Configuration system and method for an integrated computing system

• US 10,536,349 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2015
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VCE IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Hayward, Jeffery J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rubin, Blake J
• Application Number:
  US14/986,278
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• 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 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components

Abstract

An integrated computing system configuration system includes a computing system that executes an application to receive one or more user selected design elements (DEs) associated with a customized integrated computing system configuration in which each user selected DE includes abstracted information of a component used in a customized integrated computing system represented by the customized integrated computing system configuration. The application may then obtain an integrated computing system template representing a standardized integrated computing system product configuration, combine the user selected DEs with the established DEs to form the customized integrated computing system configuration, determine whether the customized integrated computing system configuration comprises a valid integrated computing system configuration, and generate a report indicating the results of the determination. The integrated computing system template having a plurality of established DEs representing a plurality of components of the integrated computing system product configuration.

Claims

1. An integrated computing system configuration system comprising:

a computing system comprising at least one processor and at least one memory to store instructions that are executed by the at least one processor to;

receive one or more user selected design elements (DEs) associated with a customized integrated computing system configuration, each one or more user selected DEs comprising abstracted information of a physical component that provides a physical resource for use within a customized integrated computing system implementation represented by the customized integrated computing system configuration;

select a plurality of integrated computing system templates based on the abstracted information of the one or more user selected DEs, each integrated computing system template representing a standardized integrated computing system product configuration customized to the one or more user selected DEs, the integrated computing system template having a plurality of established DEs representing a plurality of components of the standardized integrated computing system product configuration;

modify each of the selected plurality of integrated computing system templates by combining the one or more user selected DEs with the plurality of established DEs to form a plurality of customized integrated computing system configurations;

determine whether each customized integrated computing system configuration comprises a valid integrated computing system configuration by comparing the plurality of established DEs in each integrated computing system template against the one or more user selected DEs and determining, based on the comparison, whether the one or more user selected DEs provides a physical resource that functions within each customized integrated computing system configuration; and

generate a report indicating results of the determination for each integrated computing system template.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the valid integrated computing system configuration generally refers to a combination of the plurality of components that, when implemented in the customized integrated computing system, have been validated to be interoperable with one another, and that the plurality of components collectively function at one or more performance levels desired by a user of the customized integrated computing system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executed to:

when processing a first DE causes creation of a second DE, iteratively process the second DE to determine if the second DE provides a valid integrated computing system configuration.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructions are further executed to:

count a quantity of iteratively processed DEs, and generate an error message when the quantity of iteratively processed DEs exceeds a specified value.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executed to receive user input for modifying the one or more user selected DEs, and determining whether the customized integrated computing system configuration including the modified one or more user selected DEs provides the valid integrated computing system configuration.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executed to combine the one or more user selected DEs with the established DEs of the integrated computing system template by identifying those established DEs that match the one or more user selected DEs, and copy those established DEs that do not match to the customized integrated computing system configuration.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executed to receive user selection of one of the plurality of integrated computing system templates representing a valid integrated computing system configuration, and saving the customized integrated computing system configuration associated with the selected one of the plurality of integrated computing system templates in the at least one memory.

8. An integrated computing system configuration method comprising:

receiving, using executable instructions stored in a non-transitory medium and executed on at least one processor, one or more user selected design elements (DEs) associated with a customized integrated computing system configuration, each one or more user selected DEs comprising abstracted information of a physical component that provide a physical resource for use within customized integrated computing system implementation represented by the customized integrated computing system configuration;

selecting, using the executable instructions, a plurality of an integrated computing system templates based on the abstracted information of the one or more user selected DEs, each integrated computing system template representing a standardized integrated computing system product configuration customized to the one or more user selected DEs, the integrated computing system template having a plurality of established DEs representing a plurality of components of the standardized integrated computing system product configuration;

modify each of the selected plurality of integrated computing system templates by combining, using the executable instructions, the one or more user selected DEs with the plurality of established DEs to form a plurality of customized integrated computing system configurations;

determining, using the executable instructions, whether each customized integrated computing system configuration comprises a valid integrated computing system configuration by comparing the plurality of established DEs in each integrated computing system template against the one or more user selected DEs and determining, based on the comparison, whether the one or more user selected DEs provides a physical resource that functions within each customized integrated computing system configuration; and

generating, using the executable instructions, a report indicating results of the determination for each integrated computing system template.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

when processing a first DE causes creation of a second DE, iteratively processing the second DE to determine if the second DE provides a valid integrated computing system configuration.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising counting a quantity of iteratively processed DEs, and generating an error message when the quantity of iteratively processed DEs exceeds a specified value.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving user input for modifying the one or more user selected DEs, and determining whether the customized integrated computing system configuration including the modified one or more user selected DEs provides the valid integrated computing system configuration.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising combining the one or more user selected DEs with the established DEs of the integrated computing system template by identifying those established DEs that match the one or more user selected DEs, and copy those established DEs that do not match to the customized integrated computing system configuration.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving user selection of one of the plurality of integrated computing system templates representing a valid integrated computing system configuration, and saving the customized integrated computing system configuration associated with the selected one of the plurality of integrated computing system templates in the non-transitory medium.

14. A non-transitory, computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions executable by one or more processors of a computing system to cause the computing system to:

receive one or more user selected design elements (DEs) associated with a customized integrated computing system configuration, each one or more user selected DEs comprising abstracted information of a physical component that provides a physical resource for use a customized integrated computing system implementation represented by the customized integrated computing system configuration;

select a plurality of integrated computing system templates based on the abstracted information of the one or more user selected DEs, each integrated computing system template representing a standardized integrated computing system product configuration customized to the one or more user selected DEs, each integrated computing system template having a plurality of established DEs representing a plurality of components of the standardized integrated computing system product configuration;

modify each of the selected plurality of integrated computing system templates by combining the one or more user selected DEs with the plurality of established DEs to form a plurality of customized integrated computing system configurations;

determine whether each customized integrated computing system configuration comprises a valid integrated computing system configuration by comparing the plurality of established DEs in each integrated computing system template against the one or more user selected DEs and determining, based on the comparison, whether the one or more user selected DEs provides a physical resource that functions within each customized integrated computing system configuration; and

generate a report indicating results of the determination for each integrated computing system template.

15. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions executable to:

when processing a first DE causes creation of a second DE, iteratively process the second DE to determine if the second DE provides a valid integrated computing system configuration.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions executable to:

count a quantity of the iteratively processed DEs, and generate an error message when a quantity of iteratively processed DEs exceeds a specified value.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions executable to:

receive user input for modifying the one or more user selected DEs, and determining whether the customized integrated computing system configuration including the one or more modified user selected DEs provides the valid integrated computing system configuration.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions executable to:

combine the one or more user selected DEs with the established DEs of the integrated computing system template by identifying those established DEs that match the one or more user selected DEs, and copy those established DEs that do not match to the customized integrated computing system configuration.