Enterprise wide software version recommendation

Abstract

An updates information server individually manages enterprise installations within an enterprise environment. The updates information server receives information from an updates agent operating at a target machine that specifies a current state of installation of a software instance installed at the target machine, and determines by analysis of the received information using a combination of at least one predefined machine-specific rule and available machine-specific updates metadata specified for the individually-managed enterprise installation that the software instance at the target machine is out of conformance with a specific management policy defined for the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment. The updates information server requests the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent operation of the software instance at the target machine until the software instance at the target machine is updated to conform with the specific management policy defined for the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of enterprise wide software version recommendation, comprising:
 by an updates information server that individually manages enterprise installations within an enterprise environment:
 receiving information from an updates agent operating at a target machine that specifies a current state of installation of a software instance installed at the target machine, where a particular combination of the updates agent and the target machine forms an individually-managed enterprise installation; 
 determining, by analysis of the received information using a combination of at least one predefined machine-specific rule and available machine-specific updates metadata specified for the individually-managed enterprise installation, that the software instance installed at the target machine is out of conformance with a specific management policy defined for the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment; and 
 requesting the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent operation of the software instance at the target machine until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through installation of an available update to conform with the specific management policy defined for the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , where the at least one predefined machine-specific rule is specified with conditions by which to request the updates agent operating at the target machine to enforce a state upon the software instance installed at the target machine and further defines at least one custom action that provides individualized version control of the software instance at the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment relative to other enterprise installations. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , where requesting the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent the operation of the software instance at the target machine comprises:
 requesting the updates agent to pause a startup attempt of the software instance at the target machine responsive to the updates agent capturing the startup attempt until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through the installation of the available update.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising causing the updates agent operating at the target machine to display an alert message to a user via a user interface of the target machine indicating that the startup attempt of the software instance has been paused until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through the installation of the available update. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising obtaining a binary update of the software instance from a binary server and installing the binary update on demand at the target machine to resolve the paused startup of the software instance at the target machine. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, using the received information and the combination of the at least one predefined machine-specific rule and the available machine-specific updates metadata, that the software instance at the target machine is out of synchronization with at least one other similar installed software instance within the enterprise environment; and   where requesting the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent the operation of the software instance at the target machine until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through installation of the available update to conform with the specific management policy defined for the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment further comprises:
 requesting the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent the operation of the software instance at the target machine responsive to the updates agent capturing a startup attempt of the software instance until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through installation of the available update to be synchronized with the least one other similar installed software instance within the enterprise environment. 
   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 registering the updates agent for a plurality of registered events associated with operational aspects of a plurality of software instances installed at the target machine; and   where the updates agent capturing a startup attempt of the software instance comprises one of the plurality of registered events.   
     
     
         8 . An apparatus for enterprise wide software version recommendation, the apparatus comprising:
 a communications unit; and   a processor of an updates information server that individually manages enterprise installations within an enterprise environment programmed to:
 receive, via the communications unit, information from an updates agent operating at a target machine that specifies a current state of installation of a software instance installed at the target machine, where a particular combination of the updates agent and the target machine forms an individually-managed enterprise installation; 
 determine, by analysis of the received information using a combination of at least one predefined machine-specific rule and available machine-specific updates metadata specified for the individually-managed enterprise installation, that the software instance installed at the target machine is out of conformance with a specific management policy defined for the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment; and 
 request the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent operation of the software instance at the target machine until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through installation of an available update to conform with the specific management policy defined for the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment. 
   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , where the at least one predefined machine-specific rule is specified with conditions by which to request the updates agent operating at the target machine to enforce a state upon the software instance installed at the target machine and further defines at least one custom action that provides individualized version control of the software instance at the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment relative to other enterprise installations. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , where, in being programmed to request the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent the operation of the software instance at the target machine, the processor is programmed to:
 request the updates agent to pause a startup attempt of the software instance at the target machine responsive to the updates agent capturing the startup attempt until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through the installation of the available update.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , where the processor is further programmed to:
 cause the updates agent operating at the target machine to display an alert message to a user via a user interface of the target machine indicating that the startup attempt of the software instance has been paused until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through the installation of the available update; and   obtain a binary update of the software instance from a binary server and install the binary update on demand at the target machine to resolve the paused startup of the software instance at the target machine.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , where the processor is further programmed to:
 determine, using the received information and the combination of the at least one predefined machine-specific rule and the available machine-specific updates metadata, that the software instance at the target machine is out of synchronization with at least one other similar installed software instance within the enterprise environment; and   where, in being programmed to request the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent the operation of the software instance at the target machine until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through installation of the available update to conform with the specific management policy defined for the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment, the processor is further programmed to:
 request the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent the operation of the software instance at the target machine responsive to the updates agent capturing a startup attempt of the software instance until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through installation of the available update to be synchronized with the least one other similar installed software instance within the enterprise environment. 
   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8 , where the processor is further programmed to:
 register the updates agent for a plurality of registered events associated with operational aspects of a plurality of software instances installed at the target machine; and   where the updates agent capturing a startup attempt of the software instance comprises one of the plurality of registered events.   
     
