Aspects of the invention include creating software update packages that are selectable to automatically install essentially any number of code changes for any number of software components to update a software system (e.g., a cloud appliance). In one aspect, a software update package includes: references to code changes for a plurality of software components and references to installation artifacts for installing the code changes, and also indicates interdependencies between the plurality of software components. In another aspect, a software update package includes references to validation code for validating that a software update package transitioned a software system to a goal state. In a further aspect, a software update package expressly indicates that installation artifact references for different installation artifacts are to be processed during different passes in a multi-pass installation process.

主权项

1. A method for generating a software update package for updating a cloud appliance, the cloud appliance running a plurality of different software components, at least some of the plurality of software components interoperating with one another, each of the plurality of software components maintained by a different corresponding development group, the method comprising:
gathering a plurality of code changes for updating the cloud appliance, the plurality of code changes including one or more code changes for each of the plurality of software components, the one or more code changes for each software component having been released by a managing development group for the software component; creating a software update package for the cloud appliance, the software update package for installing the plurality of code changes to bring the cloud appliance to a goal state from any of one or more prior states, including:
formulating a bill of materials (BOM) for a software update package version, the software update package version being the next version in a linear progression of a plurality of software update package versions for updating the cloud appliance, one or more prior versions in the linear progression corresponding to the one or more prior states, the bill of materials (BOM) indicating applicability to the cloud appliance and how to access the plurality of code changes;formulating a manifest, the manifest:
including references to management artifacts for installing the plurality of code changes; andindicating interdependencies between code changes from among the plurality of code changes; andincluding the bill or materials and the manifest in the software update package; and making the software update package available so that entities running the cloud appliance can update the cloud appliance to the goal state from any of the one or more prior states.