Configurable Software Stack

• US 20070250813A1
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rajarajan, Vij, Zizys, Giedrius, Sanghvi, Ashvinkumar
• Granted Patent: US 7,971,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Described are software stacks for accepting and implementing portable packages containing encodings of processes. The packages are portable and distinct from the technology stacks. The packages may be in the form of declarative code for configuring the technology stacks and can be plugged into the technology stacks to allow the technology stack to play the packages, thereby automating the processes encoded by the packages. The technology stacks have components that are declaratively configurable such that they can provide their functionality autonomously and yet can also, as a unit, in performing their respective functions, cooperatively perform the processes encoded by the packages.

Claims

1. A software stack for an IT infrastructure for an organization, the software stack comprising:

a set of autonomous stack components, each capable of, by itself, providing a different type of IT application service to users of the organization, where each stack component can be configured with corresponding declarative code, and where when such declarative code is applied to a stack component the stack component becomes reconfigured to be capable of providing its IT application service as extended in accordance with what is described by declarative code, whereby the stack components become to independently provide their respective extended IT application services but configured such that they together automate a process encoded by the declarative code.

2. A software stack according to claim 1, wherein a first stack component comprises an artifact store providing an IT application service of storing objects and relations therebetween, a second stack component comprises a workflow framework providing an IT application service of managing and executing workflows, and a third stack component comprises a forms framework providing an IT application service for forms, and the three stack components are capable of both autonomously providing their respective IT application services and are capable of service-level interoperation.

3. A software stack according to claim 2, wherein a fourth stack component comprises a knowledge framework providing an IT application service of managing knowledge.

4. A software stack according to claim 2, wherein a fourth stack component comprises a linking framework that is a configurable component for integrating the stack with systems outside the stack.

5. A software stack according to claim 2, wherein a fourth stack component comprises a portal framework for managing and providing web portals.

6. A software stack according to claim 1, wherein the first stack component comprises an object store for storing objects and relations therebetween.

7. A software stack according to claim 6, wherein the object store comprises a Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

8. A software stack for a business organization, the software stack comprising:

a set of autonomous software stack components that provide respective autonomous software services to IT users without requiring the other software stack components;

wherein the functionality of each autonomous software service can be extended with new functionality by reconfiguring it'"'"'s corresponding autonomous software stack component using declarative code that declares the new functionality;

wherein when declarative code is applied to a corresponding autonomous software stack component the component becomes reconfigured such that its ability to perform its software service includes the ability to perform the new functionality; and

wherein the autonomous software components are configured such that each software stack component is also capable of collaborating the other consistently configured software stack components to perform business and/or IT processes defined by respective plug-and-play packages.

10. A software stack according to claim 8, wherein a first autonomous software stack component comprises an artifact store providing an IT application service of storing objects and relations therebetween, a second autonomous stack component comprises a workflow framework providing an IT application service of managing and executing workflows, and a third autonomous software stack component comprises a forms framework providing an IT application service for forms, and the three stack components are capable of both autonomously providing their respective IT application services and are capable of together performing the business and/or IT processes.

11. A software stack according to claim 10, wherein a fourth autonomous software stack component comprises a knowledge framework providing an IT application service of managing knowledge.

12. A software stack according to claim 11, wherein a fourth autonomous software stack component comprises a linking framework for linking systems outside the stack such that they can participate in the performing of the business and/or IT processes.

13. A software stack according to claim 11, wherein a fourth stack component comprises a portal framework for managing and providing web portals.

14. A software stack according to claim 10, wherein a first autonomous software stack component comprises an object store for storing objects and relations therebetween.

15. A software stack according to claim 14, wherein the object store comprises a Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

16. A software stack according to claim 10, wherein the autonomous software stack components have each been configured by respective portions of declarative code that together define a business process.

17. A software stack according to claim 16, wherein the portions of declarative code are provided by a portable package that has been applied to the software stack.

18. A software stack according to claim 16, wherein a first autonomous software stack component comprises an artifact store providing an IT application service of storing objects and relations therebetween, a second autonomous stack component comprises a workflow framework providing an IT application service of managing and executing workflows, and a third autonomous software stack component comprises a forms framework providing an IT application service for forms, and the three stack components are capable of both autonomously providing their respective IT application services and are capable of service-level interoperation, and where the three components are capable of interoperation as defined by the declarative code of the portable package.