METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ASSIGNING PROVISIONING SERVERS IN A SOFTWARE PROVISIONING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20100057890A1
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: DeHaan, Michael Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A software provisioning environment can include several provisioning servers for providing software provisioning to one or more target machines. To assign provisioning servers to the target machines, a provisioning server can be configured to assign the provisioning servers utilizing the provisioning objects. The provisioning server can be configured to associate selected provisioning objects with respective provisioning servers. By associating a provisioning object with a respective provisioning server, the respective provisioning server will operate as the provisioning server for any provisioning processes performed on target machines utilizing the selected provisioning object. The provisioning server can be configured to associate the provisioning objects with the provisioning servers based on any number of factors such as location of the provisioning servers, specifications of the provisioning servers, load on a provisioning server, and performance of a provisioning server.

Claims

1. A method of managing a software provisioning environment, comprising:

selecting at least one provisioning object to be associated with at least one provisioning server, wherein the provisioning object comprises data to perform provisioning process on target systems; and

associating the at least one provisioning server with the at least one provisioning object, wherein the associating will cause the target systems utilizing the at least one provisioning object to perform the provisioning processes in cooperation with the at least one provisioning server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, by the at least one provisioning server, the provisioning processes for at least one of the target systems.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the at least one provisioning server with the at least one provisioning object, comprises:

inserting a reference to the at least provisioning server in the at least one provisioning object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the reference comprises at least one of an identity of the at least one provisioning server or a location of the at least one provisioning server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one provisioning object comprises a distribution profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one provisioning object comprises identity information of the target machines.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection is based on at least one of a performance of the at least one provisioning server, specifications of the at least one provisioning server, workload of the at least one provisioning server, or location of the at least one provisioning server.

8. A system for managing a software provisioning environment, comprising:

a network interface to a network comprises at least one target machine; and

a provisioning server, communicating with the network interface, the provisioning server being configured to

select at least one provisioning object to be associated with the provisioning server or at least one other provisioning server, wherein the provisioning object comprises data to perform provisioning process on target systems; and

associate the provisioning server or the at least one other provisioning server with the at least one provisioning object, wherein the associating will cause the target systems utilizing the provisioning server or the at least one other provisioning server to perform the provisioning processes in cooperation with the at least one provisioning server.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the provisioning server is further configured to

perform the provisioning processes for the at least one of the target systems.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein associating the provisioning server or the at least one other provisioning server with the at least one provisioning object, comprises:

inserting a reference to the provisioning server or the at least one other provisioning server in the at least one provisioning object.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the reference comprises at least one of an identity of the provisioning server or the at least one other provisioning server, or a location of the provisioning server or the at least one other provisioning server.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one provisioning object comprises a distribution profile.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one provisioning object comprises identity information of the target machines.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the selection is based on at least one of a performance of the provisioning server or the at least one other provisioning server, specifications of the provisioning server or the at least one other provisioning server, workload of the at least one provisioning server, or location of the provisioning server or the at least one other provisioning server.

15. A provisioning application, the provisioning application being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising instructions for causing a computer to perform a method comprising:

selecting at least one provisioning object to be associated with at least one provisioning server, wherein the provisioning object comprises data to perform provisioning process on target systems; and

associating the at least one provisioning server with the at least one provisioning object, wherein the associating will cause the target systems utilizing the at least one provisioning object to perform the provisioning processes in cooperation with the at least one provisioning server.

16. The provisioning application of claim 15, the method further comprising:

performing, by the at least one provisioning server, the provisioning processes for at least one of the target systems.

17. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein associating the at least one provisioning server with the at least one provisioning object, comprises:

inserting a reference to the at least provisioning server in the at least one provisioning object.

18. The provisioning application of claim 17, wherein the reference comprises at least one of an identity of the at least one provisioning server or a location of the at least one provisioning server.

19. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein the at least one provisioning object comprises a distribution profile.

20. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein the at least one provisioning object comprises identity information of the target machines.

21. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein the selection is based on at least one of a performance of the at least one provisioning server, specifications of the at least one provisioning server, workload of the at least one provisioning server, or location of the at least one provisioning server.