Method and apparatus for managing multiple data processing systems using existing heterogeneous systems management software

• US 20050102683A1
• Filed: 11/07/2003
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Macon, James Franklin Jr., Sylvester, Scott Anthony, Hintermeister, Gregory Richard, Branson, Michael John
• Granted Patent: US 7,412,709 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

A common consolidation management application provides an interface to the multiple different system management software applications and at least one user input console. An adapter in each of the system management software applications supports communication with the consolidation application. A system administrator issues requests to different system management software applications using a common interface provided by the consolidation application. The consolidation application can be installed over an existing complex of computer systems managed by different management applications, without modifying the managed systems or replacing the management applications.

Claims

1. A method providing a common user system management interface in a computer system complex having a plurality of different system management applications, comprising the steps of:

installing a consolidation management application in a first system of said computer system complex, said consolidation application generating a common user interface for a plurality of different system management applications, each system management application of said plurality of different system management applications residing in a respective computer system of said computer system complex and performing system management functions for a respective subset of computer systems of said computer system complex, each said respective subset comprising a plurality of computer system of said computer system complex; and

installing a respective consolidation adapter corresponding to each said system management application of said plurality of system management applications in the respective computer system in which each said system management application resides, each said consolidation adapter providing a communication interface between said consolidation management application and its respective system management application, each consolidation adapter receiving system management function requests in a common format generated by consolidation management application, and invoking said requests in the respective corresponding system management application in a format compatible with the system management application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said consolidation management application and consolidation adapters are installed in a pre-existing computer system complex which, before said installation steps, is being managed by said plurality of system management applications without said consolidation management application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said system management function requests in a common format generated by said consolidation management application are requests formatted according to Web Services Definition Language (WSDL).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said consolidation management application generates said common user interface as a web server in the form of an interactive web interface accessible by a web browser.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first system in which said consolidation application is installed is a dedicated system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said first system in which said consolidation application is installed contains at least one of said plurality of different system management applications.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said common user interface includes at least some user requests causing system management function requests in said common format to be transmitted concurrently to multiple ones of said plurality of different system management applications, and to consolidate responses received from said multiple ones of said plurality of different system management applications for presentation to a user.

8. A computer system complex, comprising:

a plurality of managed computer systems;

a plurality of system management applications residing in respective systems of said computer system complex, each of said plurality of system management applications performing system management functions for a respective plurality of said managed computer systems;

wherein a first system management application of said plurality of system management applications is different from a second management application of said plurality of management applications;

wherein said first system management application performs a first set of management functions for a first subset of said plurality of managed computer systems, and said second management application performs said first set of management functions for a second subset of said plurality of managed computer systems, said first and second subsets being disjoint;

a consolidation management application residing in a first computer system of said computer complex, said consolidation application generating a common user interface for each of said plurality of system management applications; and

a respective consolidation adapter corresponding to each said system management application, each said respective consolidation adapter residing in the respective computer system in which the corresponding system management application resides, each said consolidation adapter providing a communication interface between said consolidation management application and its corresponding system management application, each consolidation adapter receiving system management function requests in a common format generated by consolidation management application, and invoking said requests in the respective corresponding system management application in a format compatible with the system management application.

9. The computer system complex of claim 8, wherein said consolidation application generates a common user interface for a core set of management functions in each of said plurality of system management applications, said core set being a subset of said first set of management functions.

10. The computer system complex of claim 8, wherein said system management function requests in a common format generated by said consolidation management application are requests formatted according to Web Services Definition Language (WSDL).

11. The computer system complex of claim 8, wherein said consolidation management application generates said common user interface as a web server in the form of an interactive web interface accessible by a web browser.

12. The computer system complex of claim 8, wherein said common user interface generated by said consolidation application includes at least some user requests causing system management function requests in said common format to be transmitted concurrently to said first and said second system management applications, and to consolidate responses received from said first and said second system management applications for presentation to a user.

13. A distributed computer program product for managing a plurality of computer systems in a computer system complex, comprising:

a plurality of processor-executable instructions recorded on signal-bearing media, wherein said instructions, when executed by multiple computer processors in respective different computers systems of said computer system complex, cause the respective computers systems to perform the steps of;

generating a common user interface for a plurality of different system management applications, each system management application of said plurality of different system management applications residing in a respective computer system of said computer system complex and performing system management functions for a respective subset of computer systems of said computer system complex, each said respective subset comprising a plurality of computer systems of said computer system complex;

transmitting system management function requests received through said common user interface to a said plurality of different system management applications using a common request format;

translating said user requests in said common request format to invoke said requests in the respective corresponding system management application in a format compatible with the respective system management application, said translating step being performed in a respective local system on which each of said different system management application resides; and

consolidating responses received from said different system management applications for presentation to a user in said common user interface.

14. The distributed computer program product of claim 13, wherein said system management function requests transmitted by said transmitting step using a common request format comprise requests formatted according to Web Services Definition Language (WSDL).

15. The distributed computer program product of claim 13, wherein said common user interface generated by said generating step comprises an interactive web interface accessible by a web browser.