LOAD BALANCER AND FIREWALL SELF-PROVISIONING SYSTEM

• US 20120117571A1
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Adam, Kulp, Andrew John
• Granted Patent: US 9,237,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1025 Dynamic adaptation of the criteria on which the server selection is based

Abstract

A method and system may receive a request to configure a computing resource, such as a load balancer or firewall based on configuration information received from a user via a web portal. The configuration information may be stored and a subsequent request to commit the stored configuration information may be received. One or more jobs may be queued in a jobs database based on the request to commit the configuration information. The one or more jobs may be dequeued by a workflow engine and executed to configure the computing resource.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to configure a computing resource based on configuration information;

storing the configuration information;

receiving a request to commit the configuration information;

queuing one or more jobs in a jobs database based on the request to commit the configuration information;

dequeing the one or more jobs by a workflow engine; and

executing the one or more jobs to configure the computing resource.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a graphical user interface to a user via a web portal; and

receiving the request to configure a computing resource based on configuration information and the request to commit the configuration information from the user via the graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to configure a computing resource based on configuration information and the request to commit the configuration information are received by a resource management device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing resource comprises a load balancer for distributing server load across one or more server resources.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the request to configure a computing resource, comprises:

receiving a request to create a load balancing resource pool on the load balancer;

queuing one or more jobs in the jobs database relating to creating the load balancing resource pool; and

executing the one or more jobs in the jobs database relating to creating the load balancing resource pool by the workflow engine to create the load balancing resource pool on the load balancer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request to create a load balancing resource pool includes an Internet protocol (IP) address, a port number, a protocol, and a state.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the request to configure a computing resource, comprises:

receiving a request to create one or more member servers on the load balancing resource pool,

wherein the request to create one or more member servers comprises information relating to the one or more member servers; and

storing the information relating to the one or more member servers as a server design.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a request to queue the server design;

queuing one or more jobs in the jobs database relating to creating the one or more member servers based on the request to queue the server design; and

executing the one or more jobs in the jobs database relating to creating the one or more member servers by the workflow engine to create the load balancing resource pool on the load balancer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing resource comprises a firewall for protecting network resources from undesired network traffic.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

queuing one or more jobs in the jobs database relating to applying a default firewall configuration; and

executing the one or more jobs in the jobs database relating to applying a default firewall configuration by the workflow engine to establish a firewall configuration.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a request to edit a firewall configuration,

wherein the request to edit a firewall configuration includes firewall configuration information that includes one or more of a destination group, a source group, a port, a protocol, an action, or a state; and

storing the firewall configuration information.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a request to commit the firewall configuration information;

queuing one or more jobs in a jobs database based on the request to commit the firewall configuration information;

dequeing the one or more jobs by the workflow engine; and

executing the one or more jobs to configure the firewall.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing versions of the firewall configuration information in a database;

receiving a request for a selected prior version of the firewall configuration information from a user;

retrieving the a selected prior version of the firewall configuration information from the database; and

providing the selected prior version of the firewall configuration information to the user.

14. A system comprising:

web portal logic to;

provide a user interface portal for receiving load balancer configuration information and firewall configuration information;

wherein the user interface portal includes a graphical user interface;

resource management logic to;

generate one or more jobs for configuring a load balancer based on the received load balancer configuration information;

generate one or more jobs for configuring a firewall based on the received firewall configuration information; and

place the one or more jobs for configuring the load balancer in a database and the one or more jobs for configuring the load balancer in a database; and

workflow engine logic to drive an execution of the jobs in the database, the jobs comprising instructions for one or more of devices in the system to;

configure the load balancer based on the received load balancer configuration information to include at least one load balancing resource pool having at least one server member; and

configure the firewall based on the received firewall configuration information to include entries in an access control list.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the received firewall configuration information comprises additions or changes to entries in the access control list,

wherein the resource management logic is further configured to:

store the received firewall configuration information;

provide the stored firewall configuration information via the user interface portal;

receive, via the user interface portal, a request to commit the firewall configuration information; and

generate the one or more jobs for configuring the firewall upon receipt of the request to commit the firewall configuration information.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the resource management logic is further configured to:

store the information relating to the at least one server member as a server design;

provide the stored firewall configuration information via the user interface portal;

receive, via the user interface portal, a request to commit the server design; and

generate the one or more jobs for configuring the load balancer upon receipt of the request to commit the server design.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the resource management logic is further configured to:

queue one or more jobs in the jobs database relating to applying a default firewall configuration; and

wherein the workflow engine logic is further configured to;

execute the one or more jobs in the jobs database relating to applying the default firewall configuration.

18. Computer-readable media comprising computer executable instructions for causing one or more processors to:

receive a request to configure a computing resource based on configuration information;

store the configuration information;

receive a request to commit the configuration information;

queue one or more jobs in a jobs database based on the request to commit the configuration information;

dequeue the one or more jobs by a workflow engine; and

execute the one or more jobs to configure the computing resource.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 18, where the instructions cause the one or more processors to:

provide a graphical user interface to a user via a web portal; and

receive the request to configure a computing resource based on configuration information and the request to commit the configuration information from the user via the graphical user interface.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the computing resource comprises one of a load balancer or a firewall.