Patent ID: 7966612

Claim:
A method for installing a sharable software component on a data processing system, the method including the steps of: providing a first instance of the component for use by a first application through corresponding first access information; verifying the availability on the system of a second instance of the component being shared by at least one second application, the second instance being used by the at least one second application through second access information; in response to the non-availability installing the first instance on the system; and in response to the availability, comparing a first level of the first instance with a second level of the second instance, and upgrading the second instance to the first level in response to the second level being lower than the first level, wherein the upgrading causes the second instance to refuse each new request from the at least one second application, and wherein the upgrading further causes the second instance to wait for the completion of each pending request being previously submitted by the at least one second application, and returning the second access information to the first application to cause the first application to use the second instance.