Patent ID: 8612966

Claim:
A method comprising: determining, by a server, a software distribution, the software distribution comprising: files of an executable software program, a set of templates for executing post-installation tasks associated with a software application, the post-installation tasks comprising: starting and stopping of services; editing configuration files; providing dialogs for input from a user; establishing of user accounts and passwords; and configuring access to a network, a post-installation configuration (PIC) data file to customize the software application for operation with the files of the executable software program using the set of templates, the PIC file to provide data requirements of the software application to make the application ready for use after installation, and a post-installation configuration (PIC) tool comprising a file executable on a client to: detect the PIC file and launches execution to begin post-install configuration of the application, parse information from the PIC file and prompt the user for configuration information needed for the software application, and perform the post-installation tasks using the templates, determining a set of inter-dependencies between the software application and the software distribution; retrieving the set of templates for post-installation configuration of the software application based on the set of inter-dependencies; generating the PIC file; packaging the software application into an offering that comprises the PIC file, the PIC tool, the set of templates, and the files of the executable software program; and distributing the offering to the client over the network.