System and method for out-of-the-box solution-level management via logical architecture awareness

• US 10,514,907 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2018
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Chaganti, Ravikanth, Ali, Rizwan, Patel, Dharmesh M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Ted T.
• Application Number:
  US15/938,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20190303137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 717101-103, 717120-123
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements

Abstract

A computing device includes user resources and a validation agent. The validation agent identifies a logical group of a solution architecture to which the computing device belongs. The validation agent obtains a baseline configuration associated with the logical group. The validation agent identifies a dependency of the user resources on second user resources of a second computing device of the logical group. The validation agent makes a determination that an override attribute is associated with the second user resources. The validation agent modifies the obtained baseline configuration using the override attribute. The validation agent initiates a modification of the user resources using the modified obtained baseline configuration.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

user resources; and

a validation agent programmed to;

identify a logical group of a solution architecture to which the computing device belongs;

obtain a baseline configuration associated with the logical group;

identify a dependency of the user resources on second user resources of a second computing device of the logical group;

make a first determination that an override attribute is associated with the second user resources, wherein making the first determination comprises;

comparing the obtained baseline configuration to a configuration of the second user resources;

making a second determination, based on the comparing, that the configuration of the second user resources includes an attribute in conflict with a corresponding attribute of the obtained baseline configuration; and

in response to the second determination, identifying that the attribute in conflict with the corresponding attribute of the obtained baseline configuration is the override attribute;

modify the obtained baseline configuration using the override attribute; and

initiate a modification of the user resources using the modified obtained baseline configuration.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the modification of the user resources comprises:

obtaining a configuration of the user resources;

comparing the obtained configuration to the obtained baseline configuration;

identifying a difference based on the comparing; and

updating the user resources based on the identified difference.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein updating the user resources based on the identified difference comprises downgrading a firmware of a component of the user resources.

4. The computing device of claim 2, wherein updating the user resources based on the identified difference comprises disabling a hardware component of the user resources.

5. The computing device of claim 2, wherein updating the user resources based on the identified difference comprises disabling an application executing using a component of the user resources.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the logical group specifies the dependency of the user resources on the second user resources of the second computing device.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the user resources are functionally dependent on the second user resources for low performance data storage.

8. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the user resources are functionally dependent on the second user resources for high performance data storage.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the solution architecture comprises a plurality of logical groups, wherein each logical group is functionally independent from each of the other logical groups of the plurality of logical groups.

10. A method for deploying a solution architecture, comprising:

identifying a baseline configuration for a first computing device of the solution architecture;

enforcing the baseline configuration on the first computing device;

identifying an override attribute associated with a second computing device of the solution architecture;

making a first determination that the first computing device and the second computing device are both members of a logical group;

making a second determination that the first computing device depends on the second computing device in the logical group; and

in response to the second determination;

identifying a difference between a configuration of the second computing device and the baseline configuration; and

using the identified difference as the override attribute;

updating the baseline configuration based on the override attribute; and

enforcing the updated baseline configuration on the first computing device and the second computing device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein enforcing the baseline configuration on the first computing device comprises:

reconfiguring a user resource of the first computing device by using an embedded computing device hosted by the first computing device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

adding a third computing device to the solution architecture;

identifying that the third computing device is a member of the logical group;

making a determination that no computing device of the logical group depends on the third computing device; and

enforcing the updated baseline configuration on the third computing device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the baseline configuration is associated with the logical group.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the logical group specifies a dependency of the first computing device on the second computing device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code, which when executed by a computer processor enables the computer processor to perform a method for deploying a solution architecture, the method comprising:

identifying a baseline configuration for a first computing device of the solution architecture;

enforcing the baseline configuration on the first computing device;

identifying an override attribute associated with a second computing device of the solution architecture;

making a first determination that the first computing device and the second computing device are both members of a logical group;

making a second determination that the first computing device depends on the second computing device in the logical group; and

in response to the second determination;

identifying a difference between a configuration of the second computing device and the baseline configuration; and

using the identified difference as the override attribute;

updating the baseline configuration based on the override attribute; and

enforcing the updated baseline configuration on the first computing device and the second computing device.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein enforcing the baseline configuration on the first computing device comprises:

reconfiguring a user resource of the first computing device by using an embedded computing device hosted by the first computing device.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein enforcing the updated baseline configuration on the first computing device comprises:

reconfiguring only a single resource of user resources of the first computing device corresponding to a single resource of user resources of the second computing device on which the override attribute is based.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the baseline configuration is associated with the logical group.