# US 2014/0157056 A1 · Identifying software responsible for a change in system stability > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0157056 A1 - Document ID: US20140157056A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/691,026 - Filed: 2012-11-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Albert D. Bennah; Adrian X. Rodriguez; Eric Woods - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140157056A1 ## CPC - G06F 11/3604: Analysis of software for verifying properties of programs (testing of software G06F11/3668) - G06F 8/00: Arrangements for software engineering (testing or debugging G06F11/36; administrative, planning or organisation aspects of software project management G06Q10/06) - G06F 11/0712: {in a virtual computing platform, e.g. logically partitioned systems} - G06F 11/079: {Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis (in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36)} - G06F 11/3051: {Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs (verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247)} - G06F 11/34: Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation {; Recording or statistical evaluation of user activity, e.g. usability assessment} - G06F 8/60: Software deployment - G06F 11/3003: {Monitoring arrangements specially adapted to the computing system or computing system component being monitored} - G06F 2201/815: Virtual - G06F 2201/86: Event-based monitoring - G06F 2201/865: Monitoring of software - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A computer program product including computer usable program code embodied on a tangible computer usable storage medium, includes: computer usable program code for detecting a stability change in a first computer system; computer usable program code for comparing a first set of software applications installed on the first computer system to each set of software applications installed on a plurality of other computer systems in communication with a management module; computer usable program code for identifying a second computer system from among the plurality of other computer systems, wherein the set of software applications installed on the second computer system includes all of the first set of software applications except for a given software application; and computer usable program code for identifying the given software application as the cause of the stability change in the first computer system. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-25. (canceled) ### Claim 26 A computer program product including computer usable program code embodied on a tangible computer usable storage medium, the computer program product comprising: computer usable program code for detecting a stability change in a first computer system; computer usable program code for comparing a first set of software applications installed on the first computer system to each set of software applications installed on a plurality of other computer systems in communication with a management module; computer usable program code for identifying a second computer system from among the plurality of other computer systems, wherein the set of software applications installed on the second computer system includes all of the first set of software applications except for a given software application; and computer usable program code for identifying the given software application as the cause of the stability change in the first computer system. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the first computer system and the plurality of other computer systems are virtual machines that share a common configuration profile. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The computer-implemented method of claim 26, wherein the first computer system and the plurality of other computer systems are physical machines that share a common configuration profile. ### Claim 29 (depends on 27) The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising: computer usable program code for removing the identified software application from the first computer system. ### Claim 30 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the first computer system and the plurality of other computer systems are managed by the same management module. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The computer program product of claim 30, further comprising: the management module communicating with at least one other management module to share data identifying a set of software applications installed on each computer system, wherein each of the at least one other management module manages a plurality of computer systems. ### Claim 32 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the first computer system and the plurality of other computer systems are virtual machines. ### Claim 33 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the first computer system and the plurality of other computer systems are virtual machines cloned from the same virtual machine template. ### Claim 34 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the first computer system and the plurality of other computer systems are virtual machines that share a common configuration profile. ### Claim 35 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the first computer system and the plurality of other computer systems are physical machines that share a common configuration profile. ### Claim 36 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the identified software application is an update to a driver or firmware. ### Claim 37 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the identified software application is an updated version of a previously installed software application. ### Claim 38 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the identified software application includes a driver for a hard disk drive, a network interface, or an input/output port. ### Claim 39 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the stability change is an increase in an amount of instability. ### Claim 40 (depends on 39) The computer program product of claim 39, further comprising: installing an updated version of the identified software application to the first computer system, wherein the first computer system and the plurality of other computer systems are virtual machines. ### Claim 41 (depends on 39) The computer program product of claim 39, further comprising: removing the identified software application from the first computer system. ### Claim 42 (depends on 41) The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the first computer system and the plurality of other computer systems are virtual machines. ### Claim 43 (depends on 41) The computer program product of claim 41, further comprising: removing the identified software application from at least one of the plurality of other computer systems. ### Claim 44 (depends on 26) The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the stability change is an increase in an amount of stability. ### Claim 45 (depends on 44) The computer program product of claim 44, further comprising: installing the identified software application to at least one of the plurality of other computer systems.