INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICE MANAGEMENT

• US 20130132534A1
• Filed: 07/30/2010
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Salle, Mathias, Eidt, Erik L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,240,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks

Abstract

A desired instance of a service model is stored, and an observed instance of the service model is provided. Inconsistencies between the desired instance and the observed instance may be detected based on a comparison between the desired instance and the observed instance.

Claims

1. An information technology (IT) service management method, comprising:

storing a desired instance of a service model, the service model specifying characteristics of an IT service;

storing an observed instance of the service model;

comparing the observed instance to the desired instance;

detecting an inconsistency between the desired instance and the observed instance based on the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the desired instance if an inconsistency is detected.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the observed instance if an inconsistency is detected.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein modifying the observed instance includes invoking an operation.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein modifying the observed instance includes invoking a repair service.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

disabling the detecting an inconsistency until the repair service has completed a repair.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining when the detected inconsistency returns to a consistent state; and

notifying a watchdog service when the detected inconsistency returns to a consistent state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the inconsistency includes at least one of a degradation of performance and a system failure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the observed instance includes adding resources to the IT service.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the observed instance includes changing the IT service configuration.

11. An information technology (IT) service management system, comprising:

a configuration management system (CMS) including a memory storing a desired instance of a service model;

a monitoring service providing an observed instance of the service model to the configuration management system;

wherein the configuration management system is configured detect an inconsistency between the desired instance and the observed instance based on the comparison.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a repair service configured to be invoked upon detection of an inconsistency by the CMS.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a watchdog service configured to be invoked upon detection of an inconsistency by the CMS.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the CMS is configured to modify the observed instance upon detection of an inconsistency.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the CMS is configured to modify the desired instance upon detection of an inconsistency.