Method for the installation and configuration of software components

A method for the automatic installation and configuration of software components in a computer network which comprises a plurality of client computers and at least one network resource of installable software components, comprising the steps of:

• a) provision of a framework on the network resource which comprises a rule package for each of the installable software components of the network resource and a list of rule packages to be run, but not the software components themselves,
• wherein at least one of the rule packages comprises a routine for loading its software component from the network resource and installing it on a client computer and at least this or one of the other rule packages comprises a routine for configuring its software component installed on a client computer,
• b) transferring the entire framework to a client computer;
• and
• c) running the list of rule packages with installation routines to be run on the client computer, calling their installation routines, and again running the list of rule packages with configuration routines to be run on the client computer, calling their configuration routines,
• wherein at least step c) is triggered by a local event on the particular client computer.