PROVISIONING OF OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS ON A SERVER IN A NETWORKED ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120221842A1
• Filed: 05/03/2012
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gopalakrishnan, U., Horn, William P., Mohindra, Ajay, Nagar, Shailabh, Rendahl, Randy A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,465,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]

Abstract

A computer deploys an operating environment onto a provisionable server. The computer assigns an operating environment from an operating environment configuration management database to the provisionable server in response to detecting a provisioning event. The computer stores a record of the assignment in a deployment configuration management database and updates a management server with a designated operating environment identifier of the assignment.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for deploying an operating environment onto a provisionable server, the computer implemented method comprising:

responsive to detecting a provisioning event, assigning the operating environment from an operating environment configuration management database to the provisionable server;

storing a record of the assignment in a deployment configuration management database; and

updating a management server with a designated operating environment identifier of the assignment.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provisioning event is at least one of acceptance of a new operating environment, an addition of a provisionable server to a data center, and request for reassigning the provisionable server.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to detecting the provisioning event comprising an acceptance of a new operating environment, assigning an operating environment identifier to the new operating environment;

storing, in a software server, software for the new operating environment; and

updating an operating environment configuration management database with the new operating environment identifier and a locator for locating the software in the software server.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to detecting the provisioning event comprising an addition of a provisionable server to a data center, registering a media access control address of the provisionable server in a provisionable server configuration management database.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provisionable server comprises a set of servers configured to host a set of operating environments;

and

a set of software servers stores software required for provisioning operating environments onto the provisionable server.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating bootstrap code corresponding to the assignment usable by the provisionable server to initiate the provisioning of the operating environment onto the provisionable server.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the management server transmits the designated operating environment identifier along with a bootstrap code to the provisionable server, wherein the bootstrap code is executed on the provisionable server to identify a local operating environment on the provisionable server, and further comprising:

comparing the local operating environment to the designated operating environment; and

initiating a final boot sequence of the provisionable server based on the comparison of the local operating environment and the designated operating environment.

8. A computer program product for deploying an operating environment onto a provisionable server, the computer program product comprising:

a computer recordable storage medium;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for assigning the operating environment from an operating environment configuration management database to the provisionable server in response to detecting a provisioning event;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for storing a record of the assignment in a deployment configuration management database; and

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for updating a management server with a designated operating environment identifier of the assignment.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the provisioning event is at least one of acceptance of a new operating environment, an addition of a provisionable server to a data center, and request for reassigning the provisionable server.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for assigning an operating environment identifier to the new operating environment in response to detecting the provisioning event comprising an acceptance of a new operating environment;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for storing, in a software server, software for the new operating environment; and

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for updating an operating environment configuration management database with the new operating environment identifier and a locator for locating the software in the software server.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for registering a media access control address of the provisionable server in a provisionable server configuration management database in response to detecting the provisioning event comprising an addition of a provisionable server to a data center.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the provisionable server comprises a set of servers configured to host a set of operating environments;

and

a set of software servers stores software required for provisioning operating environments onto the provisionable server.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for generating bootstrap code corresponding to the assignment usable by the provisionable server to initiate the provisioning of the operating environment onto the provisionable server.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the management server transmits the designated operating environment identifier along with a bootstrap code to the provisionable server, wherein the bootstrap code is executed on the provisionable server to identify a local operating environment on the provisionable server, and further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for comparing the local operating environment to the designated operating environment; and

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for initiating a final boot sequence of the provisionable server based on the comparison of the local operating environment and the designated operating environment.

15. An apparatus for deploying an operating environment onto a provisionable server, the apparatus comprising:

a bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to assign the operating environment from an operating environment configuration management database to the provisionable server in response to detecting a provisioning event;

store a record of the assignment in a deployment configuration management database; and

update a management server with a designated operating environment identifier of the assignment.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the provisioning event is at least one of acceptance of a new operating environment, an addition of a provisionable server to a data center, and request for reassigning the provisionable server.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to detect the provisioning event comprising an acceptance of a new operating environment, assigning an operating environment identifier to the new operating environment;

store, in a software server, software for the new operating environment; and

update an operating environment configuration management database with the new operating environment identifier and a locator for locating the software in the software server.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to reboot the provisionable server using the local operating environment stored on a local storage device in response to detecting a match between the designated operating environment and the local operating environment;

and reboot the provisionable server using the designated operating environment stored in the local storage device in response to detecting a difference between the designated operating environment and the local operating environment, wherein the processing unit further configures the designated operating environment using run-once scripts.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to register a media access control address of the provisionable server in a provisionable server configuration management database in response to detecting the provisioning event comprising an addition of a provisionable server to a data center.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the management server transmits the designated operating environment identifier along with a bootstrap code to the provisionable server, wherein the bootstrap code is executed on the provisionable server to identify a local operating environment on the provisionable server, and wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to compare the local operating environment to the designated operating environment;

and initiates a final boot sequence of the provisionable server based on the comparison of the local operating environment and the designated operating environment.