Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/EP1653350B1/en
Timestamp: 2018-08-18 19:03:50
Document Index: 645791848

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

EP1653350B1 - Method and computer system for effecting a preliminary software service in a productive system of a software system landscape - Google Patents
Method and computer system for effecting a preliminary software service in a productive system of a software system landscape Download PDF
EP1653350B1
EP1653350B1 EP20040025507 EP04025507A EP1653350B1 EP 1653350 B1 EP1653350 B1 EP 1653350B1 EP 20040025507 EP20040025507 EP 20040025507 EP 04025507 A EP04025507 A EP 04025507A EP 1653350 B1 EP1653350 B1 EP 1653350B1
EP20040025507
EP1653350A1 (en )
Herbert Stegmüller
This invention relates generally to servicing of a software system landscape, and more particularly to a method for effecting a preliminary software service in a productive system of a software system landscape and to a computer system.
Known from US 5 859 977 A is a computer system which is so configured as to be divided into a control system and an information system. The control system and the information system are connected via a transmission path. A centralized management of development and maintenance is performed from a software maintenance system. Three kinds of management method are described, i.e. (a) a bulletin board method, (b) broadcast method, (c) download method. The three specified methods relate to software updates and how they are performed. No differentiation with regard to the kind of the software update is made. In case one particular management method for updating the software is chosen, every software irrespective of the kind of software is managed in the same way.
Known from US 6 513 132 B1 is a software automatic distribution system for distributing software to at least any one of machines arranged hierarchically at several levels.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method that allows a preliminary software service to be effected in an automated and centralized way.
A further object of the invention is to provide a computer system that allows a preliminary software service to be effected in an automated and centralized way.
In one aspect of the invention, a method is provided according to claim 1.
In a further aspect of the invention, a computer system is provided according to claim 6.
In a still further aspect of the invention, a computer program product is provided according to claim 10.
The invention thus provides for an automated generation of a hot fix instance with all tasks that are required for effecting a preliminary software service. The complexity is considerably reduced as the operator merely needs to approve automatically generated tasks.
The local part 303a comprises a development system 301d for customizing and development work of local adaptations to SAP, e.g. to meet different legal requirements if part 303a is located in a different country than the global part 302. The local part 303a further comprises a quality assurance system 301 e for testing functionality using representative test data, a training system 301f for training new users, and a productive system 301g for actual productive use.
The local part 303b comprises a development system 301 h, a quality assurance system 301j and a productive system 301k, but no training system. The local part 303c is a two system landscape comprising a development system 301l and a productive system 301 m only.
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 301j 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, i.e. a selection of predefined functionality in the system 301, or an adaptation of a system 301, i.e. an addition of or amendment to functionality, or to program and data updates or hot fixes or patches 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, 301f 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 301l 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 303a only or a documentation project for the global part 302 only etc.
The systems 301 of each part 302, 303a, 303b, 303c and the central system 307 may be located and simultaneously executed in a single computer, but are preferably distributed across separate hardware. Preferably, the global part 302 and the local parts 303a, 303b, 303c each run on physically separate computer systems, which themselves may comprise different computers.
A preferred implementation of the local part 303a 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 301d, 301e, 301f and 301g. The application layer 405 comprises one or more application servers 406.
In the embodiment of Fig. 3 the development systems 301 a, 301 h, 301 d and 301l are of system role type D, the productive systems 301 c, 301k, 301g and 301m are of system role type P and the systems 301 b, 301 j, 301 e and 301f between the development systems and the productive systems are of the system role type O. Other and/or additional system types may be provided.
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 preliminary software service, and a task 503 to release the transport request to the system landscape for forwarding to at least one productive system. For the system role type O the list 500 comprises a task 504 to logon to a remote system and a task 505 to forward transport request without importing it. For the system role type P the list 500 comprises a task 506 to logon to a productive system, a task 507 to confirm that the particular productive system is the destination for the preliminary software service, a task 508 to effect the preliminary software service and a task 509 to amend a next regular maintenance service to include the imported preliminary software service. Other and/or additional tasks as well as attributes like "compulsory" may be provided. For example, a task to first import software services that are already queued in the import buffer but would only be imported during the next regular service, a task to check certain system properties, a task to check the interdependencies of software services in the buffer and to reorder them to avoid mutual overwriting, etc.
Based on the destination(s) of the preliminary software service, the transport tracks, the system role types and the list 500, a hot fix instance is automatically generated preferably in the central system 307. The hot fix instance contains all tasks that are required to effect the preliminary software service in the destination productive system(s). The tasks of a hot fix 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 hot fix instance preferably has a hierarchical structure. The top level contains one entry per transport track. The next level contains one entry per system role type, preferably even in case that no system of corresponding type is defined. The next level contains one entry per system role, preferably only if this role is used by a system. The lowest level contains the tasks for each system.
