Collision detection using state management of configuration items

• US 10,248,679 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Inventors: Chandrashekar, Sridhar, Gupta, Manish, Narayanan, Magesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Vostal, Ondrej C
• Application Number:
  US15/838,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20180102942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 709220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2255 Hash tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/381 using identifiers, e.g. barcodes, RFIDs for URLs G06F16/9554
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9014 hash tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/08 Sorting, i.e. grouping record carriers in numerical or other ordered sequence according to the classification of at least some of the information they carry by merging two or more sets of carriers in ordered sequence G06F7/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/20 Comparing separate sets of record carriers arranged in the same sequence to determine whether at least some of the data in one set is identical with that in the other set or sets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element

Abstract

Implementations of a system, method and apparatus described herein receive, for a configuration item in a configuration management database, status indicating an operational state and an automation state associated with the configuration item, and determine whether a conflict will occur with at least one of the operational state or the automation state of the configuration item as a result of a process affecting the configuration item. When the conflict will not occur, a change is made to at least one of the operational state or the automation state of the configuration item in accordance with the process. Upon a conclusion of the process, the change is removed. If the conflict will occur, the process not allowed to continue.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, using a processor, whether a scheduled change that affects a configuration item and another change at least partially overlap in time using at least a configuration management database (CMDB) in a cloud computing infrastructure that includes the configuration item;

responsive to a determination that the scheduled change and the other change at least partially overlap in time, determining, using the processor, whether the other change will affect the configuration item; and

responsive to a determination that the other change will affect the configuration item, blocking, via the processor, at least one of the scheduled change and the other change using the processor.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising responsive to a determination that the scheduled change will not affect the configuration item or that the scheduled change and the other change do not at least partially overlap in time, implementing the scheduled change and the other change.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein affecting the configuration item comprises changing a related configuration item that affects the configuration item.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the related configuration item comprises a router to which the configuration item is connected.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the other change will affect the configuration item comprises:

determining a state for the configuration item from the scheduled change; and

determining whether the determined state conflicts with a current state of the configuration item due to the other change.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determined state comprises an operational state of the configuration item that indicates functionality of the configuration item.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the operational state of a configuration item comprises:

the configuration item is within normal operating parameters;

the configuration item is in an error condition;

the configuration item is under repair;

or

the configuration item is retired.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the determined state comprises an automation state that indicates which operation is to be run on the configuration item for the scheduled change.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the automation state comprises:

the configuration item is to undergo a cloning process during the scheduled change;

the configuration item is to undergo a renaming process during the scheduled change;

the configuration item is to undergo a moving process during the scheduled change;

the configuration item is to undergo a patching process during the scheduled change;

the configuration item is to undergo a provisioning process during the scheduled change;

the configuration item is to undergo a maintenance process during the scheduled change;

or

the configuration item is to undergo a retirement process during the scheduled change.

10. A system comprising:

memory having instructions stored thereon; and

one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to cause the one or more processors to;

determine whether a first change will affect a configuration item using at least a configuration management database (CMDB) in a cloud computing infrastructure that includes the configuration item;

determine whether a second change that will affect the configuration item at least partially overlaps the first change in time using at least the CMDB;

responsive to a determination that the first and second changes will affect the configuration item and at least partially overlap in time, block at least one of the first change and the second change; and

responsive to a determination that the first or second change will not affect the configuration item or that the first change and second change do not at least partially overlap in time, implement the first change and the second change.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein determining whether the first change will affect the configuration item comprises determining whether the first change will affect the configuration item directly or will affect another configuration item that would, in turn, affect the configuration item.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the second change that will affect the configuration item will affect the configuration item directly or will affect another configuration item that would, in turn, affect the configuration item.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to execute the instructions as part of a state management application programming interface.

14. The system of claim 10, comprising changing a state of the configuration item based at least in part on the first change or the second change.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein blocking the first change or the second change comprises cancelling an operation associated with the first change or the second change and reverting the state of the configuration item.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein implementing the first change or the second change comprises:

completing an operation associated with the changed state; and

upon completion of the operation, changing the state again.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the first or second change is a scheduled change.

18. Tangible, non-transitory, and computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to:

determine whether a scheduled change that affects a configuration item and another change at least partially overlap in time using at least a configuration management database (CMDB) in a cloud computing infrastructure that includes the configuration item;

responsive to a determination that the scheduled change and the other change at least partially overlap in time, determining whether the other change will affect the configuration item using at least the CMDB;

responsive to a determination that the other change will affect the configuration item, blocking, via a state management application programming interface, the scheduled change or the other change using the processor; and

responsive to a determination that the scheduled change will not affect the configuration item or that the scheduled change and the other change do not at least partially overlap in time, implementing the scheduled change and the other change.

19. The tangible, non-transitory, and computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein determining whether the other change will affect the configuration item comprises:

determining a state for the configuration item from the scheduled change; and

determining whether the determined state conflicts with a current state of the configuration item due to the other change, and the current state comprises an automation state that indicates which operation is applied to the configuration item for the scheduled change, wherein determining whether the determined state conflicts with the current state comprises determining whether the determined state and the current state will change data corresponding to the configuration item.

20. The tangible, non-transitory, and computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the automation state comprises:

the configuration item is currently undergoing a cloning process;

the configuration item is currently undergoing a renaming process;

the configuration item is currently undergoing a moving process;

the configuration item is currently undergoing a patching process;

the configuration item is currently undergoing a provisioning process;

the configuration item is currently undergoing a maintenance process;

or

the configuration item is currently undergoing a retirement process.