Configuration change management tool

US7761530B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Microsoft Corporation · US

Inventors

• Nigel Graham Cain · Redmond, US
• Andy Hopper · Bellevue, US
• Dileep Kumar · San Jose, US
• Bahadir Baris Onalan · Bellevue, US
• Ashvin Sanghvi · Sammamish, US
• Pritam K. Sharma · Sammamish, US
• Giedrius Zizys · Sammamish, US
• Kenneth Van Hyning · Snoqualmie, US
• R. Syam Kumar · Redmond, US
• Andrea Rose Westerinen · Issaquah, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 7, 2007
• Grant date: Jul 20, 2010
• Expiry date: Dec 22, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q10/06
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A change management system for managing configurable devices such as computer systems uses a set of rules for validating change requests, linking change requests, and determining inconsistencies within various configuration states. Analysis and validation may happen at the time the change request is created with respect to the current environment, as well as analysis and validation with respect to other pending requests and proposals, and historical actual states. The maintenance of accurate and consistent state and change information may enable various automated tools to analyze and manipulate change requests, including analysis of future desired states, historical actual states, pending change requests, and current state. The change request may be processed through an approval cycle all the while being incorporated into a scheduling system that may be used to detect inconsistent, illogical or harmful configurations in potential future configurations.