SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ABSTRACTING SOFTWARE CONTENT MANAGEMENT IN A SOFTWARE PROVISIONING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20100223607A1
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• 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 8,640,122 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

To provision software content from the different software repositories and manage updates to the repositories, a provisioning server can maintain a repository record. The repository record can include an identification of the repositories associated with the provisioning server. Additionally, the repository record can associate, with each identification of a repository, the type of repository, the software content contained in the repository, and provisioning objects associated with the software content contained in the repository. The provisioning server can be configured to utilize the repository record during provisioning processes for software content and for updating software content of target machines.

Claims

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

maintaining a repository record, wherein the repository record comprises an identification of a set of software repositories, an identification of a set of software content associated with each software repository in the set of software repositories, and an identification of provisioning objects in a set of provisioning objects associated each repository in the set of software repositories;

initiating a provisioning process on at least one target machine in a network of target machines for at least one provisioning object in the set of provisioning objects;

examining the repository record to determine a target repository in the set of software repositories for obtaining target software content in the set of software content associated with the provisioning object; and

performing the provisioning process utilizing the target software content.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

retrieving the target software content for the target repository prior to performing the provisioning process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the provisioning process comprises installing the target software content on the at least one target machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of provisioning objects comprises at least one of a profile for the provisioning process, a template for the provisioning process, a software content record for the provisioning process, and a record for the at least one target machine.

5. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

identifying updated software content in the set of software content;

determining at least one updated provisioning object, in the set of provisioning objects, subject to the updated software content; and

performing an update provisioning process on one target machine, in the network of target machines, associated with the at least one updated provisioning object.

6. The method of claim 5, the method further comprising:

altering the at least one updated provisioning object based on the updated software content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of software repositories comprise different types of software repositories.

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

a network interface to a network of target machines; and

a provisioning server, communicating with the network interface and a set of software repositories, the provisioning server being configured to—

maintain a repository record, wherein the repository record comprises an identification of the set of software repositories, an identification of a set of software content associated with each software repository in the set of software repositories, and an identification of provisioning objects in a set of provisioning objects associated each repository in the set of software repositories;

initiate a provisioning process on at least one target machine in the network of target machines for at least one provisioning object in the set of provisioning objects;

examine the repository record to determine a target repository in the set of software repositories for obtaining target software content in the set of software content associated with the provisioning object; and

perform the provisioning process utilizing the target software content.

9. The system of claim 8, the provisioning server being further configured to—

retrieve the target software content for the target repository prior to performing the provisioning process.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the provisioning process comprises installing the target software content on the at least one target machine.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the set of provisioning objects comprises at least one of a profile for the provisioning process, a template for the provisioning process, a software content record for the provisioning process, and a record for the at least one target machine.

12. The system of claim 8, the provisioning server being further configured to—

identify updated software content in the set of software content;

determine at least one updated provisioning object, in the set of provisioning objects, subject to the updated software content; and

perform an update provisioning process on one target machine, in the network of target machines, associated with the at least one updated provisioning object.

13. The system of claim 12, the provisioning server being further configured to—

alter the at least one updated provisioning object based on the updated software content.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the set of software repositories comprise different types of software repositories.

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

maintaining a repository record, wherein the repository record comprises an identification of a set of software repositories, an identification of a set of software content associated with each software repository in the set of software repositories, and an identification of provisioning objects in a set of provisioning objects associated each repository in the set of software repositories;

initiating a provisioning process on at least one target machine in a network of target machines for at least one provisioning object in the set of provisioning objects;

examining the repository record to determine a target repository in the set of software repositories for obtaining target software content in the set of software content associated with the provisioning object; and

performing the provisioning process utilizing the target software content.

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

retrieving the target software content for the target repository prior to performing the provisioning process.

17. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein the provisioning process comprises installing the target software content on the at least one target machine.

18. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein the set of provisioning objects comprises at least one of a profile for the provisioning process, a template for the provisioning process, a software content record for the provisioning process, and a record for the at least one target machine.

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

identifying updated software content in the set of software content;

determining at least one updated provisioning object, in the set of provisioning objects, subject to the updated software content; and

performing an update provisioning process on one target machine, in the network of target machines, associated with the at least one updated provisioning object.

20. The provisioning application of claim 19, the method further comprising:

altering the at least one updated provisioning object based on the updated software content.

21. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein the set of software repositories comprise different types of software repositories.