Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20060117311?dq=5,581,513
Timestamp: 2015-04-26 05:18:51
Document Index: 796512309

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 302', 'arts 303', 'art 302', 'art 303', 'art 303', 'art 302', 'art 303', 'art 303', 'art 303', 'art 303', 'art 302', 'art 302', 'art 302', 'arts 303', 'art 303', 'art 303', 'art 303']

Patent US20060117311 - Method for effecting software maintenance in a software system landscape and ... - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA method for effecting software maintenance in a software system landscape comprising a central control system and a plurality of logical systems interconnected by logical transport paths, each system having associated therewith one of a plurality of system roles is described. The method comprises: providing...http://www.google.com/patents/US20060117311?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20060117311 - Method for effecting software maintenance in a software system landscape and computer systemAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS20060117311 A1Publication typeApplicationApplication numberUS 11/262,543Publication dateJun 1, 2006Filing dateOct 27, 2005Priority dateOct 27, 2004Also published asDE602004015295D1, EP1653345A1, EP1653345B1, US7721257Publication number11262543, 262543, US 2006/0117311 A1, US 2006/117311 A1, US 20060117311 A1, US 20060117311A1, US 2006117311 A1, US 2006117311A1, US-A1-20060117311, US-A1-2006117311, US2006/0117311A1, US2006/117311A1, US20060117311 A1, US20060117311A1, US2006117311 A1, US2006117311A1InventorsMichael Demuth, Volker Schulz, Herbert StegmullerOriginal AssigneeMichael Demuth, Volker Schulz, Herbert StegmullerExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManReferenced by (6), Classifications (5), Legal Events (3) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetMethod for effecting software maintenance in a software system landscape and computer system
The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 illustrates an SAP R/3 Release 4.5 system landscape 300 with separate logical systems 301 that are here divided into a global part 302, e.g. at a main development and production facility, and local parts 303 a, 303 b, 303 c, e.g. at other production facilities. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The global part 302 comprises at least a development system 301 a for customizing and development work, a quality assurance system 301 b for testing functionality using representative test data, and a productive system 301 c for actual productive use. The local part 303 a comprises a development system 301 d for customizing and development work of local adaptations to SAP, e.g. to meet different legal requirements if part 303 a is located in a different country than the global part 302. The local part 303 a further comprises a quality assurance system 301 e for testing functionality using representative test data, a training system 301 f for training new users, and a productive system 301 g for actual productive use. The local part 303 b comprises a development system 301 h, a quality assurance system 301 j and a productive system 301 k, but no training system. The local part 303 c is a two system landscape comprising a development system 301 l and a productive system 301 m only. The system landscape may be different according to the actual requirements. Fewer or more, different or differently connected or grouped systems 301 may be defined as needed. The logical systems 301 are identical in large parts and function autonomously. The quality assurance system 301 j for example resembles the productive system 301 k in that it provides all the functionality, its present data and additionally special test data. New customization settings or adaptations may thus be thoroughly tested in the quality assurance system 301 j without jeopardizing the productive system 301 k. Each system 301 comprises an import buffer 304 for buffering incoming software services and means 305 for communication with a central system 307. A transport management system connects the logical systems 301 and serves to route software services across the system landscape via logical directional transport paths 306. A service may for example relate to customization of a system 301, e.g. a selection of predefined functionality in the system 301, or an adaptation of a system 301, e.g. an addition of or amendment to functionality, or to program and data updates or the like. Transport tracks are provided that each define one or more particular routes for software services along the transport paths through the system landscape. A transport track may for example define the route from system 301 a through systems 301 b, 301 h, 301 j to system 301 k. Another transport track may define the route from system 301 d through systems 301 e, 301 f to system 301 g. Transport tracks with branches may also be provided, e.g. from system 301 a to system 301 b and then in a first branch to system 301 c and in a second branch to systems 301 l, 301 m. There may be more than one transport track per system landscape, each transport track being assigned to a project context like a development project for the local part 303 a only or