Method and apparatus for a system management tool to adapt command interface and behavior based on installed features

Abstract

A system management tool framework for a system management tool for extending system management commands related to software installation units such as software component, feature or product. The tool is constructed in accordance with an interface and framework that allows polymorphism and dynamic binding at run-time. When the system management software tool is constructed in accordance to the framework of the present invention, the software tool can be made scalable, flexible and adaptable to a heterogeneous distributed system.

1 . A method of implementing, in a computer having memory, a system management application tool, said method comprising the steps of: 
 defining a common interface for an application framework;    implementing a plurality of system management commands;    encapsulating each of said plurality of system management commands with said common interface, said system management commands cooperating with said interface;    invoking said system management commands through said common interface of said application framework system of said management tool.    
   
   
       2 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 providing a plurality of computers in a distributed system to form a network;    networking said plurality of computers together, said network having at least one client and a server;    wherein each of said computers is associated with said common interface;    said system management command having a client-portion residing on said client and a server-portion residing on said server;    invoking said system management command by generating said client-portion dynamically, by allowing communication between said client-portion of said system management command and said server-portion of said system management command at run-time, by nature of said client-portion and server-portions being part of the same said framework.    
   
   
       3 . The method as set forth in  claim 2 , further comprising the steps of: 
 implementing a command extension command to said system management command comprising a user-defined command;    providing a detailed description of said user-defined commands, said detailed description in the way of help files programmably associated with said user-defined commands.    
   
   
       4 . The method as set forth in  claim 3 , further comprising the steps of: 
 providing said help files with national language supported help, in the form of translatable help messages.    
   
   
       5 . The method as set forth in  claim 2 , further comprising the steps of: 
 implementing a conditional extension command to said system management command, said conditional extension command comprising a command to control predetermined software in said network so said predetermined software is conditionally activated by said conditional extension command.    
   
   
       6 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 constructing an system management command object to associate with said system management command;    binding said system management command object to computer memory dynamically, at run-time.    
   
   
       7 . The method as set forth in  claim 6 , further comprising the steps of: 
 constructing said application framework in the Java language.    
   
   
       8 . The method as set forth in  claim 6 , further comprising the steps of: 
 providing a plurality of computers in a distributed system to form a network;    networking said plurality of computers together, wherein each of said computers is associated with said common interface.    
   
   
       9 . The method as set forth in  claim 8 , further comprising the steps of: 
 implementing a user-defined command extension to said system management command comprising a command defined by a user to an existing set of system management commands;    wherein said command extension and said system management command are in a program neutral language format comprising XML format.    
   
   
       10 . The method as set forth in  claim 8 , further comprising the steps of: 
 implementing a conditional extension command to said system management command, said conditional extension command comprising a command to control predetermined software in said network so said predetermined software is conditionally activated by said conditional extension command;    wherein said conditional extension and said system management command are in a program neutral language format.    
   
   
       11 . A computer readable storage medium storing software data in the form of computer code, comprising: 
 a common interface software module for an application framework;    a system management command software module for providing task commands to software that influence software runtime behavior and configuration properties;    said common interface software module and said system management command software module cooperating with one another and written in a Object Oriented Programming (OOP) language; and,    said common interface software module written in a programming neutral format.    
   
   
       12 . The invention according to  claim 11 , wherein: 
 said common interface software module neutral format is XML format;    said OOP language is Java.    
   
   
       13 . The invention according to  claim 12 , wherein: 
 said system management command software module has a client portion stub module and a server portion stub module, said client and server portions stubs constructed to be bound and associated with one another dynamically at run-time.    
   
   
       14 . An apparatus for constructing a system management tool, for implementation in a computer, comprising: 
 an application development program framework for operation in a computer;    said application development program framework comprising a common interface object for said application framework; and,    a system management command object operatively connected with said common interface object of said framework.    
   
   
       15 . The apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein: 
 said framework constructs said objects in an object oriented programming language, said framework constructs said objects as binary executable code, and said objects are constructed to allow dynamic binding of the binary executable code at run-time.    
   
   
       16 . The apparatus according to  claim 15  wherein: 
 said system management command object has a base class and at least one inherited class derived from the base class.    
   
   
       17 . The apparatus according to  claim 16  wherein: 
 said system management command inherited class is a class for a conditional extension command to allow software to be conditionally activated through said command.    
   
   
       18 . The apparatus according to  claim 16  wherein: 
 said system management command inherited class is a class for a user-defined command extension, said command extension programmably associated with help files, said help files including national language support.    
   
   
       19 . The apparatus according to  claim 16  wherein: 
 said framework object oriented programming language is Java;    said common interface is written in a programming neutral format, and said system management command object is written in language comprising the XML format.    
   
   
       20 . A system for implementing a system management tool in a distributed system, comprising: 
 a plurality of computers in a distributed system forming a network;    a common interface software module for an application framework forming a common interface for said application framework, each of said computers associated with said common interface;    a plurality of system management command software modules for implementing system management commands, said plurality of system management software modules reside in said computers in said network;    wherein said system management command software modules communicate with said common interface software module of said application framework and are encapsulated by said common interface software module of said application framework.    
   
   
       21 . The invention according to  claim 20  further comprising: 
 said network comprises at least one client and a server;    said system management command modules are comprised of system management command objects;    said system management command module has a client-side object residing on at least one client and a server-side object residing on said server;    said objects are constructed to allow dynamic binding of the client object when said client-side object is instantiated at run-time.    
   
   
       22 . The invention according to  claim 21 , wherein: 
 said system management command is written in an Object Oriented Programming language;    said system management command object has a base class and at least one inherited class derived from the base class;    
   
   
       23 . The invention according to  claim 22  wherein: 
 said system management command inherited class is a class for a conditional extension command to allow software to be conditionally activated through said command.    
   
   
       24 . The invention according to  claim 22  wherein: 
 said system management command inherited class is a class for a user-defined command extension, said command extension programmably associated with help files, said help files including national language support.    
   
   
       25 . The invention according to  claim 24  wherein: 
 said framework object oriented programming language is Java;    said common interface is written in a programming neutral format, and said system management command object is written in language comprising the XML format.    
   
   
       26 . The invention according to  claim 22  further comprising: 
 a compiler for said framework;    said system management command objects having a command request message corresponding to a command request query and a command extension corresponding to the query;    said compiler routing said command request message to the command extension dynamically.    
   
   
       27 . The invention according to  claim 26  further comprising: 
 said system management command inherited class is a class for software to be conditionally activated through said command.    
   
   
       28 . The invention according to  claim 26  wherein: 
 said system management command inherited class is a class for a user-defined command extension, said command extension programmably associated with help files, said help files including national language support.    
   
   
       29 . The invention according to  claim 26  wherein: 
 said framework object oriented programming language is Java;    said common interface is written in a programming neutral format, and said system management command object is written in language comprising the XML format.