System and Method for Logical Modeling of Distributed Computer Systems

• US 20060149838A1
• Filed: 03/07/2006
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tabbara, Bassam, Hunt, Galen C., Welland, Robert V., Hydrie, Aamer, Rehof, Jakob, Levi, Steven P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,574,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/024 using relational databases for representation of network management data, e.g. managing via structured query language [SQL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A modeling system permits developers of applications for distributed computer system, such as those used in server data centers or Internet data centers (IDCs), to architect their hardware and software in an abstract manner. The modeling system defines a set of components that represent abstract functional operations of the application that will eventually be physically implemented by one or more computers and one or more software programs executing on the computers. Associated with the model components is a schema that dictates how the functional operations are to be specified. From the model components, the developers can create logical, scale-independent models of the applications that may be implemented by the distributed computer system. The application is scale-independent in that the application is invariant in respect to the number of computers and software programs that my eventually be used to implement it. The application may subsequently be converted to a physical blueprint that specifies the number and type of hardware/software resources and the physical layout of the distributed computer system.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. A method comprising:

enabling design of a distributed computer system at least in part by representing hardware and software resources of the distributed computer system as model components to be included in a design for the distributed computer system, wherein the model components are selected from a group comprising;

a module that is representative of a behavior of an application that is implemented using the hardware and software resources and is to be implemented by the distributed computer system under design;

is a port that is representative of a service access point for the module; and

a wire that is representative of an allowable communication connection between two or more ports; and

forming, from the model components included in the design, a logical scale-independent model of the application to be implemented by the distributed computer system under design.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein at least one of the model components represent one or more similar resources.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein at least one of the model components are depicted in a graphical user interface as a graphical icon.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the model components have an associated schema that specifies the hardware and software resources represented by the model components.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the group of the model components further comprises a store that is representative of persistent data storage.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the group of the model components further comprises at least one of:

a store that is representative of persistent data storage;

an event source that is representative of a logical connection point for the module or the store from which event messages originate;

an event sink that is representative of a logical connection point for the module or the store to receive the event messages; and

an event wire that is representative of an interconnection between the event source and the event sink.

39. The method of claim 33, further comprising storing the scale-independent model on a computer-readable medium.

40. The method of claim 33, further comprising converting the scale-independent model into a blueprint of a server data center, the blueprint specifying the hardware and software resources used to physically implement the application.

41. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the method of claim 33.

42. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, direct a computing device to:

enable design a distributed computer system at least in part by;

defining individual model components as abstract functional operations that are physically implemented by one or more computers to be included in a design of the distributed computer system and one or more software programs executing on the computers, the model components having an associated schema dictating how the functional operations are specified;

interconnecting the model components to logically connect the functional operations; and

generating a scale-independent application from the interconnected model components and the associated schema; and

converting the scale-independent application into a blueprint that specifies the computers and the software programs used to physically implement the application.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause at least one of the model components to be depicted in a graphical user interface as a graphical icon.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, enable entering, via a user interface, a description of elements for implementing the functional operations.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, define at least one model component that represents a set of resources provided by the computers and the software programs, the resources being scalable from one to many.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 45, wherein the model components are selected from a group comprising:

a module that is representative of a behavior of the application;

a port that is representative of a communication access point for the module; and

a wire that is representative of an interconnection between two or more ports.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 46, wherein the group of the model components further comprises:

a store that is representative of persistent data storage;

an event source that is representative of a logical connection point for the module or the store from which event messages originate;

an event sink that is representative of a logical connection point for the module or the store to receive the event messages; and

an event wire that is representative of an interconnection between the event source and the event sink.

48. A system comprising:

means for designing a distributed computer system at least in part by representing hardware and software resources of the distributed computer system as model components to be included in a design for the distributed computer system, wherein the model components are selected from a group comprising;

a module that is representative of a behavior of an application that is implemented using the hardware and software resources and is to be implemented by the distributed computer system under design;

a port that is representative of a communication access point for the module; and

a wire that is representative of an interconnection between two or more ports; and

means for associating the model components included in the design with a schema dictating how the hardware and software resources are specified.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the group of the model components further comprises:

a store that is representative of persistent data storage;

an event source that is representative of a logical connection point for the module or the store from which event messages originate;

an event sink that is representative of a logical connection point for the module or the store to receive the event messages; and

an event wire that is representative of an interconnection between the event source and the event sink.

50. The system of claim 48, further comprising means for creating a scale-independent application from the model components and the associated schema.

51. A system of claim 48, further comprising means for converting the scale-independent application into a blueprint that specifies the hardware and software resources used to physically implement the application on the distributed computer system.