Configuration command template creation assistant using cross-model analysis to identify common syntax and semantics

• US 10,498,599 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Croy, Timothy R., Graham, Trevor, Hamilton, Kevin M., Shuman, Steven S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Derose, Volvick
• Application Number:
  US14/815,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 713100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/16 using machine learning or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a computer program product for using a common configuration template for a set of devices includes a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code including computer readable program code configured for identifying a set of devices from the plurality of devices which share a common configuration template applicable to a proposed change, wherein the common configuration template includes a collection of command variations, computer readable program code configured for determining which command from the collection of command variations is applicable to each device in the set of devices, and computer readable program code configured for executing the proposed change across all devices in the set of devices using the determined command for each device.

Claims

1. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions readable by a hardware processor, executable by the hardware processor, or readable and executable by the hardware processor to cause the processor to:

receive, by the processor, a proposed change to be implemented at a plurality of devices, where for each of the plurality of devices, the proposed change changes a configuration of the device;

identify from the plurality of devices, by the processor, a set of devices which share a common configuration template applicable to the proposed change, where;

each device within the set of devices share a common command structure, including a common command syntax and resulting device behavior, and

the common configuration template comprises a plurality of command variations, where each of the plurality of command variations includes a variation of a command sequence that is applicable to at least one of the set of devices; and

for each device within the set of devices;

determine, by the processor from the plurality of command variations within the common configuration template, a variation of the command sequence that is applicable to the device; and

implement, by the processor, the proposed change at the device using the determined variation of the command sequence.

2. The computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the proposed change is received from a system administrator through a graphical user interface.

3. The computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further readable by a hardware processor, executable by the hardware processor, or readable and executable by the hardware processor to cause the processor to:

identify, by the processor, subsequent sets of devices from the plurality of devices which share common configuration templates applicable to the proposed change until all devices in the plurality of devices are placed in sets;

determine, by the processor, which commands are applicable to devices in each subsequent set of devices; and

execute, by the processor, the proposed change across all devices in each subsequent set of devices using the determined commands for the devices in each subsequent set of devices.

4. The computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further readable by a hardware processor, executable by the hardware processor, or readable and executable by the hardware processor to cause the processor to determine, by the processor, which command from the plurality of command variations is applicable to each device in the set of devices is further readable/executable by the processor to cause the processor to automatically choose, by the processor for each device in the set of devices, a command variation from the plurality of command variations that is applicable to cause the proposed change in the device for which it is executed.

5. The computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further readable by a hardware processor, executable by the hardware processor, or readable and executable by the hardware processor to cause the processor to:

determine, by the processor, that a second change has been made to one of the plurality of devices that renders the common configuration template inapplicable to the changed one of the plurality of devices; and

implement, by the processor, modifications to the common configuration template that account for the second change and cause the common configuration template to become applicable to the changed one of the plurality of devices.

6. The computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further readable by a hardware processor, executable by the hardware processor, or readable and executable by the hardware processor to cause the processor to:

determine, by the processor, that a new device is present and the common configuration template is inapplicable to the new device; and

implement, by the processor, modifications to the common configuration template that account for the new device and cause the common configuration template to become applicable to the new device.

7. The computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further readable by a hardware processor, executable by the hardware processor, or readable and executable by the hardware processor to cause the processor to:

retrieve, by the processor, one or more commands for at least one device of the plurality of devices from existing syntactic models and semantic models created for individual variants of devices;

extract, by the processor, command syntax, command inter-relationships, and parameter limitations for the one or more commands for the at least one device of the plurality of devices; and

store, by the processor, the command syntax, the command inter-relationships, and the parameter limitations for the one or more commands for the at least one device to a command index.

8. The computer program product as recited in claim 7, wherein the program instructions are further readable by a hardware processor, executable by the hardware processor, or readable and executable by the hardware processor to cause the processor to separate, by the processor, existing syntactic models describing syntax from existing semantic models describing semantics prior to determining the one or more commands.

9. The computer program product as recited in claim 7, wherein the program instructions are further readable by a hardware processor, executable by the hardware processor, or readable and executable by the hardware processor to cause the processor to:

store, by the processor, checksums for the command syntax for the one or more commands for the at least one device to the command index; and

compare, by the processor, the checksums in the command index to identify common entries that indicate common configuration templates which share one or more common commands.

10. The computer program product as recited in claim 7, wherein the common configuration template is determined from the existing syntactic models.

11. The computer program product as recited in claim 7, wherein the program instructions are further readable by a hardware processor, executable by the hardware processor, or readable and executable by the hardware processor to cause the processor to identify, by the processor, the set of devices which share the common configuration template applicable to the proposed change based on the command syntax and the resulting device behavior across all devices in the set of devices being common.

12. The computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein for each device within the set of devices, the variation of the command sequence determined from the plurality of command variations includes a command sequence that causes the proposed change when executed in the device.

13. The computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further readable by a hardware processor, executable by the hardware processor, or readable and executable by the hardware processor to cause the processor to:

retrieve, by the processor, one or more commands for at least one device of the plurality of devices from existing syntactic models and semantic models created for individual variants of devices;

extract, by the processor, command syntax, command inter-relationships, and parameter limitations for the one or more commands for the at least one device of the plurality of devices; and

store, by the processor, the command syntax, the command inter-relationships, and the parameter limitations for the one or more commands for the at least one device to a command index;

store, by the processor, checksums for the command syntax for the one or more commands for the at least one device to the command index;

compare, by the processor, the checksums in the command index to identify common entries that indicate common configuration templates which share one or more common commands;

determine, by the processor, that a second change has been made to one of the plurality of devices that renders the common configuration template inapplicable to the changed one of the plurality of devices; and

implement, by the processor, modifications to the common configuration template that account for the second change and cause the common configuration template to become applicable to the changed one of the plurality of devices;

wherein the proposed change is received from a system administrator through a graphical user interface.

14. The computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further readable by a hardware processor, executable by the hardware processor, or readable and executable by the hardware processor to cause the processor to store checksums for a command syntax for one or more commands for each of the plurality of devices in a command index, wherein the set of devices which share the common configuration template are determined by comparing the checksums to identify common entries.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein the command index stores a command syntax, command inter-relationships, and parameter limitations for the one or more commands for each of the plurality of devices.