System and method for service modeling

• US 10,354,215 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2016
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Inventors: Massarenti, Davide, Polinati, Chinna Babu, Chandrashekar, Sridhar
• Primary Examiner(s): Obisesan, Augustine K.
• Application Number:
  US15/334,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20180114153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method can include storing information about the business service in one or more template type layers; storing information about an instance of the business service in one or more instance type layers; wherein the template type layers include one or more checkpoints that reference information stored in a content addressable store that defines an expected structure of the business service, wherein at least one checkpoint of the template type layers includes a timestamp and a hash value associated with an entry in the content addressable store; and wherein the instance type layers include one or more checkpoints that reference information stored in the content addressable store that defines attributes of the instance of the business service, wherein at least one checkpoint of the instance type layers includes a timestamp and a hash value associated with an entry in the content addressable store.

Claims

1. A system for storing information about a business service in a content addressable store, the system comprising:

a server device including a processor, a memory, and a network interface, the memory including instructions executable by the processor to;

identify configuration items stored in a configuration management database associated with the business service based on an entry point instance associated with the business service;

generate a first object associated with the entry point instance;

generate a second object including an association with an identified configuration item;

generate a third object including an entry point representative of the entry point instance;

generate a fourth object including a template representative of the identified configuration item;

store the first, second, third, and fourth objects in the content addressable store;

generate first, second, third, and fourth checkpoints having respective timestamps and respective references to respective ones of the first, second, third, and fourth objects;

store the first and second checkpoints on an at least one instance type layer;

store the third and fourth checkpoints on at least one template type layer,

generate a dependency between the third checkpoint and the first checkpoint; and

generate a dependency between the fourth checkpoint and the second checkpoint.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to store the first, second, third, and fourth objects include instructions to:

generate respective hash values for respective ones of the first, second, third, and fourth objects;

store the objects of the first, second, third, and fourth objects not having a respective hash value already stored in the content addressable store.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration items are identified based on a top-down discovery process.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions include instructions executable by the processor to delete a plurality of historical checkpoints from the instance type layer and the template type layer.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the instructions include instructions executable by the processor to perform a garbage collection process to remove objects from the content addressable store not referenced by checkpoints associated with the instance type layers or the template type layers.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions include instructions executable by the processor to:

generate a snapshot of the business service at a point in time based on respective timestamps of checkpoints associated with the instance type layers or the template type layers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to generate a fourth object including a template representative of the identified configuration item includes identifying a configuration item type of the identified configuration item and including the identified configuration item type in the fourth object.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions include instructions executable by the processor to deploy an instance of a business service based on information associated with the at least one template type layer.

9. A method for storing information about a business service in a content addressable store, the method comprising:

identifying configuration items stored in a configuration management database associated with the business service based on an entry point instance associated with the business service;

generating a first object associated with the entry point instance;

generating a second object including an association with an identified configuration item;

generating a third object including an entry point representative of the entry point instance;

generating a fourth object including a template representative of the identified configuration item;

storing the first, second, third, and fourth objects in the content addressable store;

generating first, second, third, and fourth checkpoints having respective timestamps and respective references to respective ones of the first, second, third, and fourth objects;

storing the first and second checkpoints on an at least one instance type layer;

storing the third and fourth checkpoints on at least one template type layer,

generating a dependency between the third checkpoint and the first checkpoint; and

generating a dependency between the fourth checkpoint and the second checkpoint.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein storing the first, second, third, and fourth objects include:

generating respective hash values for respective ones of the first, second, third, and fourth objects;

storing the objects of the first, second, third, and fourth objects not having a respective hash value already stored in the content addressable store.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the configuration items are identified based on a top-down discovery process.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

deleting a plurality of historical checkpoints from the instance type layer and the template type layer.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

performing a garbage collection process to remove objects from the content addressable store not referenced by checkpoints associated with the instance type layers or the template type layers.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating a snapshot of the business service at a point in time based on respective timestamps of checkpoints associated with the instance type layers or the template type layers.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein generating a fourth object including a template representative of the identified configuration item comprises:

identifying a configuration item type of the identified configuration item and including the identified configuration item type in the fourth object.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

deploying an instance of a business service based on information associated with the at least one template type layer.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

identifying configuration items stored in a configuration management database associated with the business service based on an entry point instance associated with the business service;

generating a first object associated with the entry point instance;

generating a second object including an association with an identified configuration item;

generating a third object including an entry point representative of the entry point instance;

generating a fourth object including a template representative of the identified configuration item;

storing the first, second, third, and fourth objects in the content addressable store;

generating first, second, third, and fourth checkpoints having respective timestamps and respective references to respective ones of the first, second, third, and fourth objects;

storing the first and second checkpoints on an at least one instance type layer;

storing the third and fourth checkpoints on at least one template type layer,

generating a dependency between the third checkpoint and the first checkpoint; and

generating a dependency between the fourth checkpoint and the second checkpoint.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein storing the first, second, third, and fourth objects include:

generating respective hash values for respective ones of the first, second, third, and fourth objects;

storing the objects of the first, second, third, and fourth objects not having a respective hash value already stored in the content addressable store.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising:

generating a snapshot of the business service at a point in time based on respective timestamps of checkpoints associated with the instance type layers or the template type layers.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein generating a fourth object including a template representative of the identified configuration item comprises:

identifying a configuration item type of the identified configuration item and including the identified configuration item type in the fourth object.