System and Method for Installation and Management of Cloud-Independent Multi-Tenant Applications

• US 20120047239A1
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Ho, Ricky, Donahue, James E., Kannan, Sudarsun, Gore, Pradnyesh S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,812,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

An application framework may include a cloud-independent application manager, a cloud-independent content services manager, and cloud-independent content services servers. The framework may dynamically install and manage scalable, multi-tenant applications in a cloud, and may scale the applications, as needed. The application manager may receive and handle requests to install application domains and configurations thereof, and may receive and respond to requests for information about servers on which installed methods are available. The content services servers may execute installed methods, using underlying resources of the cloud, through a cloud-specific SPI. The content services manager and application manager may work together using shared cloud storage to provide scalable content services at a very large scale. In the context of the framework described herein, an “application” may be defined by methods bundled into configurations, and by various cost-based and/or performance-based rules that specify how server instances providing those methods are to be managed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

using one or more computers to perform;

a cloud-independent application manager that is executing in a cloud computing environment receiving a request to register an application configuration in the cloud computing environment, wherein the request comprises one or more cloud-independent methods composed in an application configuration object, and an identifier of an application domain that is registered in the cloud computing environment;

the application manager passing the application configuration object to a cloud-independent content services manager executing in the cloud computing environment; and

the content services manager storing a mapping of the one or more methods to the application domain.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the application manager starting a cloud-independent content services server in the cloud computing environment; and

the application manager configuring the content services server to execute at least one of the one or more methods, wherein said configuring is dependent on contents of the application configuration object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said starting a content services server is performed in response to receiving a request to invoke the at least one of the one or more methods or in response to receiving a request for endpoint information for a content services server on which the at least one of the one or more methods can be invoked.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the application manager receiving a request for a listing of methods or services available in the application domain; and

in response to said receiving, the application manager returning information comprising a listing of the methods or services available in the application domain and an indication of one or more content services servers on which each of the methods or services available in the application domain can be invoked.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the application manager receiving, from a client, a request for information indicating a content services server executing in the cloud computing environment on which a given one of the one or more methods can be invoked; and

in response to receiving the request for information, the application manager returning, to the client, endpoint information identifying a content services server on which the given one of the one or more methods can be invoked; and

subsequent to said returning the endpoint information;

the identified content services server receiving a request to invoke the given one of the one or more methods; and

p2 the identified content services server executing the given method on behalf of the client, wherein said executing comprises accessing one or more resources of the cloud computing environment through a cloud-specific service provider interface that is communicatively coupled to one or more cloud-independent components executing in the application domain.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to the application manager receiving the request to register the application configuration;

the application manager receiving a request to register the application domain in the cloud computing environment, wherein the request to register the application domain comprises domain configuration information and a domain rule base; and

in response to receiving the request to register the application domain;

the application manager storing the domain rule base in the cloud computing environment;

the application manager launching the content services manager in the cloud computing environment;

the application manager passing the domain configuration information to the content services manager; and

the content services manager storing the domain configuration information in the cloud computing environment;

wherein the domain configuration information and the domain rule base are subsequently usable in managing one or more application configurations registered in the application domain.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein in response to receiving the request to register the application domain, the method further comprises:

the application manager obtaining a partition in storage of the cloud computing environment for the use of the application domain;

wherein said storing the domain rule base in the cloud computing environment comprises storing the domain rule base in the partition; and

wherein said storing the domain configuration information in the cloud computing environment comprises storing the domain configuration information in the partition.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the application configuration object comprises a rule base specific to the application configuration object, and wherein the rule base specific to the application configuration object comprises conditions and corresponding actions that are subsequently usable in managing content services server instances that are configured to execute the one or more methods.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the application manager probing one or more content services servers executing in the cloud computing environment to obtain performance or cost metrics for at least one of the one or more methods that is currently executing in the cloud computing environment;

the application manager evaluating one or more rules of a rule base for the application domain or a rule base specific to the application configuration object against the obtained performance or cost metrics; and

in response to one or more conditions specified in the one or more rules being met, the application manager taking action to scale an application that comprises the application configuration in the cloud computing environment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said taking action comprises:

starting an additional content services server instance and configuring it to execute one or more of the one or more methods;

or

stopping a content services server instance that is configured to execute one or more of the one or more methods.

11. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to implement an application management framework in a cloud computing environment, wherein the application management framework comprises;

a cloud-independent application manager, a cloud-independent content services manager, one or more cloud-independent content services servers, and a cloud-specific service provider interface that is communicatively coupled to one or more cloud-independent components of the application management framework;

wherein when executing in the cloud computing environment the application manager is configured to;

receive a request to register an application configuration in a cloud computing environment, wherein the request comprises one or more cloud-independent methods composed in an application configuration object, and an identifier of an application domain that is registered in the cloud computing environment; and

pass the application configuration object to the content services manager; and

wherein when executing in the cloud computing environment the content services manager is configured to;

receive the application configuration object; and

store a mapping of the one or more methods to the application domain.

12. The system of claim 11,

wherein when executing in a cloud computing environment the application manager is further configured to:

start a cloud-independent content services server in the cloud computing environment; and

configure the content services server to execute at least one of the one or more methods;

wherein said configuring is dependent on contents of the application configuration object.

