RESOURCE RECONCILIATION

• US 20170206061A1
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Published: 07/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: KUMAR, Narayan, MUELLER, Douglas, MAYFIELD, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 10,795,643 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/14 Merging, i.e. combining at least two sets of record carriers each arranged in the same ordered sequence to produce a single set having the same ordered sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/16 Combined merging and sorting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/20 Comparing separate sets of record carriers arranged in the same sequence to determine whether at least some of the data in one set is identical with that in the other set or sets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/32 Merging, i.e. combining data contained in ordered sequence on at least two record carriers to produce a single carrier or set of carriers having all the original data in the ordered sequence merging methods in generalG06F7/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/36 Combined merging and sorting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method to reconcile multiple instances of a single computer resource identified by resource discovery operations includes: (1) accessing information describing one or more resources; (2) identifying, via the accessed information, at least one resource that has been detected or discovered by at least two of the discovery operations; and (3) merging attributes associated with the identified resource from each of the at least two discovery operations into a single, reconciled resource object. Illustrative “resources” include, but are not limited to, computer systems, components of computer systems, data storage systems, switches, routers, memory, software applications (e.g., accounting and database applications), operating systems and business services (e.g., order entry or change management and tracking services).

Claims

1. A method to reconcile multiple instances of a single resource object, the method comprising:

selecting, by at least one processor, an unreconciled resource object;

matching, by the at least one processor, the unreconciled resource object with at least one resource object stored in a configuration management database according to at least one matching rule;

merging, by the at least one processor, the unreconciled resource object and the at least one resource object into a single reconciled resource object according to at least one merging rule, the unreconciled resource object and the at least one resource object being different instances of a common resource object; and

storing, by the at least one processor, the reconciled resource object in a reconciled dataset of the configuration management database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning, by the at least one processor, a reconciliation identifier to the reconciled resource object, the reconciliation identifier being a reconciliation identifier that was assigned to the at least one resource object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the unreconciled resource object is from a first source, wherein the matching includes matching, by the at least one processor, the unreconciled resource object from the first source with a resource object from a second source and a resource object from a third source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one matching rule specifies which attribute or attributes are considered when determining a match.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the unreconciled resource object represents a component of a computer system, the component of the computer system including a device, switch, router, memory, software application, operating system, or business service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the matching includes:

determining, by least one processor, that the unreconciled resource object includes at least one sub-object; and

matching, by the at least one processor, the at least one sub-object with another resource object stored in the configuration management database.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the merging includes:

assigning, by the at least one processor, a weight value to an attribute of the unreconciled resource object, and assigning, by the at least one processor, a weight value to an attribute of the at least one resource object, the attribute of the unreconciled resource object having a first value, the attribute of the at least one resource object having a second value;

selecting, by the at least one processor, one of the first value and the second value based on the assigned weight values; and

associating, by the at least one processor, the selected one of the first value and the second value to a corresponding attribute in the reconciled resource object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selecting includes selecting the first value when the weight value of the attribute of the unreconciled resource object is higher than the weight value of the attribute of the at least one resource object.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one matching rule includes a first matching rule and a second matching rule, wherein the matching includes applying the first matching rule and the second matching rule in a defined order such that, when the first matching rule does not result in a match, the second matching rule is applied.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

select an unreconciled resource object;

match the unreconciled resource object with at least one resource object stored in a configuration management database according to a plurality of matching rules, wherein the match includes applying the plurality of matching rules in a defined order for determining a match;

merge the unreconciled resource object and the at least one resource object into a single reconciled resource object according to at least one merging rule, the unreconciled resource object and the at least one resource object being different instances of a common resource object; and

store the reconciled resource object in a reconciled dataset of the configuration management database.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:

assign a reconciliation identifier to the reconciled resource object, the reconciliation identifier being a reconciliation identifier that was assigned to the at least one resource object.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the unreconciled resource object is from a first source, wherein the executable instructions cause the at least one processor to match the unreconciled resource object from the first source with a resource object from a second source and a resource object from a third source.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one matching rule specifies which attribute or attributes are considered when determining a match, the at least one matching rule also specifying a type of resource object to which the at least one matching rule applies and a source to which the at least one matching rule applies.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the plurality of matching rules include a first matching rule and a second matching rule, wherein, when the first matching rule does not result in a match, the second matching rule is applied.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:

