DETECTING, USING, AND SHARING IT DESIGN PATTERNS AND ANTI-PATTERNS

• US 20110265064A1
• Filed: 04/26/2010
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Connelly, Kieron John James, Lagunova, Olga, Hadar, Eitan, Lazzaro, Peter Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 9,336,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/302 where the computing system component is a software system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3037 where the computing system component is a memory, e.g. virtual memory, cache accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures G06F12/00; checking stores for correct operation G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90344 by using string matching techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/77 Software metrics

Abstract

Various embodiments described and illustrated herein include at least one of systems, methods, and software to identify, use, or share patterns and anti-patterns. Embodiments that include pattern and anti-pattern identification operate to identify candidate patterns and anti-patterns within a deployed system and to confirm or receive confirmation that the identified candidates are indeed patterns or anti-patterns. Embodiments that use patterns and anti-patterns operate to consume the identified patterns and anti-patterns to improve system performance. The embodiments that share patterns and anti-patterns include mechanisms whereby patterns and anti-patterns can be sent to and received from other systems.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, in a configuration item database stored on a data storage device, data representative of configuration item settings of a computing system, the configuration item database including configuration item data representative of current configuration settings and previous configuration settings, the configuration item data including a time element identifying a period when each particular item of configuration item data was operative within the computing system;

periodically applying at least one performance metric to the computing system through execution of instructions on at least one computer processor to obtain performance metric data indicative of performance with regard to at least a portion of the computing system;

storing, in a performance metric data database, the performance metric data with a time element representative of a time when the performance metric data was generated;

based on performance levels over time, identifying;

candidate configuration setting patterns associated with maintained and improved service levels; and

candidate configuration setting anti-patterns associated with deteriorating and non-improving, low service levels; and

storing data representative of the identified candidate configuration setting patterns and anti-patterns.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the candidate configuration setting patterns and anti-patterns includes:

periodically executing at least one report against the performance metric database to identify a change in a service quality level as a function of the stored performance metric data of a current configuration and at least one previous configuration; and

when a change in the service quality level is identified, identifying configuration item differences between the current configuration and the at least one previous configuration of the at least a portion of the computing system, the current configuration of the identified configuration items for which differences were identified forming a portion of the candidate configuration setting pattern or anti-pattern.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the candidate configuration setting patterns and anti-patterns includes:

identifying a performance level change over time by comparing performance metric data of a particular performance metric, the performance level change identified between a current configuration and a previous configuration;

comparing configuration item settings of the current configuration and the previous configuration to identify configuration item configuration setting differences, the identified configuration item setting differences being a candidate configuration setting pattern or anti-pattern.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving input confirming a candidate configuration setting pattern or anti-pattern as a pattern or anti-pattern;

generating a pattern data structure including the pattern or anti-pattern and storing the pattern data structure in a pattern repository, the pattern repository stored on a data storage device; and

wherein the configuration item configuration settings of the pattern or anti-pattern represented by the data structure can be copied from the data structure and implemented in another computing system.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving input to populate the pattern data structure with additional data, the additional data of the received input including metadata descriptive of the configuration setting pattern or anti-pattern, a graphical representation of the configuration setting pattern or anti-pattern, and data identifying configuration items, processes, and services related to the pattern or anti-pattern; and

storing, in the pattern repository, the pattern data structure including the additional data of the received input.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data structure of the configuration setting pattern or anti-pattern further includes a performance metric from which the pattern or anti-pattern was identified.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a pattern repository query including query data;

based on the query data, identifying a pattern data structure stored in the pattern repository most closely matching the query data of the query; and

responding to the pattern repository query with data representative of the identified pattern data structure.

8. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory device;

at least one data storage device;

a pattern repository including data stored on the at least one data storage device, the pattern repository holding pattern data structures each including data representative of computing system configuration item configuration settings defining a pattern or anti-pattern;

a performance metric database storing;

performance metrics executable by the at least one processor to measure performance of a computing system based on performance related data obtained from processes of the computing system and devices upon which the computing system operates; and

performance metric data provided as a result of applying performance metrics, each performance metric data item including a time data element identifying when the performance metric data was generated; and

a system improvement module having instructions stored and retrievable from the at least one data storage device in to the at least one memory device that are executable by the at least one processor to;

measure performance of the computing system by applying at least one performance metric retrieved from the performance metric database;

when applying the at least one performance metric reveals a performance issue within the computing system, query the pattern repository to identify a pattern, the implementation of which is likely to improve performance of the computing system with regard to the revealed performance issue; and

implement the identified pattern in the computing system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the system improvement module includes further instructions executable by the at least one processor to:

measure performance of the computing system, subsequent to implementing the identified pattern, based on the at least one performance metric and other performance metrics to confirm the identified pattern, when implemented, resolved the previously revealed performance issue and to identify other performance issues that may arise due to the implementation of the identified pattern.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein implementing the identified pattern in the computing system includes:

sending a command to a provisioning computer application to implement the configuration item configuration settings of the identified pattern within the computing system.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the system improvement module includes further instructions executable by the at least one processor to:

when the querying of the pattern repository to identify a pattern, the implementation of which is likely to improve performance of the system, fails to identify a pattern, compare configuration item settings of a current configuration of the computing system and a previous configuration of the computing system to identify configuration item configuration setting differences, the identified configuration item setting differences being a candidate configuration setting anti-pattern.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the system improvement module includes further instructions executable by the at least one processor to:

receive input confirming the candidate configuration setting anti-pattern as an anti-pattern;

generate a pattern data structure including the anti-pattern and storing the pattern data structure in the pattern repository; and

wherein the configuration item configuration settings of the anti-pattern represented by the data structure can be copied from the data structure and implemented in another computing system.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the system improvement module includes further instructions executable by the at least one processor to:

evaluate a configuration of the computing system based on anti-patterns retrieved from the pattern repository to identify potential or actual configuration issues.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the system improvement module includes further instructions executable by the at least one processor to:

when the evaluation of the configuration of the computing system reveals a potential or actual configuration issue within the computing system, query the pattern repository to identify a pattern, the implementation of which is likely to resolve the revealed potential or actual configuration issue; and

implement the identified pattern in the computing system.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, with instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processor of a computer, cause the computer to:

receive pattern data structures from a plurality of constituent system improvement module systems, the pattern data structures each including data representative of computing system configuration item configuration settings defining a pattern or anti-pattern and metadata descriptive of the pattern or anti-pattern represented by the data structure;

compare a received pattern data structure to other received pattern data structures to identify variations and generate groups of similar pattern data structures;

present a view of commonality between a group of similar pattern data structures;

receive input to abstract the commonality between the group of similar pattern data structures to generate a single template pattern data structure; and

store the template pattern data structure in a network location accessible by the constituent system improvement module systems to allow the constituent system improvement module systems to download the template pattern data structure.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the data representative of the configuration item configuration settings of the pattern or anti-pattern represented within the data structures can be copied from a downloaded data structure and implemented by a constituent system improvement module in a computing system of the constituent.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein each pattern data structure includes data from which a graphical representation of the configuration setting pattern or anti-pattern can be generated and data identifying configuration items, processes, and services related to the pattern or anti-pattern.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

a pattern data structure including configuration item configuration settings defining a pattern includes configuration item configuration settings associated with maintained and improved service levels; and

a pattern data structure including configuration item configuration settings defining an anti-pattern includes configuration item configuration settings associated with deteriorating and non-improving, low service levels.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the data representative of computing system configuration item configuration settings defining a pattern or anti-pattern include configuration item configuration settings of at least one logical process and at least one physical device.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions executable by the processor cause the computer to receive input to abstract the commonality between the group of similar pattern data structures to generate a single template pattern data structure includes instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the computer to:

present, in a user interface on a display device of the computer, a representation of;

configuration item configuration settings that are identical within the group of similar pattern data structures; and

configuration item configuration settings tht appear in less than the entire group of similar pattern data structures;

receive selection input via the user interface of configuration item configuration settings that appear in less than all of the group of similar pattern data structures to include in the single template data structure; and

generate the single template data structure.