13. The system of claim 11,

wherein when executing in a cloud computing environment the application manager is further configured to:

receive, from a client, a request for information indicating a content services server executing in the cloud computing environment on which a given one of the one or more methods can be invoked; and

in response to receiving the request for information, return, to the client, endpoint information identifying a content services server on which the given one of the one or more methods can be invoked; and

wherein when executing in the cloud computing environment, and subsequent to the application manager returning the endpoint information, the identified content services server is configured to;

receive a request to invoke the given one of the one or more methods; and

execute the given method on behalf of the client, wherein said executing comprises accessing one or more resources of the cloud computing environment through the cloud-specific service provider interface.

14. The system of claim 11,

wherein when executing in a cloud computing environment, and prior to the application manager receiving the request to register the application configuration, the application manager is further configured to:

receive a request to register the application domain in the cloud computing environment, wherein the request to register the application domain comprises domain configuration information and a domain rule base; and

in response to receiving the request to register the application domain;

store the domain rule base in the cloud computing environment;

launch the content services manager in the cloud computing environment; and

pass the domain configuration information to the content services manager; and

wherein when executing in the cloud computing environment, and subsequent to the application manager passing the domain configuration information to the content services manager, the content services manager is configured to;

store the domain configuration information in the cloud computing environment;

wherein the domain configuration information and the domain rule base are subsequently usable in managing one or more application configurations registered in the application domain.

15. The system of claim 11,

wherein the application configuration object comprises a rule base specific to the application configuration object;

wherein the rule base specific to the application configuration object comprises conditions and corresponding actions that are subsequently usable in managing content services server instances that are configured to execute the one or more methods; and

wherein when executing in a cloud computing environment, the application manager is further configured to;

probe one or more content services servers executing in the cloud computing environment to obtain performance or cost metrics for at least one of the one or more methods that is currently executing in the cloud computing environment;

evaluate one or more rules of a rule base for the application domain or a rule base specific to the application configuration object against the obtained performance or cost metrics; and

in response to one or more conditions specified in the one or more rules being met, take action to scale an application that comprises the application configuration in the cloud computing environment.

16. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions;

wherein when executed on one or more computers the program instructions cause the one or more computers to implement an application management framework in a cloud computing environment, wherein the application management framework comprises;

a cloud-independent application manager, a cloud-independent content services manager, one or more cloud-independent content services servers, and a cloud-specific service provider interface that is communicatively coupled to one or more cloud-independent components of the application management framework;

wherein when executing in the cloud computing environment the application manager is configured to;

receive a request to register an application configuration in a cloud computing environment, wherein the request comprises one or more cloud-independent methods composed in an application configuration object, and an identifier of an application domain that is registered in the cloud computing environment; and

pass the application configuration object to the content services manager; and

wherein when executing in the cloud computing environment the content services manager is configured to;

receive the application configuration object; and

store a mapping of the one or more methods to the application domain.

17. The non-transitory, computer readable storage medium of claim 16,

wherein when executing in a cloud computing environment the application manager is further configured to:

start a cloud-independent content services server in the cloud computing environment; and

configure the content services server to execute at least one of the one or more methods;

wherein said configuring is dependent on contents of the application configuration object.

18. The non-transitory, computer readable storage medium of claim 16,

wherein when executing in a cloud computing environment the application manager is further configured to:

receive, from a client, a request for information indicating a content services server executing in the cloud computing environment on which a given one of the one or more methods can be invoked; and

in response to receiving the request for information, return, to the client, endpoint information identifying a content services server on which the given one of the one or more methods can be invoked; and

wherein when executing in the cloud computing environment, and subsequent to the application manager returning the endpoint information, the identified content services server is configured to;

receive a request to invoke the given one of the one or more methods; and

execute the given method on behalf of the client, wherein said executing comprises accessing one or more resources of the cloud computing environment through the cloud-specific service provider interface.

19. The non-transitory, computer readable storage medium of claim 16,

wherein when executing in a cloud computing environment, and prior to the application manager receiving the request to register the application configuration, the application manager is further configured to:

receive a request to register the application domain in the cloud computing environment, wherein the request to register the application domain comprises domain configuration information and a domain rule base; and

in response to receiving the request to register the application domain;

store the domain rule base in the cloud computing environment;

launch the content services manager in the cloud computing environment; and

pass the domain configuration information to the content services manager; and

wherein when executing in the cloud computing environment, and subsequent to the application manager passing the domain configuration information to the content services manager, the content services manager is configured to;

store the domain configuration information in the cloud computing environment;

wherein the domain configuration information and the domain rule base are subsequently usable in managing one or more application configurations registered in the application domain.

20. The non-transitory, computer readable storage medium of claim 16,

wherein the application configuration object comprises a rule base specific to the application configuration object;

wherein the rule base specific to the application configuration object comprises conditions and corresponding actions that are subsequently usable in managing content services server instances that are configured to execute the one or more methods; and

wherein when executing in a cloud computing environment, the application manager is further configured to;

probe one or more content services servers executing in the cloud computing environment to obtain performance or cost metrics for at least one of the one or more methods that is currently executing in the cloud computing environment;

evaluate one or more rules of a rule base for the application domain or a rule base specific to the application configuration object against the obtained performance or cost metrics; and

in response to one or more conditions specified in the one or more rules being met, take action to scale an application that comprises the application configuration in the cloud computing environment.