Selection of Ranked Configurations

• US 20120266159A1
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Risbood, Pankaj, Sarda, Parag Kacharulal, Kulkarni, Rahul S., Jain, Rohit, Shenoy, Vittaldas Sachin, Sahasranaman, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US13/421,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20120266159A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0038 System on Chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4492 Inheritance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5012 determining service availability, e.g. which services are available at a certain point in time

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for selection of ranked configurations. In one aspect, a method includes providing a plurality of class definitions for selection, each class definition modeling a respective data or functional component of a cloud-based environment using a group of configurable class parameters, each class definition supporting instantiation and inheritance of the class definition in a configuration specification for a cloud-based deployment; deriving respective performance metrics associated with each of the plurality of class definitions based on aggregated performance of multiple cloud-based deployments, wherein the multiple cloud-based deployments had been carried out according to respective configuration specifications that require instantiation of the class definition or a new class definition derived from the class definition; and utilizing the respective performance metrics associated with each of the plurality of class definitions in ranking the plurality of class definitions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing a plurality of class definitions for selection, each class definition modeling a respective data or functional component of a cloud-based environment using a group of configurable class parameters, each class definition supporting instantiation and inheritance of the class definition in a configuration specification for a cloud-based deployment;

deriving respective performance metrics associated with each of the plurality of class definitions based on aggregated performance of multiple cloud-based deployments, wherein the multiple cloud-based deployments had been carried out according to respective configuration specifications that require instantiation of the class definition or a new class definition derived from the class definition; and

utilizing the respective performance metrics associated with each of the plurality of class definitions in ranking the plurality of class definitions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

categorizing the plurality of class definitions based on the respective data or functional components of the cloud-based environment modeled by the plurality of class definitions; and

ranking the plurality of class definitions within the class definitions'"'"' respective categories.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the plurality of class definitions for selection further comprises:

providing the respective performance metrics with each of the plurality of class definitions for user review in a selection user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each of the plurality of class definitions;

identifying a plurality of cloud-based deployments that had been carried out according to respective configuration specifications that required instantiation of the class definition or at least one new class definition derived from the class definition;

monitoring respective performances of the plurality of cloud-based deployments; and

associating the respective performances of the plurality of deployments with the class definition.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein deriving respective performance metrics associated with each of the plurality of class definitions based on aggregated performance of multiple cloud-based deployments further comprises:

for each of the plurality of class definitions;

identifying one or more data or functional components in the plurality of cloud-based deployments that were configured according to the class definition or a new class definition derived from the class definition;

identifying one or more performance metrics associated with the identified one or more data or functional components; and

deriving the respective performance metrics associated with the class definition by aggregating the identified one or more performance metrics.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance metrics include one or more measures of latency, reliability, scalability, availability, or security.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each of the plurality of class definitions;

tracking a respective count of cloud-based deployments that have been configured at least in part according to the class definition; and

utilizing the respective counts associated with the plurality of class definitions in the ranking of the plurality of class definitions.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each of the plurality of class definitions;

tracking a respective count of problems encountered in cloud-based deployments that have been configured at least in part according to the class definition;

tracking a number of required changes to resolve the problems encountered in the cloud-based deployments that have been configured at least in part according to the class definition, wherein the numbers of required changes are used to calculate respective weights given to the respective performance metrics associated with the plurality of class definitions in ranking the plurality of class definitions; and

utilizing the respective counts of the problems and the respective numbers of required changes associated with the plurality of class definitions in the ranking of the plurality of class definitions.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a respective definition submission from each of a plurality of definition suppliers, wherein the respective definition submission includes one or more class definitions written in a specification language, and each class definition models a data or functional component of a cloud-based deployment using a group of configurable class parameters and is extendable to create at least one new class definition by a modification to one or more of the group of configurable class parameters or an addition of one or more new class parameters;

providing a user interface that presents the class definitions received from the plurality of definition suppliers, for review and selection by a plurality of definition users.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of distinct configuration specifications written in the specification language, the plurality of distinct configuration specifications each for configuring a distinct cloud-based deployment and including a distinct class definition that extends from a same one of the class definitions received from the plurality of definition suppliers; and

configuring each of the distinct cloud-based deployments based at least on the same one of the received class definitions and the distinct class definition that extends therefrom in the distinct configuration specification of the distinct cloud-based deployment.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

for each of the received class definitions;

monitoring usage of the class definition in a plurality of configuration specifications that have been used to configure a plurality of cloud-based deployments; and

recording, for each use of the class definition in the plurality of configuration specifications, a credit to a definition supplier of the class definition and a charge to a definition user associated with the use.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the usage of the class definition includes at least one of an instantiation of the class definition in a respective configuration specification that has been used to carry out a respective cloud-based deployment or an extension of the class definition to create a new class definition that is instantiated in a respective configuration specification used to carry out a respective cloud-based deployment.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a software submission from a software supplier, the software submission including a software application to be deployed in a cloud-based environment and a plurality of distinct configuration specifications each for deploying the software application in the cloud-based environment in a distinct manner; and

providing the plurality of distinct configuration specifications for review and selection by a software user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving selection of one of the plurality of distinct configuration specification by the software user;

deploying the software application in the cloud-based environment according to the selected distinct configuration specification; and

recording a charge to the software user and a credit to the software supplier based on a respective price associated the selected distinct configuration specification.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a plurality of class definitions for selection further comprises:

receiving, from a user, input selecting a first class definition that models a first data or functional component of the cloud-based environment;

identifying one or more collections of class definitions, wherein each collection of class definitions includes the first class definition and at least one additional class definition that models a respective data or functional component other than the first data or functional component; and

providing, to the user, the one or more collections of class definitions for selection.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

for each of the one or more collections of class definitions;

identifying one or more data or functional components in a plurality of cloud-based deployments that were configured according to the class definition or a new class definition derived from the class definition;

identifying one or more performance metrics associated with the identified one or more data or functional components; and

deriving the respective performance metrics associated with the collection of class definitions by aggregating the identified one or more performance metrics.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a collection of class definitions;

identifying a configuration specification associated with the collection of class definitions; and

configuring a cloud-based deployment based on the configuration specification.

18. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

modifying one or more base classes whose class definition is used in multiple of the plurality of cloud-based deployments, wherein the base classes model a respective data or functional component of a cloud-based environment using a group of configurable class parameters, and the base classes support instantiation and inheritance of the class definition;

identifying a plurality of cloud-based deployments each having been carried out according to a respective configuration specification, the respective configuration specification written in a specification language, and the respective configuration specification including the modified base classes or classes that inherit the modified base classes; and

reconfiguring, for each cloud-based deployment, the cloud-based deployment based on the one or more modified base classes.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein:

the data or functional component modeled by each class is one of a virtual device supporting a cloud-based environment, a service utilized in the cloud-based environment, a software role performed by an installed application in the cloud-based environment, a data package holding data to be used during deployment or operation of the cloud-based environment, or a combination of one or more thereof.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein:

the specification language supports at least one of dependency or connectivity between class definitions, where a definition dependency between a first class and a second class represents a deployment dependency between respective components modeled by the first and the second class, the definition dependency between the first class and the second class is expressed by a class parameter of the first class where the class parameter of the first class refers to an instance of the second class, and where a value assignment linking an instance of a second class to a class parameter of a first class represents a connectivity between respective components modeled by the first class and the second class.

21. A system comprising:

a processor; and

computer-readable medium coupled to the processor and having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

providing a plurality of class definitions for selection, each class definition modeling a respective data or functional component of a cloud-based environment using a group of configurable class parameters, each class definition supporting instantiation and inheritance of the class definition in a configuration specification for a cloud-based deployment;

deriving respective performance metrics associated with each of the plurality of class definitions based on aggregated performance of multiple cloud-based deployments, wherein the multiple cloud-based deployments had been carried out according to respective configuration specifications that require instantiation of the class definition or a new class definition derived from the class definition; and

utilizing the respective performance metrics associated with each of the plurality of class definitions in ranking the plurality of class definitions.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein providing a plurality of class definitions for selection further comprises:

receiving, from a user, input selecting a first class definition that models a first data or functional component of the cloud-based environment;

identifying one or more collections of class definitions, wherein each collection of class definitions includes the first class definition and at least one additional class definition that models a respective data or functional component other than the first data or functional component; and

providing, to the user, the one or more collections of class definitions for selection.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

for each of the one or more collections of class definitions;

identifying one or more data or functional components in a plurality of cloud-based deployments that were configured according to the class definition or a new class definition derived from the class definition;

identifying one or more performance metrics associated with the identified one or more data or functional components; and

deriving the respective performance metrics associated with the collection of class definitions by aggregating the identified one or more performance metrics.

24. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a collection of class definitions;

identifying a configuration specification associated with the collection of class definitions; and

configuring a cloud-based deployment based on the configuration specification.

25. A system comprising:

a processor; and

computer-readable medium coupled to the processor and having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

modifying one or more base classes whose class definition is used in multiple of the plurality of cloud-based deployments, wherein the base classes model a respective data or functional component of a cloud-based environment using a group of configurable class parameters, and the base classes support instantiation and inheritance of the class definition;

identifying a plurality of cloud-based deployments each having been carried out according to a respective configuration specification, the respective configuration specification written in a specification language, and the respective configuration specification including the modified base classes or classes that inherit the modified base classes; and

reconfiguring, for each cloud-based deployment, the cloud-based deployment based on the one or more modified base classes.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein:

the data or functional component modeled by each class is one of a virtual device supporting a cloud-based environment, a service utilized in the cloud-based environment, a software role performed by an installed application in the cloud-based environment, a data package holding data to be used during deployment or operation of the cloud-based environment, or a combination of one or more thereof

27. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

providing a plurality of class definitions for selection, each class definition modeling a respective data or functional component of a cloud-based environment using a group of configurable class parameters, each class definition supporting instantiation and inheritance of the class definition in a configuration specification for a cloud-based deployment;

deriving respective performance metrics associated with each of the plurality of class definitions based on aggregated performance of multiple cloud-based deployments, wherein the multiple cloud-based deployments had been carried out according to respective configuration specifications that require instantiation of the class definition or a new class definition derived from the class definition; and

utilizing the respective performance metrics associated with each of the plurality of class definitions in ranking the plurality of class definitions.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein providing a plurality of class definitions for selection further comprises:

receiving, from a user, input selecting a first class definition that models a first data or functional component of the cloud-based environment;

identifying one or more collections of class definitions, wherein each collection of class definitions includes the first class definition and at least one additional class definition that models a respective data or functional component other than the first data or functional component; and

providing, to the user, the one or more collections of class definitions for selection.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising:

for each of the one or more collections of class definitions;

identifying one or more data or functional components in a plurality of cloud-based deployments that were configured according to the class definition or a new class definition derived from the class definition;

identifying one or more performance metrics associated with the identified one or more data or functional components; and

deriving the respective performance metrics associated with the collection of class definitions by aggregating the identified one or more performance metrics.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a collection of class definitions;

identifying a configuration specification associated with the collection of class definitions; and

configuring a cloud-based deployment based on the configuration specification.