Transparent configuration of a network appliance

• US 20090150522A1
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Schneider, James P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,276,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events

Abstract

A method and apparatus for configuring a remotely available service. In one embodiment, the method includes downloading configuration data for the remotely available service while running a current instance of the service, and invoking a new instance of the service without causing a current instance of the service to terminate. The method may further include causing the current instance of the service to continue performing designated operations until the new instance completes initialization using the configuration data and is able to perform the designated operations.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for a remotely available service, comprising:

downloading configuration data for the remotely available service while running a current instance of the remotely available service;

invoking a new instance of the remotely available service without causing the current instance of the remotely available service to terminate; and

causing the current instance of the remotely available service to continue performing designated operations until the new instance completes initialization using the configuration data and is able to perform the designated operations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the remotely available service is a monitoring scheduler running on a network appliance;

the configuration data is downloaded from a server via a network; and

the designated operations comprise monitoring operations.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the new instance of the monitoring scheduler notifies the current instance of the monitoring scheduler upon completing the initialization.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the current instance of the monitoring scheduler receives a notification of the new instance of the monitoring scheduler, completes ongoing monitoring operations, and shuts down.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the current instance of the monitoring scheduler notifies the new instance of the monitoring scheduler upon completing ongoing monitoring operations.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the new instance of the monitoring scheduler begins the monitoring operations upon receiving a notification from the current instance of the monitoring scheduler.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the configuration data specifies code to be executed for the monitoring operations and data required for executing the code; and

the monitoring operations are directed to components of a plurality of devices on a network, the components comprising one or more of hardware components, operating systems, databases, network services provided by the plurality of devices, applications running on the plurality of devices, or websites maintained by the plurality of devices.

8. A computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a first machine, cause the first machine to perform a method comprising:

downloading configuration data for a remotely available service while running a current instance of the remotely available service;

invoking a new instance of the remotely available service without causing the current instance of the remotely available service to terminate; and

causing the current instance of the remotely available service to continue performing designated operations until the new instance completes initialization using the configuration data and is able to perform the designated operations.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein:

the remotely available service is a monitoring scheduler running on a network appliance;

the configuration data is downloaded from a server via a network; and

the designated operations comprise monitoring operations.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the new instance of the monitoring scheduler notifies the current instance of the monitoring scheduler upon completing the initialization.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the current instance of the monitoring scheduler receives a notification of the new instance of the monitoring scheduler, completes ongoing monitoring operations, and shuts down.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the current instance of the monitoring scheduler notifies the new instance of the monitoring scheduler upon completing ongoing monitoring operations.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein the new instance of the monitoring scheduler begins the monitoring operations upon receiving a notification from the current instance of the monitoring scheduler.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein:

the configuration data specifies code to be executed for the monitoring operations and data required for executing the code; and

the monitoring operations are directed to components of a plurality of devices on a network, the components comprising one or more of hardware components, operating systems, databases, network services provided by the plurality of devices, applications running on the plurality of devices, or websites maintained by the plurality of devices.

15. A network appliance apparatus, comprising:

a configuration manager to download configuration data for the network appliance from a server, the network appliance running a current instance of a monitoring scheduler, and to invoke a new instance of the monitoring scheduler without causing the current instance of the monitoring scheduler to terminate; and

the current instance of the monitoring scheduler to run in parallel with the new instance of the monitoring scheduler until the new instance completes initialization using the configuration data and is able to perform monitoring operations.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the new instance of the monitoring scheduler is to notify the current instance of the monitoring scheduler upon completing the initialization.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the current instance of the monitoring scheduler is to receive a notification of the new instance of the monitoring scheduler, to complete ongoing monitoring operations, and to shut down.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the current instance of the monitoring scheduler is to notify the new instance of the monitoring scheduler upon completing ongoing monitoring operations.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the new instance of the monitoring scheduler is to begin the monitoring operations upon receiving a notification from the current instance of the monitoring scheduler.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein:

the configuration data specifies code to be executed for the monitoring operations and data required for executing the code; and

the monitoring operations are directed to components of a plurality of devices on a network, the components comprising one or more of hardware components, operating systems, databases, network services provided by the plurality of devices, applications running on the plurality of devices, or websites maintained by the plurality of devices.