Unified service management

• US 10,423,404 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2014
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sanghvi, Ashvinkumar J., McKinnon, Casey, Jacobsen, Jens K., Schultz, Kristoffer S., Keane, Thomas William
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David R
• Application Number:
  US14/485,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20150074639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,835 Days
• Field of Search: 709220, 709223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0883 Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

The described unified service management system provides a unified console to perform functions of individual management specialists. A unified console facilitates an administrator to perform the complex tasks that were performed by the individual management specialists. The unified console provides a “wizard” based approach to the administrator to design all aspects of the complex tasks including placement of components or computing devices, deciding on policies of the components or computing devices, deciding on health policies of components or computing devices, fixing data protection policies of components or computing devices, etc.

Claims

1. A method performed using a unified console implemented by one or more management servers that are coupled to one or more managed nodes via a network, the method comprising:

receiving input from a user, via the unified console, defining an application model that includes rules for development of an application before the application is written;

applying constraints specified by the application model, by one or more processors in at least one of the one or more management servers, to guide the development of the application in accordance with the rules; and

managing a life cycle of the application based on the application model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application model defines a configuration of a system in which the application is to execute.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application model defines roles for respective portions of a system in which the application is to execute.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating the development of the application in accordance with the rules, which are included in the application model.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the constraints comprises:

comparing a selected environment in which the application is to be executed to one or more environments in which the application is authorized by the application model to be executed to determine whether the selected environment is included in the one or more environments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the constraints comprises:

comparing a selected number of users who are to utilize the application with a threshold number of users that is specified by the model to determine whether the selected number of users exceeds the threshold number of users.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the life cycle comprises:

applying second constraints specified by the application model to manage operations of the application.

8. One or more management servers coupled to one or more managed nodes via a network, the one or more management servers comprising:

one or more processors;

an authoring section, implemented using at least one of the one or more processors, configured to receive input from a user defining an application model that includes rules for development of an application before the application is written;

an engine section, implemented using at least one of the one or more processors, configured to apply constraints specified by the application model to guide the development of the application in accordance with the rules; and

one or more modules, implemented using at least one of the one or more processors, configured to manage a life cycle of the application based on the application model.

9. The one or more management servers of claim 8, wherein the application model defines a configuration of a system in which the application is to execute.

10. The one or more management servers of claim 8, wherein the application model defines roles for respective portions of a system in which the application is to execute.

11. The one or more management servers of claim 8, wherein the authoring section is further configured to validate software application documents created in reference to the application model.

12. The one or more management servers of claim 8, comprising:

a configuration management module configured to present one or more criteria regarding the application, the one or more criteria including one or more environments in which the application is authorized by the application model to be executed.

13. The one or more management servers of claim 8, comprising:

a configuration management module configured to present one or more criteria regarding the application, the one or more criteria including a threshold number of users that is specified by the application model to use the application.

14. The one or more management servers of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more modules is configured to apply second constraints specified by the application model to manage deployment of the application.

15. A method performed by one or more management servers that are coupled to one or more managed nodes via a network, the method comprising:

implementing a unified console, which facilitates a user to design an application model that includes rules for development of an application before the application is written;

applying constraints specified by the application model, by one or more processors in at least one of the one or more management servers, to guide the development of the application to be in compliance with the rules; and

managing a life cycle of the application based on the application model.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the application model defines a configuration of a system in which the application is to execute.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the application model defines roles for respective portions of a system in which the application is to execute.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

validating software application documents created in reference to the application model.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting one or more criteria regarding the application, the one or more criteria including one or more environments in which the application is authorized by the application model to be executed.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting one or more criteria regarding the application, the one or more criteria including a threshold number of users that is specified by the application model to use the application.