Request scheduler for automated software configuration

• US 7,051,092 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2000
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lenz, Norbert, Mielke, Frank, Thelen, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Popovici, Dov
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, NIKETA I
• Application Number:
  US09/752,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20010054091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,972 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221, 709/226, 709/207, 709/220, 709/222, 710/5
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of adapting software to requirements setup at the user site. It is suited for heterogeneous system management environment to configure software automatically. In particular, it relates to automated management of resources and even more particularly to automated configuration of software programs. Basically, the invention proposes a sequence of the following steps: accessing a repository comprising the requests, reorganizing said requests in a sense that they are ordered, bundled, etc., and invoking resource managing programs, e.g., supporters for handling the service of said requests.

Claims

1. A method for supporting automated management of resources owned by a supporter program in a system having at least one repository and a resource managing program means, comprising the steps of:

placing all requests in a repository comprising requests and request attributes wherein each request defines an action to be performed, or a desired state to be achieved, the state being associated with a respective one of said resources, and wherein said request attributes comprise at least a name of the supporter program, a requested functionality, a unique string identifying a configuration containing the request, supporter-specific request parameters, a current status of the request, and a version of the supporter program required to execute the request;

accessing requests by a request scheduler and reorganizing said requests into a chain of requests based on said request attributes; and

invoking resource managing program means for handling the chain of said requests.

2. The method according to claim 1 used for supporting automated configuration of programs, in which said request define desired states of operating system maintained resources, wherein the method further comprises the step of invoking supporter program means for ensuring that said resources are set according to said requests.

3. The method according, to claim 2 further comprising the step of using a standardized interface for said invocation of supporter programs.

4. The method according to claim 2 further comprising at least one of the steps of:

checking for inconsistencies caused by one or more request, generating one or more new request as a child request of an already existing request, simulating the execution of said requests, executing updates of resources and generating special requests for activation, making updates known to the operating system, and reversing updates done before.

5. The method according to claim 4 further comprising the step of generating a user-readable protocol in which effects of execution of one of said steps according to the preceding claim are logged with respective settings of said resources.

6. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium comprising computer readable program means for causing a computer to perform a method for supporting automated management of resources owned by a supporter program in a system having at least one repository and a resource managing program means, said method comprising the steps of:

placing all requests in a repository comprising requests and request attributes wherein each request defines an action to be performed, or a desired state to be achieved, the state being associated with a respective one of said resources, and wherein said request attributes comprise at least a

name of the Supporter program, a requested functionality, a unique string identifying a configuration containing the request, supporter-specific request parameters, a current status of the request, and a version of the supporter program required to execute the request;

accessing requests by a request scheduler and reorganizing said requests into a chain of requests based on said request attributes; and

invoking resource managing program means for handling the chain of said requests.

7. A computer system having installed program mean for performing a method for supporting automated management of resources owned by a supporter program in a system having at least one repository and a resource managing program means, said method comprising the steps of:

placing all requests in a repository comprising requests and request attributes wherein each request defines an action to be performed, or a desired state to be achieved, the state being associated with a respective one of said resources, and wherein said request attributes comprise at least a name of the supporter program, a requested functionality, a unique string identifying a configuration containing the request, supporter-specific request parameters, a current status of the request, and a version of the supporter program required to execute the request;

accessing requests by a request scheduler arid reorganizing said requests into a chain of requests based on said request attributes; and

invoking resource managing program means for handling the chain of said requests.

8. A program storage device readable by machine tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing a method for supporting automated management of resources owned by a supporter program in a system having at least one repository and a resource managing program means, said method comprising the steps of:

placing all requests in a repository comprising requests and request attributes wherein each request defines an action to be performed, or a desired state to be achieved, the state being associated with a respective one of said resources, and wherein said request attributes comprise at least a name off the supporter program, a requested functionality, a unique string identifying a configuration containing the request, supporter-specific request parameters, a current status of the request, and a version of the supporter program required to execute the request and wherein said request attributes comprise at least the name of the supporter program, the requested functionality, a unique string identifying a configuration containing the request, supporter-specific request parameters, the current_status of the request, and a version of the supporter required to execute the request;

accessing requests by a request scheduler and reorganizing said requests into a chain of requests based on said request attributes; and

invoking resource managing program means for handling the chain of said requests.

9. The program storage device according to claim 8 wherein the method further comprises the step of invoking supporter program means for ensuring that said resources are set according to said requests.

10. The program storage device according to claim 9 wherein the method further comprises the step of using a standardized interface for said invocation of supporter programs.

11. The program storage device according to claim 9 wherein the method further comprises at least one of the steps of:

checking for inconsistencies caused by one or more request, generating one or more new request as a child request of an already existing request, simulating the execution of aid request, executing updates of resources and generating special requests for activation, making updates known to the operating system, and reversing updates done before.

12. The program storage device according to claim 11 wherein the method further comprises the step of generating a user-readable protocol in which effects of execution of one of said steps according to the preceding claim are logged with respective settings of said resources.