Patent ID: 8543998
Filing Date: 2013-09-24
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for building a virtual appliance using a repository metadata server and a dependency resolution service, comprising: retrieving first metadata from a first origin repository, wherein the first metadata includes metadata describing the first origin repository and further includes metadata describing first software packages in the first origin repository; retrieving second metadata from a second origin repository, wherein the second metadata includes metadata describing the second origin repository and further includes metadata describing second software packages in the second origin repository; downloading the first software packages and the second software packages to one or more cached repositories, wherein the repository metadata server is configured to enable a user to select software packages from the first software packages and the second software packages for a virtual appliance; building a first resolution graph from the metadata describing the first software packages, wherein the first resolution graph specifies dependencies between the first software packages in the first origin repository; building a second resolution graph from the metadata describing the second software packages in the second origin repository, wherein the second resolution graph specifies dependencies between the second software packages; combining the first resolution graph and the second resolution graph to obtain pooled resolution data; receiving a selection for a first software package from the first software packages and a second software package from the second software packages; resolving dependencies between the first software package and the second software package by analyzing the pooled resolution data; and building an image for the virtual appliance comprising the first software package and the second software package based on the dependencies resolved by the dependency resolution service.