METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MODELING, VALIDATING AND AUTOMATICALLY RESOLVING GOALS AND DEPENDENCIES BETWEEN ELEMENTS WITHIN A TOPOLOGY

• US 20090183021A1
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Berg, Daniel Christopher, Yeung, Alice Tse, Swanke, John Eric, Snible, Edward Charles, Arnold, William Carlisle, Konstantinou, Alexander V., Vytas, Paul Darius, Holliday, Chad M., Blancett, Brad Lee, Makin, Narinder, Eilam, Tamar, Kalantar, Michael Husayn, Trossman, Andrew Neil
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3608 using formal methods, e.g. model checking, abstract interpretation theorem proving G06N5/013

Abstract

Computer implemented method, system and computer usable program code for configuring a computing system. A system for configuring a computing system includes a mechanism for creating a model of a computing system, a validator for determining whether there are any errors in the model, and a resolver, responsive to determining that there is at least one error in the model, for determining whether there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error. A selector, responsive to determining that there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error, selects at least one resolution among the at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error to form at least one selected resolution to correct the at least one error, and applies the at least one selected resolution to the model to form a transformed model. An output outputs the transformed model to a user.

Claims

1. A system for configuring a computing system, comprising:

a mechanism for creating a model of a computing system;

a validator for determining whether there are any errors in the model;

a resolver, responsive to determining that there is at least one error in the model, for determining whether there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error;

a selector, responsive to determining that there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error, for selecting at least one resolution among the at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error to form at least one selected resolution to correct the at least one error, and for applying the at least one selected resolution to the model to form a transformed model; and

an output for outputting the transformed model to a user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mechanism for creating the model of the computing system comprises a mechanism for identifying relationships among resources in the model.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mechanism for identifying relationships among resources in the model, identifies at least one of hosting requirements between two resources in the model, dependency requirements between resources in the model, and membership links defining constraints between resources.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the validator validates the model in accordance with validation rules which define constraints on the model to identify any errors in the model.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the validator validates the model in accordance with validation rules by validating the model in separate threads of execution of the model.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the selector comprises a configuring system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the output, responsive to determining that there are no errors in the model, outputs the model to the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises one of a complete computing system, a subunit of a computing system and a collection of computing systems.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises at least one of a hardware system and a software system.

10. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer recordable medium having computer usable program code for configuring a computer system, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for creating a model of a computing system;

computer usable program code for determining whether there are any errors in the model;

computer usable program code, responsive to determining that there is at least one error in the model, for determining whether there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error;

computer usable program code, responsive to determining that there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error;

for selecting at least one resolution among the at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error to form at least one selected resolution to correct the at least one error; and

for applying the at least one selected resolution to the model to form a transformed model; and

computer usable program code for outputting the transformed model to a user.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code for creating a model of a computing system includes computer usable program code for identifying relationships among resources in the model.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code for identifying relationships among resources in the model, comprises:

computer usable program code for identifying at least one of hosting requirements between two resources in the model, dependency requirements between resources in the model, and membership links defining constraints between resources.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code for determining whether there are any errors in the model comprises:

computer usable program code for validating the model in accordance with validation rules which define constraints on the model to identify any errors in the model.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer usable program code for validating the model in accordance with validation rules comprises:

computer usable program code for validating the model in separate threads of execution of the model.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code for selecting at least one resolution among the at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error to form at least one selected resolution to correct the at least one error, comprises computer usable program code enabling one of a user and a configuring system to select the at least one resolution among the at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error to form the at least one selected resolution to correct the at least one error.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, and further comprising:

computer usable program code for repeating the determining, selecting and applying steps with respect to the transformed model.

17. The computer program product of claim 10, and further comprising:

computer usable program code, responsive to determining that there are no errors in the model, for outputting the model to the user.

18. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computing system comprises one of a complete computing system, a subunit of a computing system and a collection of computing systems.

19. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computing system comprises at least one of a hardware system and a software system.