Binding Policies to Computing Resources

• US 20170033997A1
• Filed: 08/17/2015
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Burk, Gregory T., Coote, Lachlan T.
• Application Number:
  US14/828,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20170033997A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/161 Computing infrastructure, e.g. computer clusters, blade chassis or hardware partitioning casings, cabinets, racks or drawers for data centers H05K5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/827 Aggregation of resource allocation or reservation requests

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a method for managing a set of computing resources. The method receives several computing resource management policies from a first several heterogeneous sources. The method receives descriptions of several computing resources from a second several heterogeneous sources, wherein the descriptions specify categories for the computing resources. The method uses a set of binding rules to automatically apply the policies to the computing resources. The binding rules specify to which categories of computing resource each policy is applied.

Claims

18. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit manages a set of computing resources, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving a plurality of computing resource management policies from a first plurality of heterogeneous sources;

receiving descriptions of a plurality of computing resources from a second plurality of heterogeneous sources, wherein the descriptions specify categories for the computing resources; and

using a set of binding rules to automatically apply the policies to the computing resources, wherein the binding rules specify to which categories of computing resource each policy is applied.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the plurality of computing resource management policies comprises policies defined in a plurality of different languages.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the description for at least one of the computing resources specifies more than one category to which the computing resource belongs.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein a particular binding rule applies multiple policies to a particular resource.

22. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the set of instructions for using the set of binding rules comprises sets of instructions for:

identifying a particular policy that applies to a particular resource;

determining that the particular policy comprises a plurality of separate policies; and

applying each of the separate policies to the particular resource.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the set of instructions for using the set of binding rules comprises sets of instructions for:

identifying parameters for the application of a particular policy to a particular resource; and

applying a function to one of the identified parameters.

26. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein a particular policy is applied to a first resource the description of which is received from a first source and a second resource the description of which is received from a second source.

24-1. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein execution of the set of instructions for using the set of binding rules to automatically apply the policies to the computing resources results in a set of fully defined effective policies applied to each the computing resources, the program further comprising a set of instructions for outputting the effective policies applied to the computing resources to a set of policy engines that enforce the effective policies.