determine that the unreconciled resource object includes at least one sub-object;

match the at least one sub-object with another resource object stored in the configuration management database.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:

assign a weight value to an attribute of the unreconciled resource object, and assign a weight value to an attribute of the at least one resource object, the attribute of the unreconciled resource object having a first value, the attribute of the at least one resource object having a second value;

select one of the first value and the second value based on the assigned weight values;

associate the selected one of the first value and the second value to a corresponding attribute in the reconciled resource object.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first value is selected over the second value when the weight value of the attribute of the unreconciled resource object is higher than the weight value of the attribute of the at least one resource object.

18. A resource management computer system comprising:

at least one processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions that when executed by the at least one processor are configured to execute a reconciliation engine, the reconciliation engine configured to;

select an unreconciled resource object;

match the unreconciled resource object with at least one resource object stored in a configuration management database according to at least one matching rule;

assign a reconciliation identifier to the unreconciled resource object that was matched to the at least one resource object, the reconciliation identifier being a reconciliation identifier that was assigned to the at least one resource object;

merge resource objects having the same reconciliation identifier including merging the unreconciled resource object and the at least one resource object into a single reconciled resource object according to an least one merging rule, the unreconciled resource object and the at least one resource object being different instances of a common resource object; and

store the reconciled resource object in a reconciled dataset of the configuration management database.

19. The resource management computer system of claim 18, wherein the at least one matching rule includes a first matching rule and a second matching rule, wherein the reconciliation engine is configured to apply the first matching rule and the second matching rule in a defined order such that, when the first matching rule does not result in a match, the second matching rule is applied.

20. The resource management computer system of claim 18, wherein the unreconciled resource object represents a component of a computer system, the component of the computer system including a device, switch, router, memory, software application, operating system, or business service.

21. A method to reconcile multiple instances of a single resource object, the method comprising:

selecting, by at least one processor, an unreconciled resource object;

matching, by the at least one processor, the unreconciled resource object with at least one resource object stored in a configuration management database according to a plurality of matching rules, the plurality of matching rules includes a first matching rule and a second matching rule, wherein the matching includes applying the first matching rule and the second matching rule in a defined order such that, when the first matching rule does not result in a match, the second matching rule is applied;

assigning, by the at least one processor, a reconciliation identifier to the unreconciled resource object that was matched to the at least one resource object, the reconciliation identifier being a reconciliation identifier that was assigned to the at least one resource object;

determining, by the at least one processor, that the unreconciled resource object includes at least one sub-object;

matching, by the at least one processor, the at least one sub-object with another resource object stored in the configuration management database;

determining, by the at least one processor, whether there are unselected resource objects to be reconciled;

selecting, by the at least one processor, a group of resource objects having the same reconciliation identifier if there are no unselected resource objects to be reconciled, wherein the selecting includes selecting the unreconciled resource object and the at least one resource object;

merging, by the at least one processor, attributes from the unreconciled resource object and the at least one resource object into a single reconciled object according to at least one merging rule; and

associating, by the at least one processor, the reconciled resource object in a reconciled dataset of the configuration management database.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the merging includes:

assigning, by the at least one processor, a weight value to an attribute of the unreconciled resource object;

assigning, by the at least one processor, a weight value to an attribute of the at least one resource object, the attribute of the unreconciled resource object having a first value, the attribute of the at least one resource object having a second value;

selecting, by the at least one processor, one of the first value and the second value based on the assigned weight values, wherein the selecting includes selecting the first value when the weight value of the attribute of the unreconciled resource object is higher than the weight value of the attribute of the at least one resource object; and

associating, by the at least one processor, the selected one of the first value and the second value to a corresponding attribute in the reconciled resource object.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the first matching rule specifies which attribute or attributes are considered when determining a match within a first source, and the second matching rule specifies which attribute or attributes are considered when determining within a second source.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the unreconciled resource object is from a first source, wherein the matching includes matching, by the at least one processor, the unreconciled resource object from the first source with a resource object from a second source and a resource object from a third source.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the unreconciled resource object represents a component of a computer system, the component of the computer system including a device, switch, router, memory, software application, operating system, or business service.