Dynamic network component placement

• US 10,148,527 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2015
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Cimprich, Patrick Francis, DeLuca, Michael Gerald, Cantwell, Jack Q. W., Peterson, Sean David, Wells, Marshall J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yohannes, Tesfay
• Application Number:
  US14/832,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20160164744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 709220, 726 3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/14 Network analysis or design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5048 Automatic or semi-automatic definitions, e.g. definition templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/40 Wormhole routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/27 Evaluation or update of window size, e.g. using information derived from acknowledged [ACK] packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A network component placement architecture addresses the difficult technical challenge of determining where specific technical components of an overall service may be provisioned. However, the placement decision can change over time in response to complex updates relating to service providers, the regions they support, the assets they support, and many other dynamic factors. Dynamic network component placement effectively determines updated possibilities for placing the technical components of a specified service, while meeting all of the applicable technical constraints on the placement of the technical components.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

placement pipeline circuitry comprising multiple processing stages, the placement pipeline circuitry configured to determine an initial placement location from initial placement options for a technical component defined within a request template of a specified service request;

timing metadata linked to the technical component and included within the request template, the timing metadata defining a dynamic re-evaluation timing specifier for re-evaluating placement of the technical component;

trigger metadata linked to the technical component and included within the request template, the trigger metadata defining a dynamic re-evaluation trigger condition specifier for re-evaluating the placement of the technical component; and

re-evaluation circuitry configured to, responsive to the dynamic re-evaluation timing specifier, the dynamic re-evaluation trigger condition specifier, or both, re-execute the placement pipeline circuitry on the technical component and determine updated placement options including a new placement location for the technical component; and

wherein the placement pipeline circuitry comprises a subscription stage configured to;

determine to a change to which service provider regions a resource requester has active subscriptions; and

responsive to the change, determine the new placement location.

2. The system of claim 1, where:

the specified service request is linked to a specific resource requester; and

further comprising;

placement execution metadata for the specific resource requester, the placement execution metadata defining an update time window for making adjustments to the specified service request.

3. The system of claim 2, where:

the re-evaluation circuitry is further operable to initiate instantiation of a replacement component for the technical component at the new placement location responsive to determining the updated placement options.

4. The system of claim 3, where:

the re-evaluation circuitry is further operable to initiate switchover to the replacement component within the update time window.

5. The system of claim 1, where:

the placement pipeline circuitry comprises a type stage configured to;

determine a change to which service provider regions support the technical component; and

responsive to the change, determine the new placement location.

6. The system of claim 5, where:

the technical component comprises a technical component type specified in the request template for implementing the specified service request.

7. The system of claim 5 where:

the technical component comprises a technical asset specified in the request template for implementing the specified service request.

8. The system of claim 7, where:

the technical asset comprise a network.

9. The system of claim 1, where:

the placement pipeline circuitry comprises a capacity stage configured to;

determine a change in which service provider regions have capacity to provision the technical component; and

responsive to the change, determine the new placement location.

10. The system of claim 1, where:

the placement pipeline circuitry comprises a metadata stage configured to;

determine a change to which service provider regions qualify to provision the technical component; and

responsive to the change, determine the new placement location.

11. A method comprising:

in a hybrid cloud architect;

receiving a technical service template for implementing a service request for a resource requester;

identifying a resource within the technical service template;

executing, for the resource, placement pipeline circuitry comprising multiple processing stages configured to determine an initial placement from initial placement options for the resource;

obtaining, from within the hybrid cloud architect, timing metadata linked to the resource and included within the technical service template, the timing metadata defining a timing specifier for re-evaluating placement of the resource;

obtaining, from within the hybrid cloud architect, trigger metadata linked to the resource and included within the technical service template, the trigger metadata defining a dynamic re-evaluation trigger condition specifier for re-evaluating the placement of the resource;

executing re-evaluation circuitry configured to, responsive to the timing metadata, the trigger metadata, or both, determine when to re-execute the placement pipeline circuitry for the resource and determine updated placement options including a new placement location for the resource; and

at a metadata architecture of the hybrid cloud architect;

determining a change to which service provider regions qualify to provision the resource; and

responsive to the change, determining the new placement location.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

obtaining, from within the hybrid cloud architect, placement execution metadata linked to the resource requester, the placement execution metadata defining an update time window for implementing the new placement location.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

initiating provisioning of a replacement for the resource at the new placement location responsive to determining the updated placement options.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

initiating switchover to the replacement within the update time window.

15. A system comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive a technical service template configured to implement a technical service request from a resource requester;

a metadata architecture comprising;

container metadata for a container hierarchy defining a model of the resource requester;

resource requester metadata included within the technical service template, the resource requester metadata defining specific implementation data for the technical service request; and

service provider metadata defining capabilities of candidate service provider regions for hosting the technical service request;

timing metadata linked to a computing resource and included within the technical service template, the timing metadata defining a dynamic re-evaluation timing specifier for re-evaluating placement of the computing resource;

trigger metadata linked to the computing resource and included within the technical service template, the trigger metadata defining a dynamic re-evaluation trigger condition specifier for re-evaluating placement of the computing resource;

placement pipeline circuitry configured to;

determine the computing resource defined within the technical service template, the computing resource for implementing the technical service request;

receive the container metadata, the service provider metadata, and the resource requester metadata;

execute sequential pipeline stages to determine feasible placement options for the computing resource from among candidate placement options responsive to the container metadata, the service provider metadata, and the resource requester metadata;

determine a change to which service provider regions qualify to provision the resource; and

responsive to the change, determine the new placement location

re-evaluation circuitry configured to, responsive to the timing metadata, trigger metadata, or both, re-execute the placement pipeline circuitry on the computing resource and determine updated placement options including a new placement location for the computing resource.

16. The system of claim 15, where:

the re-evaluation circuitry is further configured to communicate the new placement location to the resource requester and request a re-placement confirmation from the resource requester.

17. The system of claim 16, where:

the re-evaluation circuitry is further configured to, after receiving the re-placement confirmation from the resource requester, schedule instantiation of a substitute for the computing resource at the new placement location.

18. The system of claim 17, where:

the re-evaluation circuitry is further configured to delay switchover to the substitute until an update time window is open for the resource requester.