Configuring processing entities according to their roles in a data processing system with a distributed architecture

• US 20080228902A1
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Marinelli, Claudio, Pichetti, Luigi, Secomandi, Antonio, Lupini, Francesco, Ranucci, Roberto
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for configuring different computers of a network. Each computer plays a specific physic role (defined by an architecture of the network) and/or a specific logic role (defined by the applications running in the network). A reference model and a transition table are associated with each product to be installed in the network; the reference model specifies a target configuration for each role (defined by the components of the product to be installed), while the transition table specifies the actions required to reach each target configuration from each current configuration of the computers. A server identifies the role and the current configuration of each computer; the actions required to enforce the desired target configuration on the computer are then established and executed.

Claims

1. In a data processing system with a distributed architecture including a plurality of processing entities, each entity playing at least one of a plurality of predetermined roles in the system, a method of configuring the entities comprising:

defining a target configuration for each role,

identifying the at least one role of each entity, and

configuring each entity according to the target configuration corresponding to the at least one role of the entity.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of roles includes at least one physic role defined by an architecture of the system.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein an indication of the physic role of each entity is stored in a memory structure at an installation of the entity in the system, and wherein identifying the at least one role of each entity includes retrieving the indication of the corresponding physic role from the memory structure.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of roles includes at least one logic role defined by a software application installed in the system.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the software application includes a plurality of software features, each logic role being associated with a corresponding software feature, and wherein identifying the at least one role of each entity includes:

detecting the software feature installed on the entity, and

establishing the logic role according to the installed software feature.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein configuring each entity according to the target configuration includes:

detecting a current configuration of the entity,

identifying at least one action required to reach the target configuration from the current configuration, and

executing the at least one action.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

providing a software product including a plurality of components,

associating a reference structure with the product, the reference structure defining the target configuration for each role specifying at least one component to be installed, and

associating a transition structure with the product, for each current configuration the transition structure identifying the at least one action required to reach each target configuration.

8. A computer program application directly loadable into a working memory of a data processing system with a distributed architecture for performing the method of claim 1 when the program application is run in the system.

10. A program product comprising a computer readable medium on which the program application of claim 8 is stored.

9. In a data processing system with a distributed architecture including a plurality of processing entities, each entity playing at least one of a plurality of predetermined roles in the system, a computer program application directly loadable into a working memory of a server computer for performing a method of configuring the entities when the program application is run on the server computer, the method comprising:

defining a target configuration for each role,

identifying the at least one role of each entity, and

causing each entity to be configured according to the target configuration corresponding to the at least one role of the entity.

11. A data processing system with a distributed architecture including a plurality of processing entities, each entity playing at least one of a plurality of predetermined roles in the system, the data processing system comprising:

means for defining a target configuration for each role,

means for identifying the at least one role of each entity, and

means for configuring each entity according to the target configuration corresponding to the at least one role of the entity.

12. In a data processing system with a distributed architecture including a plurality of processing entities, each entity playing at least one of a plurality of predetermined roles in the system, a server computer for configuring the entities including:

means for defining a target configuration for each role,

means for identifying the at least one role of each entity, and

means for causing each entity to be configured according to the target configuration corresponding to the at least one role of the entity.