Dynamic Documentation Integration via Timestamp Synchronization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for delivering and updating software documentation on cloud platforms face scalability issues and downtime due to the need for manual modification and redeployment, which can lead to out-of-sync documentation and increased complexity with growing customer demands.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic delivery and integration process that parses deployable packages to extract and store software documentation separately, allowing for synchronized updates with application releases, using a documentation repository and timestamp-based synchronization to ensure timely updates without versioning errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If software documentation is provisioned at a central location and updated by modifying, rebuilding, and redeploying the documentation application, then the documentation can be centralized and managed, but this causes downtime of the documentation application and is hard to scale with increasing customer demands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the documentation content from the documentation application by extracting static content into a separate documentation repository. This allows the application to remain running while content is updated in the repository, eliminating downtime and enabling parallel updates without affecting service availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts static documentation content from the packaged application and stores it separately in a documentation repository. This extraction enables independent updates of documentation content without requiring rebuilding or redeployment of the entire documentation application, thus eliminating downtime and improving update speed.
2Reliability
If software documentation is updated by modifying and redeploying the documentation application, then updates can be implemented, but this causes the documentation application to be out of sync with respective applications and increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the documentation application reads timestamps from the documentation repository to determine whether content updates are available. This automatic feedback loop ensures synchronization between applications and documentation without manual intervention, maintaining reliability while reducing process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The documentation application performs self-updates by automatically checking for new content in the repository based on timestamp comparison and extracting updated content as needed. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual modification and redeployment processes, reducing complexity while maintaining synchronization.
3Loss of information
If manual modification and redeployment of documentation application is performed for each update, then documentation can be updated, but this causes increased downtime and is difficult to scale with more customers and updates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by extracting and storing documentation content in the repository in advance, before it is needed by the documentation application. This preparation allows the application to quickly load and update content without time-consuming modification and redeployment processes, reducing update time while maintaining availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables continuous availability of the documentation application by separating content storage from application execution. The application can continue running and serving customers while documentation content is updated in the repository, eliminating downtime and ensuring continuous useful action without loss of availability.
Data Source
AI summary
A documentation application periodically checks content of a documentation repository to determine whether the documentation repository includes documentation content for update. A documentation archive for update is retrieved from the documentation repository and parsed to read meta information specified in the documentation archive. Based on the meta information, content of the documentation archive for update is integrated into the documentation application at runtime of the documentation application.