METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVISIONING TASKS USING A PROVISIONING BRIDGE SERVER

• US 20070245349A1
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Sinn, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,475,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4523 using lightweight directory access protocol [LDAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The present invention is directed to technology for interacting with provisioning systems. An entity has an associated job code attribute that corresponds to a set of external resources. In one embodiment, an Identity System assigns the job code attribute to the entity. The external resources may be supported by different provisioning systems. A Provisioning Bridge Server determines whether a set of provisioning systems supports the resources corresponding to the job code attribute. The Provisioning Bridge Server also provisions the tasks required to make the external resources available to the entity. The tasks may be provisioned across multiple provisioning systems.

Claims

1-49. -49. (canceled)

50. A computer implemented method for provisioning tasks, said method comprising:

determining whether a job code attribute for an entity is supported by a plurality of provisioning systems, wherein said job code attribute corresponds to a set of external resources for said entity; and

provisioning a set of tasks related to said set of external resources to said plurality of provisioning systems in response to said job code attribute, wherein provisioning the set of tasks comprises submitting a first request for a first task from said set of tasks to a first provisioning system in said plurality of provisioning systems, wherein said first request calls for said first provisioning system to affect a first resource in said set of external resources, submitting a second request for a second task from said set of tasks to a second provisioning system in said plurality of provisioning systems, wherein said second request calls for said second provisioning system to affect a second resource in said set of external resources, determining whether any tasks in said set of tasks failed, in response to determining one or more tasks in said set of tasks have failed determining whether to complete provisioning for said set of tasks, and in response to determining to complete provisioning for said set of tasks, continuing provisioning tasks of said set of tasks that have not been determined to have failed.

51. The computer implemented method of claim 50, wherein said set of external resources includes multiple resources.

52. The computer implemented method of claim 50, wherein said determining whether the job code attribute for the entity is supported by the plurality of provisioning systems comprises:

determining whether each resource in said set of external resources is supported by at least one provisioning system in said plurality of provisioning systems.

53. The computer implemented method of claim 50, wherein said determining whether the job code attribute for the entity is supported by the plurality of provisioning systems comprises:

comparing said job code attribute to an entry in a set of control information.

54. The computer implemented method of claim 53, wherein said entry in said set of control information includes a first field identifying a job code and second field identifying a resource.

55. The computer implemented method of claim 53 further comprising:

maintaining said set of control information.

56. The computer implemented method of claim 55, wherein said maintaining said set of control information comprises:

retrieving information from said plurality of provisioning systems; and

storing said information from said plurality of provisioning systems in said set of control information.

57. The computer implemented method of claim 56, wherein retrieving information from said plurality of provisioning systems and storing said information from said plurality of provisioning systems in said set of control information are repeated after a predetermined period of time.

58. The computer implemented method of claim 56, wherein said information from said plurality of provisioning systems identifies external resources supported by said plurality of provisioning systems.

59. The computer implemented method of claim 50, further comprising:

obtaining approval for provisioning said set of tasks.

60. The computer implemented method of claim 59, wherein obtaining approval for provisioning said set of tasks comprises:

requesting approval for provisioning said set of tasks; and

determining whether any requests have been rejected.

61. The computer implemented method of claim 60, wherein obtaining approval for provisioning said set of tasks further comprises:

determining whether to proceed with provisioning if any requests have been rejected.

62. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method for provisioning tasks, said method comprising:

determining whether a job code attribute for an entity is supported by a plurality of provisioning systems, wherein said job code attribute corresponds to a set of external resources for said entity; and

provisioning a set of tasks related to said set of external resources to said plurality of provisioning systems in response to said job code attribute, wherein provisioning the set of tasks comprises submitting a first request for a first task from said set of tasks to a first provisioning system in said plurality of provisioning systems, wherein said first request calls for said first provisioning system to affect a first resource in said set of external resources, submitting a second request for a second task from said set of tasks to a second provisioning system in said plurality of provisioning systems, wherein said second request calls for said second provisioning system to affect a second resource in said set of external resources, determining whether any tasks in said set of tasks failed, in response to determining one or more tasks in said set of tasks have failed determining whether to complete provisioning for said set of tasks, and in response to determining to complete provisioning for said set of tasks, continuing provisioning tasks of said set of tasks that have not been determined to have failed.

63. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 62, wherein said set of external resources includes multiple resources.

64. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 62, wherein determining whether the job code attribute for the entity is supported by the plurality of provisioning systems comprises:

determining whether each resource in said set of external resources is supported by at least one provisioning system in said plurality of provisioning systems.

65. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 62, wherein determining whether the job code attribute for the entity is supported by the plurality of provisioning systems comprises:

comparing said job code attribute to an entry in a set of control information.

66. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 65, wherein said entry in said set of control information includes a first field identifying a job code and second field identifying a resource.

67. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 64, wherein said method further comprises:

maintaining said set of control information.

68. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 67, wherein maintaining said set of control information comprises:

retrieving information from said plurality of provisioning systems; and

storing said information from said plurality of provisioning systems in said set of control information.

69. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 68, wherein said information from said plurality of provisioning systems identifies external resources supported by said plurality of provisioning systems.

70. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 62, wherein said method further comprises:

obtaining approval for provisioning said set of tasks.

71. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 70, wherein s obtaining approval for provisioning said set of tasks comprises:

requesting approval for provisioning said set of tasks; and

determining whether any requests have been rejected.

72. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 71, wherein obtaining approval for provisioning said set of tasks further comprises:

determining whether to proceed with provisioning if any requests have been rejected.

73. An apparatus comprising:

one or more communications interfaces;

one or more storage devices; and

one or more processors in communication with said one or more storage devices and said one or more communication interfaces, said one or more processors perform a method for provisioning tasks, said method comprising the steps of;

determining whether a job code attribute for an entity is supported by a plurality of provisioning systems, wherein said job code attribute corresponds to a set of external resources for said entity; and

provisioning a set of tasks related to said set of external resources to said plurality of provisioning systems in response to said job code attribute, wherein provisioning the set of tasks comprises submitting a first request for a first task from said set of tasks to a first provisioning system in said plurality of provisioning systems, wherein said first request calls for said first provisioning system to affect a first resource in said set of external resources, submitting a second request for a second task from said set of tasks to a second provisioning system in said plurality of provisioning systems, wherein said second request calls for said second provisioning system to affect a second resource in said set of external resources, determining whether any tasks in said set of tasks failed, in response to determining one or more tasks in said set of tasks have failed determining whether to complete provisioning for said set of tasks, and in response to determining to complete provisioning for said set of tasks, continuing provisioning tasks of said set of tasks that have not been determined to have failed.

74. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein said set of external resources includes multiple resources.

75. The apparatus of claim 73;

wherein determining whether the job code attribute for the entity is supported by the plurality of provisioning systems comprises;

determining whether each resource in said set of external resources is supported by at least one provisioning system in said plurality of provisioning systems.

76. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein determining whether the job code attribute for the entity is supported by the plurality of provisioning systems comprises:

comparing said job code attribute to an entry in a set of control information, wherein said entry in said set of control information includes a first field identifying a job code and second field identifying a resource.

77. The apparatus of claim 76, wherein said method further comprises:

maintaining said set of control information.

78. The apparatus of claim 77, wherein maintaining said set of control information:

comprises;

retrieving information from said plurality of provisioning systems, wherein said information from said plurality of provisioning system identifies external resources supported by said plurality of provisioning systems; and

storing said information from said plurality of provisioning systems in said set of control information.

79. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein said method further comprises:

obtaining approval for provisioning said set of tasks.

80. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein said apparatus includes a Provisioning Bridge Server.

81. The apparatus of claim 80, wherein said Provisioning Bridge Server performs said determining whether a job code attribute for an entity is supported by a plurality of provisioning systems and provisioning the set of tasks related to said set of external resources to said plurality of provisioning systems in response to said job code attribute.

82. The apparatus of claim 80, wherein said apparatus includes an Identity Server in communication with said Provisioning Bridge Server and a set of control information in communication with said Provisioning Bridge Server.

83. The apparatus of claim 80, wherein said apparatus includes an Identity System.