METHOD, SYSTEM AND ARTICLE FOR MOBILE METADATA SOFTWARE AGENT IN A DATA-CENTRIC COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20100023577A1
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Vijaykumar, Karthik, BAEK, Ock Kee, Madaiah, Pradeep, Kumar, Seema Prasanth
• Granted Patent: US 8,903,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4868 with creation or replication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

An event management system that plays a central role in handling varying loads of metadata events from each of a large number of touch-points or data servers that come into a Data Centric computing environment. As a matter of distinction when compared to conventional method-centric computing environments, there is broadly contemplated herein the concept not of physically installing a software agent on a designated system as stationary entity, but of launching it in a distributed computing environment and permitting it to “roam” around the numerous data servers to ensure consistency, accuracy and currency between the data entities managed by multiple data servers and the metadata servers in a data-centric computing environment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

connecting with a plurality of nodes in a computing environment;

ascertaining an event among the nodes;

creating a mobile software agent;

dynamically provisioning the created mobile software agent to a node associated with the event; and

thereupon obtaining information regarding the event.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the nodes comprise data servers; and

the event comprises a data event associated with one of the data servers.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said provisioning comprises launching a mobile software agent from a software library to a data server.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computing environment comprises a data-centric computing environment.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the mobile software agent comprises an itinerary; and

said step of obtaining information comprises populating the itinerary with a metadata server address relating to a node associated with the event.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the mobile software agent comprises a credential vault; and

said step of obtaining information comprises populating the credential vault with credentials relating to a node associated with the event.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the mobile software agent comprises a metadata component; and

said step of obtaining information comprises populating the metadata component with metadata relating to a node associated with the event.

8. An apparatus comprising:

an interface which connects with a plurality of nodes in a computing environment; and

a mobile software component which acts to;

ascertain an event among the nodes;

create a mobile software agent;

dynamically provision the created mobile software agent to a node associated with the event; and

thereupon obtain information regarding the event.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the nodes comprise data servers; and

the event comprises a data event associated with one of the data servers.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said mobile software component acts to launch said mobile software agent from a software library to a data server.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the computing environment comprises a data-centric computing environment.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

said mobile software agent comprises an itinerary; and

said mobile software agent acts to populate the itinerary with a metadata server address relating to a node associated with the event.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

said mobile software agent comprises a credential vault; and

said mobile software agent acts to populate the credential vault with credentials relating to a node associated with the event.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

said mobile software agent comprises a metadata component; and

said mobile software agent acts to populate the metadata component with metadata relating to a node associated with the event.

15. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method comprising:

connecting with a plurality of nodes in a computing environment;

ascertaining an event among the nodes;

creating a mobile software agent;

dynamically provisioning the created mobile software agent to a node associated with the event; and

thereupon obtaining information regarding the event.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein:

the nodes comprise data servers; and

the event comprises a data event associated with one of the data servers.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein said provisioning comprises launching a mobile software agent from a software library to a data server.

18. The device according to claim 15, wherein the computing environment comprises a data-centric computing environment.

19. The device according to claim 15, wherein:

the mobile software agent comprises an itinerary; and

said step of obtaining information comprises populating the itinerary with a metadata server address relating to a node associated with the event.

20. The device according to claim 15, wherein:

the mobile software agent comprises a credential vault; and

said step of obtaining information comprises populating the credential vault with credentials relating to a node associated with the event.

21. The device according to claim 15, wherein:

the mobile software agent comprises a metadata component; and

said step of obtaining information comprises populating the metadata component with metadata relating to a node associated with the event.