Configuration management apparatus and related methods

An apparatus for performing configuration management relative to an aircraft, the apparatus comprising:

• a portable computer having a processor and memory, the computer connectible with the aircraft to transmit data to and retrieve data from a plurality of modules included in a plurality of components of the aircraft, the data pertaining to a plurality of maintenance and/or engineering functions performable as to the one or more components of the aircraft;
• a configuration file configured in the computer to receive data transmitted from the one or more aircraft components to populate a plurality of parameters in the configuration file associated with the data;
• a translation file configured in the computer and providing a system call for informing a current application that data associated with a parameter is about to be fetched from the configuration file, the translation file further including one or more commands for providing data for one or more parameters determined not to be present in the configuration file;
• and
• a web server software module residing on the computer and having a construct processing module, the server and construct processing module configured to use one or more constructs to dynamically format at least some of the data from the configuration file in one or more web pages for presentation by a web browser resident in the computer to a user of the computer via a display of the computer;
• the computer configured to, when operating standalone;
• execute the system call to inform the construct processing module that data associated with a given parameter is about to be fetched from the configuration file;
• based on a status of the system call, determine whether the given parameter is present in the configuration file;
• and
• if the given parameter is determined not to be present, execute a command from the translation file to provide data for the given parameter;
• at least one of the web pages dynamically formattable using the parameter data to indicate aircraft hardware components and software subcomponents potentially affected by one of the maintenance actions.

A method of managing configuration of an aircraft, the method comprising:

• connecting a portable computer to the aircraft for communication with one or more software modules resident in one or more components of the aircraft, the computer having resident therein:
• (a) a configuration file including a plurality of parameters populatable with data from the aircraft, (b) a translation file providing a system call for informing a current application that data associated with a parameter is about to be fetched from the configuration file, the translation file further including one or more commands for providing data for one or more parameters determined not to be included in the configuration file, (c) a web browser software module, and (d) a web server software module having a construct processing module that uses constructs to update web pages for service by the web server module to the web browser module;
• operating the computer to retrieve from the one or more modules data describing (a) one or more hardware components of the aircraft and (b) software resident in the one or more hardware components, and to use the retrieved data to populate at least some of the configuration file parameters;
• and
• using the browser module, viewing the retrieved data and one or more user-selectable management functions relating to the retrieved data on a display of the computer in one or more web pages formatted and displayed by a processor of the computer, the one or more web gages formatted by the server and construct processing module using data provided by execution of one or more of the translation file commands based on a determination by the computer, after execution of the system call and based on a status of the system call, that a parameter is missing from the configuration file;
• the method performed without accessing the Internet.

A method of providing configuration management relative to an aircraft, the method performed by a portable computer having a processor and memory, the method comprising:

• the processor causing the portable computer to access one or more components of an aircraft and to retrieve data from the one or more components in response to a user request received via a web browser software module and web server software module resident in the portable computer, the server module including a construct processing module for updating web pages using one or more constructs;
• the processor using the retrieved data to populate at least some of a plurality of parameters in a configuration file of the computer, the computer further including a translation file providing one or more system calls for informing a current application that data associated with a parameter is about to be fetched from the configuration file, one of the system calls further informing the current application that data associated with a given parameter is to be calculated and stored in the configuration file before being fetched from the configuration file, the translation file further including one or more commands for providing data for one or more parameters determined not to be included in the configuration file;
• the processor executing the one of the system calls to inform the construct processing module that data associated with the given parameter is about to be calculated and fetched from the configuration file, and based on a status of the one of the system calls, determining whether the given parameter is included in the configuration file, and based on the determining, executing a command from the translation file to provide data for the given parameter;
• the processor executing the web sewer module to dynamically format at least some of the data retrieved from the one or more aircraft components into one or more web page markups for display as one or more web pages via the browser module;
• the processor receiving user input via the browser module indicating a management function to be performed on at least one of the one or more aircraft components;
• and
• the processor causing software to be downloaded from the portable computer to the at least one of the one or more components in response to the user input.