Patent ID: 8719815

Claim:
A method for distributing a computer software package using a pre-requisite query comprising: associating a first pre-requisite query with a package, wherein the first pre-requisite query defines necessary configuration attributes that a node must possess to install the package; associating a second pre-requisite query with each of one or more dependent packages, wherein a dependent package is required to be deployed with the package; wherein said pre-requisite query contains attributes that a machine needs in order to have the package and dependent packages installed on the system; obtaining, by a management application, attribute information from one or more managed nodes across a computer network by communicating with a management agent on each of the one or more managed nodes; storing the attribute information on an administrative system, wherein the administrative system includes the management application; scheduling the package to be deployed at a scheduled time; storing schedule information on the administrative system; evaluating at the scheduled time the first pre-requisite query associated with the package and the second pre-requisite queries associated with each of the one or more dependent packages with the stored attribute information of the one or more managed nodes; storing, on the administrative system, all pre-requisite query results for the one or more managed nodes for the first pre-requisite query and each second pre-requisite query associated with the one or more dependent packages; determining, at the scheduled time and on the administrative system, one or more approved managed nodes based on the stored pre-requisite query results, wherein the one or more approved managed nodes has attribute information matching the necessary configuration attributes for the package and the one or more dependent packages, and wherein the attribute information is obtained before the scheduled time; and sending, at the scheduled time, the package and the one or more dependent packages to the one or more approved managed nodes.