     
         14 . A computer program product for enterprise wide software version recommendation, the computer program product comprising:
 a non-transitory computer recordable-type media containing computer executable program code stored thereon, the computer executable program code when executed by a computer implemented as an updates information server that individually manages enterprise installations within an enterprise environment, causes the computer to:
 receive information from an updates agent operating at a target machine that specifies a current state of installation of a software instance installed at the target machine, where a particular combination of the updates agent and the target machine forms an individually-managed enterprise installation; 
 determine, by analysis of the received information using a combination of at least one predefined machine-specific rule and available machine-specific updates metadata specified for the individually-managed enterprise installation, that the software instance installed at the target machine is out of conformance with a specific management policy defined for the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment; and 
 request the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent operation of the software instance at the target machine until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through installation of an available update to conform with the specific management policy defined for the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment. 
   
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , where the at least one predefined machine-specific rule is specified with conditions by which to request the updates agent operating at the target machine to enforce a state upon the software instance installed at the target machine and further defines at least one custom action that provides individualized version control of the software instance at the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment relative to other enterprise installations. 
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , where, in causing the computer to request the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent the operation of the software instance at the target machine, the computer executable program code when executed by the computer causes the computer to:
 request the updates agent to pause a startup attempt of the software instance at the target machine responsive to the updates agent capturing the startup attempt until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through the installation of the available update.   
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 16 , where the computer executable program code when executed by the computer further causes the computer to:
 cause the updates agent operating at the target machine to display an alert message to a user via a user interface of the target machine indicating that the startup attempt of the software instance has been paused until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through the installation of the available update.   
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 16 , where the computer executable program code when executed by the computer further causes the computer to obtain a binary update of the software instance from a binary server and install the binary update on demand at the target machine to resolve the paused startup of the software instance at the target machine. 
     
     
         19 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , where the computer executable program code when executed by the computer further causes the computer to:
 determine, using the received information and the combination of the at least one predefined machine-specific rule and the available machine-specific updates metadata, that the software instance at the target machine is out of synchronization with at least one other similar installed software instance within the enterprise environment; and   where, in causing the computer to request the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent the operation of the software instance at the target machine until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through installation of the available update to conform with the specific management policy defined for the individually-managed enterprise installation within the enterprise environment, the computer executable program code when executed by the computer further causes the computer to:
 request the updates agent operating at the target machine to prevent the operation of the software instance at the target machine responsive to the updates agent capturing a startup attempt of the software instance until the software instance installed at the target machine is updated through installation of the available update to be synchronized with the least one other similar installed software instance within the enterprise environment. 
   
     
     
         20 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , where the computer executable program code when executed by the computer further causes the computer to:
 register the updates agent for a plurality of registered events associated with operational aspects of a plurality of software instances installed at the target machine; and   where the updates agent capturing a startup attempt of the software instance comprises one of the plurality of registered events.