An exemplary hot fix 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 to block and unblock groups of tasks.
According to the method 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 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 hot fix instance is generated from the system role types, the list and the transport tracks, and defines tasks for effecting a preliminary software service outside a regular service. This involves analyzing the transport tracks to identify the systems that need to be passed, analyzing them 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 hot fix 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 hot fix instance. Preferably tasks of one level may only be executed once the tasks of the superior levels are released.
A method for effecting a software service in at least one productive system (301c, 301k, 301g, 301m) of a plurality of logical systems (301) of a software system landscape (300), wherein the logical systems (301) are interconnected by logical transport paths (306) and each logical system (301) has associated therewith one of a plurality of system roles, the method comprising the steps of:
providing system role types, each system role being associated to one of the system role types;
providing a transport track that defines a route for software services;
the route being subsequently through logical systems (301) and specifying one source system in which software services are permitted, adjacent interconnected systems, and at least one target system;
providing software services between systems (301) of the landscape (300) by forwarding the software service into an input buffer of a system (301), importing the software service into the system (301), forwarding the software service into the import buffer of the next system (301);
providing a preliminary software service which needs to be implemented quickly for fixing a malfunctioning system (301) relating to at least one of the code and the data of at least one productive system (301 c, 301 k, 301 g, 301 m);
generating automatically a hot fix instance (600) from the preliminary software service, the system role types, the association and the transport tracks; wherein the hot fix instance (600) defining all tasks for routing the preliminary software service to at least one productive system (301 c, 301k, 301 g, 301 m) and for executing the preliminary software service therein.
The method of claim 1, wherein the hot fix instance (600) is generated with hierarchy levels which include a transport track level (601), a system role type level (602) below the transport track level (601), a system role level (603) below the system role type level (602), a system level (604) below the system role level (603) and a task level (605) below the system level (604).
The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein as a system role type one of the group of source system, follow-on system or target system is used.
The method of one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein a task (509) to amend the next regular software service to include the preliminary software service is used.
The method of one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the tasks in the respective system (301) are executed from a central system (307).
a plurality of logical systems (301) comprising at least one productive system (301 c, 301 k, 301 g, 301 m), each logical system (301) having associated therewith one of a plurality of system roles;
logical transport paths (306) that interconnect the logical systems (301) to form a software system landscape (300);
system role types, each system role being of a system role type; and
a transport track that defines a route for software services;
software services between systems (301) of the landscape (300) being adapted to forward the software service into the system (301), import the software service into the system (301), forward the software service into the import buffer of the next system (301):
a preliminary software service which needs to be implemented quickly for fixing a malfunctioning system (301) relating to at least one of the code and the data of at least one productive system (301 c, 301 k, 301 g, 301 m); and
a hot fix instance (600) automatically generated from the preliminary software service, the system role types, the association and the transport tracks; wherein the hot fix instance (600) defining all tasks for routing the preliminary software service to at least one productive system (301 c, 301k. 301 g, 301 m) and for executing it therein.
The system of claim 6, wherein the hot fix instance (600) comprises hierarchy levels which include a transport track level (601), a system role type level (602) below the transport track level (601), a system role level (603) below the system role type level (602), a system level (604) below the system role level (603) and a task level (605) below the system level (604).
The system of claims 6 or 7, wherein the system role types comprise one of the group of source system, follow-on system or target system.
The system of one of the claims 6 to 8, wherein the tasks in the respective system (301) are executable from a central system (307).
A computer program product comprising on a storage medium a computer code that upon execution on a computer system performs the method according to one of the claims 1 to 5.
EP20040025507 2004-10-27 2004-10-27 Method and computer system for effecting a preliminary software service in a productive system of a software system landscape Active EP1653350B1 (en)
EP20040025507 EP1653350B1 (en) 2004-10-27 2004-10-27 Method and computer system for effecting a preliminary software service in a productive system of a software system landscape
DE200460017012 DE602004017012D1 (en) 2004-10-27 2004-10-27 Computer system and method for effecting a preliminary software service in a productive system of a software system landscape
US11262043 US7877730B2 (en) 2004-10-27 2005-10-27 Method for effecting a preliminary software service in a productive system of a software system landscape and computer system
EP1653350A1 true EP1653350A1 (en) 2006-05-03
EP1653350B1 true EP1653350B1 (en) 2008-10-08
ID=34927130
EP20040025507 Active EP1653350B1 (en) 2004-10-27 2004-10-27 Method and computer system for effecting a preliminary software service in a productive system of a software system landscape
US (1) US7877730B2 (en)
EP (1) EP1653350B1 (en)
DE (1) DE602004017012D1 (en)
DE602004017012D1 (en) 2008-11-20 grant
US7877730B2 (en) 2011-01-25 grant
EP1653350A1 (en) 2006-05-03 application
US20060123407A1 (en) 2006-06-08 application
Ref document number: 602004017012