Interface for Translating Software Commands and Hardware Commands for a Distributed Computing System

• US 20140304718A1
• Filed: 04/01/2014
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nebula, Inc.
• Inventors: Gambardella, Matthew, Heck, Joe, McMillan, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,507,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method receives a software command from a software element in a main computer at a management computer via an application programming interface (API) included in the management computer. The management computer manages the main computer, and the main computer controls services for a distributed computing system. The management computer then determines a hardware device associated with the software command where the management computer includes a communication pathway to the hardware device. The management computer translates the software command to a hardware command that the hardware device can process where the hardware device cannot process the software command. Then, the management computer sends the hardware command to the hardware device via the communication pathway where the management computer provides the API to allow the software element to communicate with the hardware element without the software element having to translate the software command to the hardware command.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a software command from a software element in a main computer at a management computer of the computing device via an application programming interface (API) included in the management computer, wherein the management computer manages the main computer, and the main computer controls services for a distributed computing system;

determining, by the management computer, a hardware device associated with the software command, wherein the management computer comprises a communication pathway to the hardware device;

translating, by the management computer, the software command to a hardware command that the hardware device can process, wherein the hardware device cannot process the software command; and

sending, by the management computer, the hardware command to the hardware device via the communication pathway, wherein the management computer provides the API to allow the software element to communicate with the hardware element without the software element having to translate the software command to the hardware command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the software command is received at the management computer via a remote procedure call from the main computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the hardware command comprises:

sending, by the management computer, the hardware command to the hardware element via a bus coupled to the management computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the hardware command comprises:

sending, by the management computer, the hardware command to an internal switch, wherein the internal switch sends the hardware command to the hardware element.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending the hardware command to a microcontroller configured to send the hardware command to the hardware element, wherein the microcontroller communicates with the hardware element using a hardware protocol for communicating with hardware elements different from a software protocol associated with the software command.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the API comprises a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) API configured to receive HTTP requests from the main computer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the management computer, a second hardware command from a hardware element;

determining, by the management computer, a software device associated with the second hardware command;

translating, by the management computer, the second hardware command to a second software command; and

sending, by the management computer, the second software command to the software device in the main computer via the API.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the management computer includes a first operating system,

the main computer includes a second operating system, and

the management computer is capable of hosting the API on the first operating system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the management computer includes a plurality of communication pathways to a plurality of hardware elements that communicate in different hardware protocols, and

the management computer is capable of translating from the different hardware protocols to software commands using the API.

10. An apparatus comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, that when executed, control the one or more computer processors to be configured for;

receiving a software command from a software element in a main computer at a management computer via an application programming interface (API) included in the management computer, wherein the management computer manages the main computer, and the main computer controls services for a distributed computing system;

determining, by the management computer, a hardware device associated with the software command, wherein the management computer comprises a communication pathway to the hardware device;

translating, by the management computer, the software command to a hardware command that the hardware device can process, wherein the hardware device cannot process the software command; and

sending, by the management computer, the hardware command to the hardware device via the communication pathway, wherein the management computer provides the API to allow the software element to communicate with the hardware element without the software element having to translate the software command to the hardware command.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the software command is received at the management computer via a remote procedure call from the main computer.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein sending the hardware command comprises:

sending, by the management computer, the hardware command to the hardware element via a bus coupled to the management computer.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein sending the hardware command comprises:

sending, by the management computer, the hardware command to an internal switch, wherein the internal switch sends the hardware command to the hardware element.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

sending the hardware command to a microcontroller configured to send the hardware command to the hardware element, wherein the microcontroller communicates with the hardware element using a hardware protocol for communicating with hardware elements different from a software protocol associated with the software command.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the API comprises a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) API configured to receive HTTP requests from the main computer.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, further configured for:

receiving, by the management computer, a second hardware command from a hardware element;

determining, by the management computer, a software device associated with the second hardware command;

translating, by the management computer, the second hardware command to a second software command; and

sending, by the management computer, the second software command to the software device in the main computer via the API.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the management computer includes a first operating system,

the main computer includes a second operating system, and

the management computer is capable of hosting the API on the first operating system.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the management computer includes a plurality of communication pathways to a plurality of hardware elements that communicate in different hardware protocols, and

the management computer is capable of translating from the different hardware protocols to software commands using the API.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions, that when executed, control a computer system to be configured for:

receiving a software command from a software element in a main computer at a management computer via an application programming interface (API) included in the management computer, wherein the management computer manages the main computer, and the main computer controls services for a distributed computing system;

determining, by the management computer, a hardware device associated with the software command, wherein the management computer comprises a communication pathway to the hardware device;

translating, by the management computer, the software command to a hardware command that the hardware device can process, wherein the hardware device cannot process the software command; and

sending, by the management computer, the hardware command to the hardware device via the communication pathway, wherein the management computer provides the API to allow the software element to communicate with the hardware element without the software element having to translate the software command to the hardware command.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein:

the management computer includes a plurality of communication pathways to a plurality of hardware elements that communicate in different hardware protocols, and

the management computer is capable of translating from the different hardware protocols to software commands using the API.