System and method for actively managing an enterprise of configurable components

• US 7,418,484 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Presley, Darryl Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Thong H
• Application Number:
  US09/998,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20030105838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,461 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/200, 709/220, 709/221, 709/223, 709/224, 709/208, 713/100, 713/171
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system and method for actively managing an enterprise of configurable components is described. A configuration for at least one individual component in a managed domain is stored. The configuration includes a set of configuration parameters and type definitions. A mapping of the configurations is defined between at least two of the individual components. Each mapping specifies a configuration parameter with a relationship dependent on at least one other such configuration parameter. Each such individual component is registered. The configuration parameters and type definitions are validated based on a master set of configuration parameters and type definitions defined for an enterprise. The mappings within the enterprise are enforced by dynamically probing the validated configurable parameters for each such individual component.

Claims

1. A system for actively managing configurable components, comprising:

a plurality of components, each component storing a configuration comprising a set of configuration parameters;

a repository that stores information about a configuration policy;

a server configured to (a) register each of the plurality of components, (b) perform dynamic probing operations on each of the plurality of components to identify configuration changes made to the configuration of each of the plurality of components, and (c) validate identified configuration changes against the configuration policy to determine whether the configuration changes conform to the configuration policy;

wherein the configuration policy defines, for each configuration parameter of the configuration of each of the plurality of components, a value range for which the configuration parameter will be successfully validated by the server;

wherein, to validate a particular identified configuration change of the identified configuration changes against the configuration policy, the server determines whether results of the particular identified configuration change occurs within the value range.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the server comprises a set of core services for responding to an identified configuration change, wherein the set of core services comprises at least one of:

a first service for changing a value of at least one configuration parameter to a default or previously validated value;

a second service for auditing the configuration parameters of the configuration of at least one of the plurality of components;

a third service for generating an alert regarding the configuration parameters of the configuration of at least one of the plurality of components; and

a fourth service for acquiescing to the identified configuration change.

3. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a log storing data that identifies an identified configuration change made to the configuration of a particular component.

4. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a configuration and validation module for performing impact analysis on the identified configuration changes against the plurality of components.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of components is separate from the server.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information indicates a relationship dependency between a first configuration parameter in the configuration of a first component and a second configuration parameter in the configuration of a different component.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the server validates the configuration, for the first component, based upon the relationship dependency between the first configuration parameter and the second configuration parameter.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein the relationship dependency comprises one of one-way, two-way, cyclic, one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the information includes at least one document type definition defining a mapping between the configuration of at least two of the plurality of individual components.

10. A method for actively managing configurable components, comprising:

maintaining a repository, accessible to a server, that stores information about a configuration policy;

registering, with the server, each of a plurality of components;

performing dynamic probing operations on each of the plurality of components to identify configuration changes made to a configuration of each of the plurality of components; and

validating, at the server, identified configuration changes against the configuration policy to determine whether the identified configuration changes conform to the configuration policy;

wherein the configuration policy defines, for each configuration parameter of the configuration of each of the plurality of components, a value range for which the configuration parameter will be successfully validated by the server;

wherein validating a particular identified configuration change of the identified configuration changes against the configuration policy comprises determining whether results of the particular identified configuration change occur within the value range.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

responding to an identified configuration change by performing at least one of;

changing a value of at least one configuration parameter to a default or previously validated value;

auditing configuration parameters of the configuration of at least one of the plurality of components;

generating an alert regarding the configuration parameters of the configuration of at least one of the plurality of components; and

acquiescing to the identified configuration change.

12. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

logging data that identifies an identified configuration change made to the configuration of a particular component to a log file.

13. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

performing impact analysis on the identified configuration changes against the plurality of components.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein the information indicates a relationship dependency between a first configuration parameter in the configuration of a first component and a second configuration parameter in the configuration of a different component.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the server validates the configuration, for the first component, based upon the relationship dependency between the first configuration parameter and the second configuration parameter.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein the relationship comprises one of one-way, two-way, cyclic, one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many.

17. A method according to claim 10, wherein the information includes at least one document type definition defining a mapping between the configuration of at least two of the plurality of individual components.

18. A method according to claim 14, wherein the relationship comprises one of one-way, two-way, cyclic, one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many.

19. A method according to claim 10, wherein the configuration policy, stored in the repository, includes a master set of configuration parameters and type definitions for each of the plurality of components.

20. A computer-readable storage medium holding code which, when executed, performs the method according to any one of claims 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, and 16.