a documentation project for the global part 302 only etc. The systems 301 of each part 302, 303 a, 303 b, 303 c and the central system 307 may be located and simultaneously executed in a single computer, but are distributed across separate hardware. Preferably, the global part 302 and the local parts 303 a, 303 b, 303 c each run on physically separate computer systems, which themselves may comprise different computers. An example implementation of the local part 303 a may comprise, cf. FIG. 4, a data base layer 401 for storing and retrieving business data like a factory inventory, employee data, sales figures etc. The data base layer 401 comprises one or more data base servers 402 and four data bases 403, one for each of the systems 301 d, 301 e, 301 f and 301 g. Connected to the data base layer 401 by a suitable network 404, e.g. a LAN, is an application layer 405 for execution of the software of the systems 301 d, 301 e, 301 f and 301 g. The application layer 405 comprises one or more application servers 406. Finally, connected to the application layer 405 by a suitable network 407, e.g. a LAN, is a presentation layer 408 for the graphical user interface (GUI). The presentation layer 408 may comprise dumb terminals 409, Personal Computers 410 and/or wireless access devices 411 like PDAs. Each system 301 has associated therewith a system role which defines the respective system's function within the landscape. The system 301 a, 301 b and 301 c for example, have the roles �development system in the global part�, �quality assurance system in the global part� and �productive system in the global part�, respectively. The systems 301 l and 301 m have the roles �development system in the local part 303 c� and �productive system in the local part 303 c�, respectively. The other systems 301 have corresponding roles. In SAP, the system roles are typically defined in the Solution Manager for Implementation. According to an example embodiment of the invention, system role types are provided. System role types may comprise the following: D Source systems: Transport requests comprising a software service are generated in a system of this type, usually a development system. O Follow-on system: A transport request is imported into a system of this type and forwarded to at least one other system. P Target system: A transport request is imported into a system of this type but not forwarded. Target systems are typically productive systems. R Postprocessing system: If the landscape comprises both a development and a maintenance system, any maintenance request must be fed back to the development system. This is not usually possible with a transport request because the objects in the maintenance system have a different status than the objects in the development system. A special manual procedure is required instead. In the embodiment of FIG. 3 the development systems 301 a, 301 h, 301 d and 301 l are of system role type D, the productive systems 301 c, 301 k, 301 g and 301 m are of system role type P and the systems 301 b, 301 j, 301 e and 301 f between the development systems and the productive systems are of the system role type O. Other and/or additional system types may be provided. Tasks are assigned to system role types. The tasks may be marked as compulsory and may comprise the following: for type D:�generate transport request with a software service effect the software service release transport request for forwarding for type O:�import transport request notify quality management and await release for type P:�import transport request notify quality management and await release generate new maintenance instance lock present maintenance instance release new maintenance instance for type R:�inform operator In the example of FIG. 5 a list 500 contains for the system role type D a task 501 to logon to a remote system, a task 502 to create a transport request for a software service, a task 503 to execute the software service in the remote system, and a task 504 to release the transport request to the system landscape. For the system role type O the list 500 comprises a task 505 to logon to a remote system, a task 506 import a software service and a task 507 to notify the users of the system about the import. For the system role type P the list 500 comprises a task 508 to logon to a remote system, a task 509 to halt a part of the system, a task 510 to import a software service and a task 511 to resume the halted part of the system. Other and/or additional tasks as well as attributes like �compulsory� may be provided. For example, a task to collectively import software services, a task to check certain system properties, a task to check the status of a different system and, if the status indicates a first state, importing a software service, and if the status indicates a second state, not importing a software service but scheduling a new check at a different point in time, a task to check the interdependencies of software services in the buffer and to reorder them to avoid the problem illustrated by FIG. 2, etc. Based on the transport tracks, the system role types and the list 500, a maintenance instance is automatically generated in the central system 307. The maintenance instance contains all tasks that