SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VIRTUAL ASSEMBLY PATCHING IN A CLOUD ENVIRONMENT

• US 20140282472A1
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: VINOGRAD, PATRICK, BROADBENT, CHRIS, RUSSELL, PADRAIC, GRABER, YONATAN, CHINNAPPA, CODANDA, MORDANI, RAJIV, KALALI, MASOUD
• Granted Patent: US 9,690,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

Described herein is a system and method for virtual assembly patching in a cloud environment. In accordance with an embodiment, a virtual assembly builder can be used to virtualize installed components in a reference environment, and then deploy those components into another destination environment. A user can capture the configuration and binaries of software components into software appliance artifacts, which can be grouped and their relationships defined as software assembly artifacts. In accordance with an embodiment, assemblies stored as disk images in a repository can be patched by creating replacement images, importing the replacement images into the virtualization environment, and then performing a replacement or swap of an instance'"'"'s existing virtual disks, with patched versions of those disks.

Claims

1. A system for virtual assembly patching, comprising:

one or more computers including a virtualization environment executing thereon;

a virtual assembly builder, which provides access to a repository of assembly images, which can be used to virtualize installed components in a reference environment, and then deploy those components into another destination environment as software assemblies; and

wherein the virtual assembly builder enables one or more assembly images within the repository to be patched, including creating replacement images, importing the replacement images into the virtualization environment, and replacing an assembly instance'"'"'s existing virtual disks, with patched versions of those disks.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual assembly builder access the repository via an application program interface that supports operations to patch a particular assembly image and subsequently apply the patch to a corresponding assembly instance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system associates versions with assembly images and patches, and uses version information to selectively apply patches to appropriate assembly instances.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the assembly images are stored in one or more disk volumes which can be tagged and referenced, and wherein the virtual assembly builder applies patches to snapshots of the disk volumes which are then used to patch assembly instances.

5. A method of providing virtual assembly patching, comprising:

providing, at one or more computers including a virtualization environment executing thereon, a virtual assembly builder, which provides access to a repository of assembly images, which can be used to virtualize installed components in a reference environment, and then deploy those components into another destination environment as software assemblies; and

patching one or more assembly images within the repository, including creating replacement images, importing the replacement images into the virtualization environment, and replacing an assembly instance'"'"'s existing virtual disks, with patched versions of those disks.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the virtual assembly builder access the repository via an application program interface that supports operations to patch a particular assembly image and subsequently apply the patch to a corresponding assembly instance.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the system associates versions with assembly images and patches, and uses version information to selectively apply patches to appropriate assembly instances.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the assembly images are stored in one or more disk volumes which can be tagged and referenced, and wherein the virtual assembly builder applies patches to snapshots of the disk volumes which are then used to patch assembly instances.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, including instructions stored thereon which when read and executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform the steps comprising:

providing, at one or more computers including a virtualization environment executing thereon, a virtual assembly builder, which provides access to a repository of assembly images, which can be used to virtualize installed components in a reference environment, and then deploy those components into another destination environment as software assemblies; and

patching one or more assembly images within the repository, including creating replacement images, importing the replacement images into the virtualization environment, and replacing an assembly instance'"'"'s existing virtual disks, with patched versions of those disks.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the virtual assembly builder access the repository via an application program interface that supports operations to patch a particular assembly image and subsequently apply the patch to a corresponding assembly instance.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the system associates versions with assembly images and patches, and uses version information to selectively apply patches to appropriate assembly instances.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the assembly images are stored in one or more disk volumes which can be tagged and referenced, and wherein the virtual assembly builder applies patches to snapshots of the disk volumes which are then used to patch assembly instances.