Apparatus and method for distributing data from a central digital data processing system to remote digital data processing systems and apparatus for storing data in digital data processing systems. The central digital data system creates a data descriptor which describes the data and its source location. The central system provides the data descriptor to the remote systems. The remote systems employ the data descriptor to retrieve the data to be distributed and place it in a destination. A given digital data processing system may function as both a central system and a remote system. The data descriptor may be provided to the remote systems by means of magnetic media or a network and the data may be retrieved from magnetic media or via a network. When retrieval is via a network, the source of the data is an inventory library. The inventory library may be part of the central system or may be part of a different host system. The destination includes a live library and a run library. The data is retrieved to the live library, and when it is to be used, the remote system installs the data by placing it in the run library. Both test and production versions of data may be present in the destination and a test version may be converted to a production version. If both test and production versions are simultaneously present, one is always in the live library and the other always in the run library.
A method is provided for I/O data transfer between memory and disk. In one embodiment, an application program generates N data transfer requests. Thereafter, a data transfer list is created that comprises N entries each comprising a file sector descriptor and a buffer address. The application program is suspended in favor of initiating the operating system. Thereafter, N data transfers are performed, each one of which comprises transferring data between a file sector and a buffer identified by the file sector descriptor and a buffer address, respectively, contained in one of the entries of the data transfer list. On completion of N data transfers, the operating system is suspended and the application program is reinitiated.
It is made possible to update software appropriately. When additional software is installed, update management data for the additional software is generated. When the update management data for the additional software is attached to the additional software in advance, that data is used. If the update management data is not attached, cycles for confirming the presence of updates and the like are determined based on the nature of the software, and the update management data is thus generated. Then, the generated update management data is set in an update management table. The presence of software updates is checked for based on the cycles for confirming the presence of updates in the update management table.
The present invention reduces complicated support and maintenance issues to a simple model. This model is called a procedure. A procedure includes two elements. The first element is called "criteria". Criteria are specified by the user and are used to create a filter that determines which workstations, workstation directories, workstation files, users, and/or file server directories are to be updated. The second element of a procedure is called an "action". Actions are used to specify what steps are to be taken automatically at the selected workstations or file server directories. Any type of process that can be carried out from the workstation keyboard can be automated using an action. One embodiment of the invention provides a system for updating software on at least one computer connected to a computer network, including hardware and software for defining at least one procedure, the at least one procedure including a set of criteria specifying a predetermined condition of the at least one computer hardware and software, responsive to the hardware and software for defining, for executing a predetermined action, such as a program, when the set of criteria are true.
A method for enhancing reliability while upgrading a software program implemented in a clustered computer system from a first version to a second version. The software program is implemented as software modules running on a plurality of computers coupled in a cluster configuration in a clustered computer system. The method includes ascertaining a certification level associated with each of the software modules. If a certification level of a given software module of the plurality of software modules has a first certification level, the method includes limiting a load level on the given software module to a first load level. If a certification level of a given software module of the plurality of software modules has a second certification level, the method includes allowing the load level on the second routing transaction requests to reach a second load level higher than the first load level.
The invention relates to an arrangement and to a method for revising selected data in a distributed data communication system, eg such data as a data program or document intended for a number of a plurality of destination devices (AEI, AEII, LSE2, LSE3) in the data communication system individually selected by an administrator, in which each destination device includes at least one memory unit (ME, LSM2, LSM3) for individual storage of data. The revision involves, for instance, installing and/or changing the selected data, a) a list of the selected destination devices is established; b) a procedure for the revision of the data on the selected destination devices is established and the procedures (L2; C2) are stored as a revision recipe; c) there is created a data package which at least contains the data to be revised and its revision recipe; d) the data package is distributed internally in the data communication system to the selected destination devices; e) the selected destination devices interpret the information in the data package with the aid of a special interpretation program installed in each destination device and initiating procedures on the basis thereof.
