DROPLET EXECUTION ENGINE FOR DYNAMIC SERVER APPLICATION DEPLOYMENT

• US 20110265081A1
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pivotal Software, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: LUCOVSKY, Mark, SPIVAK, Vadim, CHEN, Gerald C., COLLISON, Derek
• Granted Patent: US 9,772,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

A cloud computing environment provides the ability to deploy a web application that has been developed using one of a plurality of application frameworks and is configured to execute within one of a plurality of runtime environments. The cloud computing environment receives the web application in a package compatible with the runtime environment (e.g., a WAR file to be launched in an application server, for example) and dynamically binds available services by appropriately inserting service provisioning data (e.g., service network address, login credentials, etc.) into the package. The cloud computing environment then packages an instance of the runtime environment, a start script and the package into a web application deployment package, which is then transmitted to an application (e.g., container virtual machine, etc.). The application container unpacks the web application deployment package, installs the runtime environment, loads the web application package into the runtime environment and starts the start script, thereby deploying the web application in the application container.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically deploying a web application in an application container, the method comprising:

indicating availability of computing resources to host the web application;

retrieving a web application deployment package comprising a web application package and a start script file;

unpacking the web application deployment package into the application container;

installing a runtime environment compatible with the web application into the application container;

executing the start script to start the runtime environment and launch the web application in the runtime environment; and

broadcasting, upon a successful launch of the web application, network address information for the application container, thereby enabling listening routers to route web browser requests for the web application to the application container.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the web application deployment package is a tarball file and the web application package is a WAR file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application container is a virtual machine instantiated to host web applications.

4. The method of claim 3, performed by a deployment agent process in the virtual machine, wherein the deployment agent process is launched upon instantiation of the virtual machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the web deployment package further comprises the runtime environment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the runtime environment is an application server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating a stop script to stop the web application upon receiving a request to step the web application.

8. A computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer processor, causes the computer processor to dynamically deploy a web application in an application container, the method comprising, by performing the steps of:

indicating availability of computing resources to host the web application;

retrieving a web application deployment package comprising a web application package and a start script file;

unpacking the web application deployment package into the application container;

installing a runtime environment compatible with the web application into the application container;

executing the start script to start the runtime environment and launch the web application in the runtime environment; and

broadcasting, upon a successful launch of the web application, network address information for the application container, thereby enabling listening routers to route web browser requests for the web application to the application container.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the web application deployment package is a tarball file and the web application package is a WAR file.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the application container is a virtual machine instantiated to host web applications.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the steps are performed by a deployment agent process in the virtual machine and the deployment agent process is launched upon instantiation of the virtual machine.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the web deployment package further comprises the runtime environment.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the runtime environment is an application server.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions to perform the step of generating a stop script to stop the web application upon receiving a request to step the web application.

15. A server configured to run an application container to dynamically to host web applications, the server comprising a processor configured to perform the steps of:

indicating availability of computing resources to host the web application;

retrieving a web application deployment package comprising a web application package and a start script file;

unpacking the web application deployment package into the application container;

installing a runtime environment compatible with the web application into the application container;

executing the start script to start the runtime environment and launch the web application in the runtime environment; and

broadcasting, upon a successful launch of the web application, network address information for the application container, thereby enabling listening routers to route web browser requests for the web application to the application container.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the web application deployment package is a tarball file and the web application package is a WAR file.

17. The server of claim 15, wherein the application container is a virtual machine instantiated to host web applications.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein the steps are performed by a deployment agent process in the virtual machine and the deployment agent process is launched upon instantiation of the virtual machine.

19. The server of claim 15, wherein the web deployment package further comprises the runtime environment.

20. The server of claim 15, wherein the runtime environment is an application server.