US Patent 7386845 Automated compatibility and upgrade/downgrade knowledge base

An automated knowledge base includes a system identifier and a target version. The system identifier identifies a particular computer system and the target version identifies a target computer program to be installed on the computer system. Configuration information of the particular computer system is retrieved using the system identifier and a warning statement that describes a conflict between the configuration information and the target computer program is identified. A warning document that includes the identified warning statement is generated.