METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING NETWORK CONNECTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVISIONING OBJECTS IN A SOFTWARE PROVISIONING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20100083245A1
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• 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, Eckersberg, John Joseph II
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A provisioning server can manage and configure the network parameters for target machines and systems residing in the networks associated with the provisioning server. The provisioning server can associate provisioning objects with the network configurations stored in the network record. The provisioning server can maintain an object record that associates the network configurations with different provisioning object. The provisioning server can utilize the object record to determine network parameters for target machines requesting provisioning processes, such as target machine installs, and virtualization.

Claims

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

maintaining, in a provisioning server, a provisioning record for set of provisioning objects associated with network configurations for a set of networks connections;

receiving a request to perform a provisioning process for at least one provisioning object of the set of provisioning object; and

performing at least one management action based on the network configurations associated with the at least one provisioning object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of provisioning objects comprises at least one of software distributions, distribution templates, distributions profiles, and identity information of target machines.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one provisioning process comprises performing software provisioning on a requested target machine for a requested provisioning object and performing the at least one management action comprises:

determining network parameters for the requested target machine based on the provisioning record;

providing the network parameters to the requested target machine; and

providing the network parameters to at least one configuration server associated with the requested target machine.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining network parameters for the requested target machine based on the provisioning record comprises:

determining a target network configuration associated with the requested provisioning object; and

determining the network parameters based on the target network configuration.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the network parameters comprises a network address for the requested target machine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one provisioning process comprises performing software provisioning on a requested virtual machine for a requested provisioning object and performing the at least one management action comprises:

determining network parameters for the requested virtual machine based on the provisioning record;

providing the network parameters to the requested virtual machine; and

providing the network parameters to at least one configuration server associated with the requested virtual machine.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining network parameters for the requested virtual machine based on the provisioning record comprises:

determining a target network configuration associated with the requested provisioning object; and

determining the network parameters based on the target network configuration.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the network parameters comprises a identification for the virtual machine and a network address for the requested virtual machine.

9. A system for managing network connections in a software provisioning environment, comprising:

a network interface to a network comprising a set of network connections; and

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

maintain, in a provisioning server, a provisioning record for set of provisioning objects associated with network configurations for the set of networks connections;

receive a request to perform a provisioning process for at least one provisioning object of the set of provisioning object; and

perform at least one management action based on the network configurations associated with the at least one provisioning object.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of provisioning objects comprises at least one of software distributions, distribution templates, distributions profiles, and identity information of target machines.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one provisioning process comprises performing software provisioning on a requested target machine for a requested provisioning object and performing the at least one management action comprises:

determining network parameters for the requested target machine based on the provisioning record;

providing the network parameters to the requested target machine; and

providing the network parameters to at least one configuration server associated with the requested target machine.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein determining network parameters for the requested target machine based on the provisioning record comprises:

determining a target network configuration associated with the requested provisioning object; and

determining the network parameters based on the target network configuration.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the network parameters comprises a network address for the requested target machine.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one provisioning process comprises performing software provisioning on a requested virtual machine for a requested provisioning object and performing the at least one management action comprises:

determining network parameters for the requested virtual machine based on the provisioning record;

providing the network parameters to the requested virtual machine; and

providing the network parameters to at least one configuration server associated with the requested virtual machine.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein determining network parameters for the requested virtual machine based on the provisioning record comprises:

determining a target network configuration associated with the requested provisioning object; and

determining the network parameters based on the target network configuration.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the network parameters comprises a identification for the virtual machine and a network address for the requested virtual machine.

17. 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:

maintaining, in a provisioning server, a provisioning record for set of provisioning objects associated with network configurations for a set of networks connections;

receiving a request to perform a provisioning process for at least one provisioning object of the set of provisioning object; and

performing at least one management action based on the network configurations associated with the at least one provisioning object.

18. The provisioning application of claim 17, wherein the set of provisioning objects comprises at least one of software distributions, distribution templates, distributions profiles, and identity information of target machines.

19. The provisioning application of claim 17, wherein the at least one provisioning process comprises performing software provisioning on a requested target machine for a requested provisioning object and performing the at least one management action comprises:

determining network parameters for the requested target machine based on the provisioning record;

providing the network parameters to the requested target machine; and

providing the network parameters to at least one configuration server associated with the requested target machine.

20. The provisioning application of claim 19, wherein determining network parameters for the requested target machine based on the provisioning record comprises:

determining a target network configuration associated with the requested provisioning object; and

determining the network parameters based on the target network configuration.

21. The provisioning application of claim 20, wherein the network parameters comprises a network address for the requested target machine.

22. The provisioning application of claim 17, wherein the at least one provisioning process comprises performing software provisioning on a requested virtual machine for a requested provisioning object and performing the at least one management action comprises:

determining network parameters for the requested virtual machine based on the provisioning record;

providing the network parameters to the requested virtual machine; and

providing the network parameters to at least one configuration server associated with the requested virtual machine.

23. The provisioning application of claim 22, wherein determining network parameters for the requested virtual machine based on the provisioning record comprises:

determining a target network configuration associated with the requested provisioning object; and

determining the network parameters based on the target network configuration.

24. The provisioning application of claim 23, wherein the network parameters comprises a identification for the virtual machine and a network address for the requested virtual machine.