are required for the periodic maintenance of the landscape. The tasks of a maintenance instance may be displayed, executed, managed, analyzed and documented from the central system 307 by suitable software, e.g. SAP's Schedule Manager. For that purpose, the tasks may provide spool lists, statuses, application logs, job logs etc. to the central system 307 or generate that information in the central system 307. The maintenance instance has a hierarchical structure. The top level contains one entry per transport track. The next level contains one entry per system role type, even in case that no system of corresponding type is defined. The next level contains one entry per system role, only if this role is used by a system. The lowest level contains the tasks for each system. An example maintenance instance 600 is illustrated in FIG. 6 and has here a structure that is hierarchically grouped according to transport track 601, system role types 602, system roles 603, systems 604 and finally tasks 605. The tasks are associated to particular systems. The grouping allows blocking and unblocking groups of tasks. Preferably, the maintenance instance may be locked so that no further task may be performed in the locked maintenance system. According to the method of an example embodiment of the invention, system roles and system role types are provided, the systems of the system landscape are associated to the system roles and a list of tasks is associated to system role types. At least one transport track is provided that defines a route for transport requests through a group of systems in a particular order and specifies one source system in which software services are permitted, adjacent interconnected systems, and at least one end or target system. A maintenance instance is generated from the system role types, the list and the transport tracks, the maintenance instance defining tasks for effecting a software service in a maintenance interval. This involves analyzing the transport tracks to identify the affected systems, analyzing the systems to identify their system roles, analyzing the system roles to identify their type, and compiling tasks for the affected systems according to the list. The tasks of the maintenance instance are then performed and may require authorization by the operator. The operator does not need to consider the system landscape and the transport tracks and other information to compile the tasks, but merely has to authorize steps of the maintenance instance. tasks of one level may only be executed once the tasks of the superior levels are released. At the end of the maintenance instance, when all tasks have been performed, e.g. all systems of the transport track have been serviced, the maintenance instance is locked and a new maintenance instance is generated and released for execution at the next maintenance interval. Although the foregoing has been a description of an example embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of this disclosure that numerous variations and modifications may be made in the invention. For example, instead of using SAP R/3 Release 4.5, other SAP and non-SAP systems may benefit from the invention. Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7725891Oct 27, 2005May 25, 2010Sap AgMethod for effecting changes in a software system landscape and computer systemUS7826914Jun 27, 2008Nov 2, 2010International Business Machines CorporationSystem and method for tracking transports in a production processUS7853651Oct 27, 2005Dec 14, 2010Sap AgMethod for tracking transport requests and computer system with trackable transport requestsUS7877730 *Oct 27, 2005Jan 25, 2011Sap AgMethod for effecting a preliminary software service in a productive system of a software system landscape and computer systemUS7926056Oct 27, 2005Apr 12, 2011Sap AgMethod for effecting a software service in a system of a software system landscape and computer systemUS8839185Oct 27, 2005Sep 16, 2014Sap AgMethod for generating a transport track through a software system landscape and computer system with a software system landscape and a transport track* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification717/168, 717/120International ClassificationG06F9/44Cooperative ClassificationG06F8/70European ClassificationG06F8/70Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionAug 26, 2014ASAssignmentFree format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:SAP AG;REEL/FRAME:033625/0334Owner name: SAP SE, GERMANYEffective date: 20140707Oct 24, 2013FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Jan 30, 2006ASAssignmentOwner name: SAP AG, GERMANYFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:DEMUTH, MICHAEL;SCHULZ, VOLKER;STEGMULLER, HERBERT;REEL/FRAME:017219/0044;SIGNING DATES FROM 20051208 TO 20051212Owner name: SAP AG,GERMANYFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:DEMUTH, MICHAEL;SCHULZ, VOLKER;STEGMULLER, HERBERT;SIGNED BETWEEN 20051208 AND 20051212;US-ASSIGNMENT DATABASE UPDATED:20100518;REEL/FRAME:17219/44Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:DEMUTH, MICHAEL;SCHULZ, VOLKER;STEGMULLER, HERBERT;SIGNING DATES FROM 20051208 TO 20051212;REEL/FRAME:017219/0044RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services