Managing version information for software components

A computer-readable medium not consisting of a signal, the computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to perform a method of managing information for software components of an integrated software program, the method comprising:

• maintaining, on the computer, a version repository containing version information for all of the software components of the integrated software program that are on the computer;
• maintaining, in the version repository separately from the version information, baseline information for a set of baselines for the integrated software program, wherein the baseline information is received from a manufacturer of the integrated software program and each baseline in the set of baselines represents a minimum set of software components for the integrated software program and a minimum version number for each software component of the minimum set required by the manufacturer of the integrated software program to comply with each baseline;
• modifying the version information in the repository in connection with updating at least one of the software components of the integrated software program that is on the computer;
• accessing, from the version repository, the version information for the software components of the integrated software program that are on the computer following the updating of the integrated software program;
• determining, based on the baseline information in the version repository, whether each software component of the integrated software program has a version number greater than or equal to a minimum version number of a corresponding software component of a minimum set of software components represented by a most recent baseline in the set of baselines;
• and
• reporting, to a consumer process, a baseline of the integrated software program on the computer as a particular baseline in the set of baselines that is earlier than the most recent baseline when all of the software components of the integrated software program that are on the computer do not have a version number that is greater than or equal to the minimum version number of a corresponding software component of the minimum set of software components represented by the most recent baseline in the set of baselines.

A computer comprising:

• a processor for executing computer executable instructions;
• and
• memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer to perform a method of managing information for software components of an integrated software program running on the computer, the method comprising:
• maintaining, on the computer, a version repository containing version information for all of the software components of the integrated software program that are on the computer;
• maintaining, in the version repository separately from the version information, baseline information for a set of baselines for the integrated software program, wherein the baseline information is received from a manufacturer of the integrated software program and each baseline in the set of baselines represents a minimum set of software components for the integrated software program and a minimum version number for each software component of the minimum set required by the manufacturer of the integrated software program to comply with each baseline;
• modifying the version information in the repository in connection with updating at least one of the software components of the integrated software program that is on the computer;
• accessing, from the version repository, the version information for the software components of the integrated software program that are on the computer following the updating of the integrated software program;
• determining, based on the baseline information in the version repository, whether each software component of the integrated software program has a version number greater than or equal to a minimum version number of a corresponding software component of a minimum set of software components represented by a most recent baseline in the set of baselines;
• and
• reporting, to a consumer process, a baseline of the integrated software program on the computer as a particular baseline in the set of baselines that is earlier than the most recent baseline when all of the software components of the integrated software program that are on the computer do not have a version number that is greater than or equal to the minimum version number of a corresponding software component of the minimum set of software components represented by the most recent baseline in the set of baselines.