Server configuration tool

• US 20030005104A1
• Filed: 05/30/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Francis, Timothy M., Yuen, Siu Chung, Deboer, Timothy G., Wosnick, Sheldon B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,062,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention separates raw server configuration data (data describing how the server is to operate—e.g., network port number, security settings, software drivers, etc.) from server instance data (data which describes where to run a server and how to process user code—e.g., which directories to access, where the user code is located, etc.). Embodiments of the present invention may have raw server configuration data and server instance data stored as, for example, text files. A file embodying raw server configuration data may be copied and reused on multiple computer systems. Similarly, a file embodying server instance data may also be copied and reused on multiple computer systems. Embodiments of the present invention process the raw server configuration data file and the server instance file to generate an overall server configuration file which configures a server to operate in the desired manner so that user code can be successfully deployed on the configured server. The overall configuration file created may include server environment parameters that are required to initialize or start a server.

Claims

1. A method for generating server configuration data for configuring a server, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving raw server configuration data and server instance data, said raw server configuration data comprising a configuration token, and said server instance data comprising one or more instance tokens, each of said one or more instance tokens associated with an instance value; and

generating server configuration data from said received raw server and server instance data, wherein said server configuration data comprises merging said raw server configuration data and said server instance data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said merging step further comprises the steps of:

copying said raw server configuration data to form said server configuration data; and

wherein said configuration token in said server configuration data is replaced by a value associated with a selected token from said server instance data, said selected token corresponding to said configuration token.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said generating step further comprises the steps of:

identifying in said raw server configuration data and said server instance data corresponding configuration and server instance tokens.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said identifying step further comprises the steps of:

locating in said server instance data, server instance tokens; and

for each server instance token located;

determining if said raw server configuration data includes a corresponding configuration token.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of for each server instance token located:

prior to said determining, assessing if said server instance token located comprises a token associated with a configuration parameter; and

if said server instance token located comprises a token associated with a configuration parameter, performing said determining.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of:

transmitting said server configuration data to a remote computer system.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of providing said raw server configuration data as server operation parameters and said server instance data as server processing parameters.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of providing said server instance data as server environment parameters.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said merging steps comprises:

copying said raw server configuration data so as to form said server configuration data;

identifying a portion of said server configuration data that requires modification;

replacing said portion identified with a value associated with a corresponding portion in said server instance data.

10. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of providing said raw server configuration data as one or more data files and said server instance data as one or more data files.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing the server configuration data generated as a modification of said raw server configuration data.

12. The method of claims 1 further comprising the step of starting a server on a computer system employing said server configuration data.

14. The computer readable media of claim 13, wherein said data and instructions adapting said computer system to merge said raw server configuration data and said server instance data comprises data and instructions adapting said computer system to:

copy said raw server configuration data to form said server configuration data; and

wherein said configuration token in said server configuration data is replaced by a value associated with a selected token from said server instance data, said selected token corresponding to said configuration token.

15. The computer readable media of claim 14, wherein said data and instructions adapting said computer system to generate server configuration data comprises data and instructions to adapt said computer system to:

identify in said raw server configuration data and said server instance data corresponding configuration and server instance tokens.

16. The computer readable media of claim 15, wherein said data and instructions adapting said computer system to identify in said raw server configuration data and said server instance data corresponding configuration and server instance tokens comprises data and instructions to adapt said computer system to:

locate in said server instance data, server instance tokens; and

for each server instance token located;

determine if said raw server configuration data includes a corresponding configuration token.

17. The computer readable media of claim 16, wherein said data and instructions adapting said computer system to determine for each server instance token located further comprises data and instructions to adapt said computer system to:

prior to said determining, assess if said server instance token located comprises a token associated with a configuration parameter; and

if said server instance token located comprises a token associated with a configuration parameter, performing said determining.

18. The computer readable media of claim 14, wherein said data and instructions further adapt said computer system to:

transmit said server configuration data to a remote computer system.

19. The computer readable media of claim 14 wherein said raw server configuration data comprises server operation parameters and said server instance data comprises server processing parameters.

20. The computer readable media of claim 19 wherein said server instance data further comprises server environment parameters.

21. The computer readable media of claim 14 wherein said raw server configuration data comprises one or more data files and said server instance data comprises one or more data files.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein the server configuration data generated comprises a modification of said raw server configuration data.

23. The computer readable media of claim 13 further comprising data and instructions adapting said computer system to start a server on a computer system employing said server configuration data.

25. The computer system of claim 24 wherein said adaptation to generate server configuration data comprises an adaptation to:

copy said raw server configuration data to form said server configuration data; and

wherein said configuration token in said server configuration data is replaced by a value associated with a selected token from said server instance data, said selected token corresponding to said configuration token.

26. The computer system of claim 25 wherein said adaptation to generate server configuration data comprises an adaptation to:

identify in said raw server configuration data and said server instance data corresponding configuration and server instance tokens.

27. The computer system of claim 26, wherein said adaptation to identify in said raw server configuration data and said server instance data corresponding configuration and server instance tokens comprises an adaptation to:

locate in said server instance data, server instance tokens; and

for each server instance token located;

determine if said raw server configuration data includes a corresponding configuration token.

28. The computer system of claim 27, wherein said adaptation to determine for each server instance token located further comprises an adaptation to:

prior to said determining, assess if said server instance token located comprises a token associated with a configuration parameter; and

if said server instance token located comprises a token associated with a configuration parameter, performing said determining.

29. The computer system of claim 25, wherein said computer system is further adapted to:

transmit said server configuration data to a remote computer system.

30. The computer system of claim 25 wherein said raw server configuration data comprises server operation parameters and said server instance data comprises server processing parameters.

31. The computer system of claim 30 wherein said server instance data further comprises server environment parameters.

32. The computer system of claim 25 wherein said raw server configuration data comprises one or more data files and said server instance data comprises one more data files.

33. The computer system of claim 24 wherein the server configuration data generated comprises a modification of said raw server configuration data.

36. The method of claim 35 further comprising the step of providing said raw server configuration data as behavior data and said server instance data as operating environment data.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising the step of providing said behavior data as one or more of:

port numbers;

host name;

MIME types;

security parameters;

memory resource parameters; and

CPU resource parameters; and

said operating environment data as one or more of;

path names;

environment variables;

publishing data; and

server specific variables dependent upon computer system specific variables.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein said merging step further comprises the step of:

replacing a token in said raw server configuration data with values associated with a token in said server instance data, said token in said server instance data corresponding to said token in said raw server configuration data.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein said merging step further comprises the step of generating a separate server configuration file.

13. A computer readable media storing data and instructions, said data and instructions, when executed by a computer system adapts said computer system to:

receive raw server configuration data and server instance data, said raw server configuration data comprising a configuration token, and said server instance data comprising one or more instance tokens, each of said one or more instance tokens associated with an instance value; and

generate server configuration data from said received raw server configuration and server instance data, wherein said server configuration data comprises merging said raw server configuration data and said server instance data.

24. A computer system for configuring another computer system, said computer system adapted to:

receive raw server configuration data and server instance data, said raw server configuration data comprising a configuration token, and said server instance data comprising one or more instance tokens, each of said one or more instance tokens associated with an instance value; and

generate server configuration data from said received raw server configuration and server instance data, wherein said server configuration data comprises merging said raw server configuration data and said server instance data.

34. The computer system of claims 24 further adapted to start a server on a computer system employing said server configuration data.

35. A method for generating a server configuration file comprising the step of:

merging first data and second data, wherein said first data comprising raw server configuration data and said second data comprising server instance data.