Remote Provisioning of Virtual Appliances for Access to Virtualized Storage

• US 20140040446A1
• Filed: 08/05/2012
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cohen, Simona, Marberg, John Michael, Nagin, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 10,754,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine

Abstract

Systems and methods for remotely provisioning software to process data stored in a virtualized storage environment are provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving a request, at a first location, for processing data using a software application, wherein the data is stored in a virtualized storage space at a second location and the software application is invoked in a virtualized computing environment at a third location; using a service at the first location to remotely invoke one or more instances of the software application over the virtualized computing environment at the third location; and using the service at the first location to remotely manage transfer of data stored in the virtualized storage space at the second location to the third location.

Claims

1. A method for remotely provisioning software to process data stored in a virtualized storage environment, the method comprising:

receiving a request, at a first location, for processing data using a software application, wherein the data is stored in a virtualized storage space at a second location and the software application is invoked in a virtualized computing environment at a third location;

using a service at the first location to remotely invoke one or more instances of the software application over the virtualized computing environment at the third location; and

using the service at the first location to remotely manage transfer of data stored in the virtualized storage space at the second location to the third location where the one or more instances of the software application are invoked, so that the data is locally processed by the one or more instances of the software application at the third location.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing the data transferred to the third location by the one or more instances of the software application in response to requests received by the service at the first location.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising updating the data stored in the virtualized storage space at the second location based on changes made to the data processed by the one or more instances of the software application at the third location.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the updating of the data at the second location is managed by the service at the first location, wherein the service accommodates transitioning of differences in structural or contextual formats between data as processed in the third location and as stored in the second location.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the service manages the transfer of data from the second location to the third location by way of invoking a first process running at the first location that causes the transfer of the data from the second location to the first location and then the transfer of the data from the first location to the third location.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the service manages the transfer of data from the second location to the third location by way of invoking a second process running at the third location that causes establishing a direct communication connection between computing systems located at the second location and the third location to accommodate direct transfer of data there between.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the service utilizes a secondary service located at a fourth location to manage the transfer of the data from the second location to the third location.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the software application is a virtual appliance implemented to run on the virtualized environment at the third location to manipulate the data based on requests remotely submitted by a user to the virtual appliance by way of the service.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the data stored in the virtual storage space at the second location is identified by way of an identifier as being in a first format such that the service based on said identifier determines a first type of virtual appliance to invoke over the virtualized environment at the third location, wherein the first type of virtual appliance is compatible with the first format.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the service manages data transfer and data format transformation between the second location and the third location to ensure secure data transfer and data compatibility among one or more instances of the virtual appliance running on the virtualized environment at the third location and the data stored in the virtualized storage space at the second location.

11. A system for remotely provisioning software to process data stored in a virtualized storage environment, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

a logic unit for receiving a request, at a first location, for processing data using a software application, wherein the data is stored in a virtualized storage space at a second location and the software application is invoked in a virtualized computing environment at a third location;

a logic unit for using a service at the first location to remotely invoke one or more instances of the software application over the virtualized computing environment at the third location; and

a logic unit for using the service at the first location to remotely manage transfer of data stored in the virtualized storage space at the second location to the third location where the one or more instances of the software application are invoked, so that the data is locally processed by the one or more instances of the software application at the third location.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a logic unit for processing the data transferred to the third location by the one or more instances of the software application in response to requests received by the service at the first location.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising updating the data stored in the virtualized storage space at the second location based on changes made to the data processed by the one or more instances of the software application at the third location.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the updating of the data at the second location is managed by the service at the first location, wherein the service accommodates transitioning of differences in structural or contextual formats between data as processed in the third location and as stored in the second location.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer readable data storage medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

receive a request, at a first location, for processing data using a software application, wherein the data is stored in a virtualized storage space at a second location and the software application is invoked in a virtualized computing environment at a third location;

use a service at the first location to remotely invoke one or more instances of the software application over the virtualized computing environment at the third location; and

use the service at the first location to remotely manage transfer of data stored in the virtualized storage space at the second location to the third location where the one or more instances of the software application are invoked, so that the data is locally processed by the one or more instances of the software application at the third location.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the data transferred to the third location is processed by the one or more instances of the software application in response to requests received by the service at the first location.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the data stored in the virtualized storage space is updated at the second location based on changes made to the data processed by the one or more instances of the software application at the third location.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the updating of the data at the second location is managed by the service at the first location, wherein the service accommodates transitioning of differences in structural or contextual formats between data as processed in the third location and as stored in the second location.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the service manages the transfer of data from the second location to the third location by way of invoking a first process running at the first location that causes the transfer of the data from the second location to the first location and then the transfer of the data from the first location to the third location.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the service manages the transfer of data from the second location to the third location by way of invoking a second process running at the third location that causes establishing a direct communication connection between computing systems located at the second location and the third location to accommodate direct transfer of data there between.