Patent ID: 8261255

Claim:
A method of maintaining software on a computer system, comprising the steps of: bringing up first and second host sessions on a computer system; starting in said first host session, a software recording application having data on existing first maintenance items that have been previously applied to said computer system; starting in said second host session, a database application having a database of second maintenance items that are known as being able to be installed on the computer system, and prerequisite items and corequisite items corresponding to each of said known second maintenance items; activating a maintenance application on said computer system; entering a first list of new third maintenance items in said maintenance application; searching said database of known second maintenance items for records matching each of said new third maintenance items to find records that have said prerequisite items and corequisite items and adding said corresponding prerequisite items and corequisite items to said first list; thereafter determining from said software recording application which items on said first list have already been received, and adding those items not received to an order list; and thereafter ordering, receiving, and applying said items on said order list.