Patent ID: 7757213

Claim:
A computer system for managing application sets, comprising: a processor; computer-readable storage medium; a first application set and a second application set stored on the computer readable medium, the first application set and the second application set including a plurality of interrelated components, the plurality of interrelated components being arranged within the first application set and the second application set in both an hierarchical manner and in a non-hierarchical manner such that each of the components of the first application set cooperates with at least one other component of the first application set such that the first application set functions as a single integrated unit and includes at least one stand-alone executable application and each of the components of the second application set cooperates with at least one other component of the second application set such that the second application set functions as a single integrated unit and includes at least one stand-alone executable application; a first wrapper for the first application set that designates the components that are a member of the first application set, wherein the first wrapper defines and preserves a first architecture of the computer system that includes the first application set when changes are made the first application set, maps the components of the first application set to specific hardware of the computer system, and imposes a logical grouping on the arrangement of the components of the first application set; a second wrapper for the second application set that designates the components that are members of the second application set, wherein the second wrapper is different from the first wrapper and wherein the second wrapper defines and preserves a second architecture of the computer system that includes the second application set when changes are made to the second application set, maps the components of the second application set to specific hardware of the computer system, and imposes a logical grouping on the arrangement of the components of the second application set; and a control module that uses an interface to the first and second application sets and manage the individual components of the first and second application sets.