USING TEMPLATES TO CONFIGURE CLOUD RESOURCES

• US 20120072597A1
• Filed: 12/10/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Teather, Gregory Wray, Alam, Salim, Mehta, Parmita
• Granted Patent: US 8,775,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for using templates to configure cloud resources. Embodiments of the invention include encapsulating cloud configuration information in an importable/exportable node template. Node templates can also be used to bind groups of nodes to different cloud subscriptions and cloud service accounts. Accordingly, managing the configuration of cloud based resources can be facilitated through an interface at a (e.g., high performance) computing component. Templates can also specify a schedule for starting/stopping instance running within a resource cloud.

Claims

1. At a computer system including one or more processors and system memory, the computer system also including a computing component having a cloud interface module, the computer system within a customer premise and connected to an on premise cluster, a cloud management service, and a resource cloud, a method for using templates to configure cloud resources, the method comprising:

an act of accessing account data for a customer that is to use resources in the resource cloud;

an act of populating a cloud node template with the accessed account data;

an act of receiving commands for deploying resources in the resource cloud;

an act of referring to the cloud node template to access relevant account data for the customer;

an act of formulating a deployment for use in the resource cloud, the deployment representing the user commands in accordance with the relevant account data for the customer; and

an act of submitting the deployment to the cloud management service.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising an act of storing the cloud node template subsequent to populating the cloud node template with the access account data so that information for deploying nodes in the cloud is maintained in a central location.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving commands for deploying resources in the resource cloud comprises an act of receiving manually entered commands from a user.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving commands for deploying resources in the resource cloud comprises an act of receiving commands in accordance with a deployment schedule.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving commands for deploying resources in the resource cloud comprises an act of receiving commands for deploying a high performance computing service in the resource cloud.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an act of accessing account data for a customer that is to use resources in the resource cloud comprises an act of accessing one or more of:

a subscription ID, a service account name, a storage account name, and a customer certificate.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the act of populating a cloud node template with the accessed account data comprises an act of populating a cloud node template with one or more of:

the subscription ID, the service account name, the storage account name, and the customer certificate.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the act of referring to the cloud node template to access relevant account data for the customer comprises an act of accessing one or more of:

the subscription ID, the service account name, the storage account name, and the customer certificate from the cloud node template.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an act of submitting the deployment to the cloud management service comprises an act of submitting a deployment for deploying a service in the resource cloud, the service in the resource cloud configured to assist one or more other services deployed in the on premise cluster with solving a common computing problem.

10. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer system including a computing component having a cloud interface module, the computer system within a customer premise and connected to an on premise cluster, a cloud management service, and a resource cloud, a method for using templates to configure cloud resources, the computer program product comprising one or more computer storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer system to implement the method, including the following:

access account data for a customer that is to use resources in the resource cloud;

populate a cloud node template with the accessed account data;

receive user commands for deploying resources in the resource cloud;

refer to the cloud node template to access relevant account data for the customer;

formulate a deployment for use in the resource cloud, the deployment representing the user commands in accordance with the relevant account data for the customer; and

submit the deployment to the cloud management service.

11. The computer program product as recited in claim 10, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to store the cloud node template subsequent to populating the cloud node template with the access account data so that information for deploying nodes in the cloud is maintained in a central location.

12. The computer program product as recited in claim 10, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive commands for deploying resources in the resource cloud comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive manually entered commands from a user.

13. The computer program product as recited in claim 10, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive commands for deploying resources in the resource cloud comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive commands in accordance with a deployment schedule.

14. The computer program product as recited in claim 10, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive commands for deploying resources in the resource cloud comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive commands for deploying a high performance computing service in the resource cloud.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 10, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to access account data for a customer that is to use resources in the resource cloud comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to access one or more of:

a subscription ID, a service account name, a storage account name, and a customer certificate.

16. The computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to populate a cloud node template with the accessed account data comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to populate a cloud node template with one or more of:

the subscription ID, the service account name, the storage account name, and the customer certificate.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to refer to the cloud node template to access relevant account data for the customer comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to access one or more of:

the subscription ID, the service account name, the storage account name, and the customer certificate from the cloud node template.

18. The computer program product as recited in claim 10, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to submit the deployment to the cloud management service comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to submit a deployment for deploying a service in the resource cloud, the service in the resource cloud configured to assist one or more other services deployed in the on premise cluster with solving a common computing problem.

19. At a computer system including one or more processors and system memory, the computer system also including a high performance computing component having a cloud interface module, the computer system within a customer premise and connected to an on premise cluster, a cloud management service, and a resource cloud, a method for using templates to deploy a high performance computing service in the resource cloud, the method comprising:

an act of accessing account data for a customer that is to use resources in the resource cloud, the account data including one or more of a subscription ID, a service name, a storage service name, and a storage key;

an act of populating a cloud node template with the account data, the cloud node template include at least one SystemProvisionitem and at least one PolicyItem used for deploying high performance computing services in the cloud, the cloud node template stored at the high performance computing component;

an act of receiving user commands for deploying a high performance computing service in the resource cloud;

an act of referring to the cloud node template to access relevant account data for the user;

an act of formulating a deployment for use in the resource cloud, the deployment representing the user commands in accordance with the relevant account data for the customer; and

an act of submitting the deployment to the cloud management service to instantiate the high performance computing service within the resource cloud, the high performance computing service to interoperate with services in the on premise cluster to solve a common computing problem.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising storing the cloud node template at the high performance computing component subsequent to populating the cloud node template with the access account data so that information for deploying nodes in the cloud is maintained in a central location.