TECHNIQUES FOR MANAGING SERVICE DEFINITIONS IN AN INTELLIGENT WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20110231846A1
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Sabin, Jason Allen, Carter, Stephen R., Larsen, Kal A., Kranendonk, Nathaniel Brent, Jorgensen, Michael John
• Granted Patent: US 10,114,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

Techniques for managing service definitions in an intelligent workload management system are provided. Workloads and software products are assembled as a single unit with custom configuration settings. The single unit represents a recallable and reusable service definition for a service that can be custom deployed within designated cloud processing environments.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and processed by one or more processors configured to perform the method, comprising:

acquiring workload images for workloads using workload identifiers, each workload image representing a workload executable version for a particular workload;

obtaining product images for software products using product identifiers, each product image representing a product executable version for a particular software product;

setting configuration parameters for each workload and product executable version; and

producing a service image for a custom service by assembling each workload and product executable version with the configuration parameters together as a single logical unit, the service image when instantiated and executed provides the custom service.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, deploying the service image and testing the custom service in a cloud processing environment.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising, adjusting some of the configuration parameters based on results of the testing to modify the service image representing a modified custom service.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, cataloguing the service image in a service repository.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising, producing a different version of the service image by using the service image from the service repository and performing one or more of:

altering the configuration parameters, adding new workload images, removing some of the workload images, adding new product images, and/or removing some of the product images.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising, authenticating the workload images and the product images via workload image identities and product image identities.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising, assigning a service image identity for the service image and maintaining with the service image for subsequent authentication of the custom service via the service image identity.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising, interactively receiving the workload identifiers, the product identifiers, and at least some of the configuration parameters.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein setting further includes dynamically prompting an administrator to supply or define at least some of the configuration parameters.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein producing further includes creating a service definition data structure that establishes a relationship for cloning instances of the workloads and the software products with the configuration parameters to form the service image and recording the relationship for reuse.

11. A method implemented in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and processed by one or more processors configured to perform the method, comprising:

interacting with an administrator to acquire workload identifiers for workloads and product identifiers for software products, each workload representing one or more specific functions;

prompting the administrator for configuration parameter values for configuration parameters for the workloads and the software products; and

creating a service definition by cloning instances of the workloads and the software products that are configured with the configuration parameters values, the service definition identified via a single reference and when installed and executed providing features of the workloads and software products as a service.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein interacting further includes deriving at least some of the workload identifiers and the software product identifiers via an existing service identifier supplied by the administrator, the existing service identifier used to identify an existing service definition for an existing service where the at least some workload identifiers and the software product identifiers are derived.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising, generating a deployment schedule for the service to be instantiated within one or more designated cloud processing environments based on evaluation of a deployment policy.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising, setting one or more tests to be performed by the service once instantiated within the one or more designated cloud processing environments.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising, prompting the administrator to adjust the configuration parameters based on results returned from the performance of the one or more tests.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising, logging results returned from the performance of the one or more tests as an audit trail for subsequent analysis and performance tuning of the service and the one or more cloud processing environments.

17. A system, comprising:

a configuration tool implemented in a computer-readable storage medium and to execute on one or more processors of a network;

an install manager implemented in a computer-readable storage medium and to execute on one or more processors of the network;

the configuration tool is configured to interact with an administrator to acquire workload and product images for workloads and software products, the configuration tool is also configured to acquire configuration settings from the administrator for the workload and product images, the install manager is configured to interact with the configuration tool to package the workload and product images and the configuration settings as a single logical unit identified as a service image for a custom service.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the install manager is further configured to manage the service image in a shared service repository that is shared with resources over the network.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the install manager is further configured to deploy the service image as an executable version of the custom service within one or more cloud processing environments.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the install manager is further configured to deploy the executable version of the custom service with testing and auditing capabilities within the one or more cloud processing environments.