Tree-based information query model

• US 7,814,114 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2006
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Phillips, Brenton Asher, Subramanian, Sowmya, Mi, Zheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHILLIPS, III, ALBERT M
• Application Number:
  US11/470,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20080059487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 707/E17.127, 707/774, 707/E17.014, 707/760
• US Class Current: 707/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2246 Trees, e.g. B+trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying

Abstract

A mechanism and method for querying between two data centers managed by two different data center management products is described. A single information query model is utilized to query multiple instances of another data center, which receives, translates and responds to the information query through the use of a schema. Knowledge of the other (foreign) data center'"'"'s APIs for each instance is made unnecessary. Improved query efficiency is achieved by combining a plurality of disparate queries into a single information query. The responses to the plurality of queries are populated into a single reply to the information query, which is then transmitted back to the querying data center, translated and made readable to the IT administrator.

Claims

1. In an enterprise data center network system, a component of the system for determining the attribute information and status information of databases in a foreign data center, the component comprising:

a first network for transmitting data between the enterprise data center and the foreign data center;

a first module for receiving and interpreting a model based information query, the model based information query comprising a plurality of queries;

a first schema for interpreting the model based information query;

a first data center management software tool adapted to receive the interpreted model based information query, to generate at least one application program interface (API) call for a first database and a second database, and to receive at least one response from the at least one API call, wherein the at least one response comprises attribute information and status information of the first database and the second database, wherein the first and second databases are referenced in the model based information query and changes to the first database may be made independently of changes to the second database; and

a second module, for transmitting the model based information query to the first module.

2. The component of claim 1 comprising:

a first hardware device, coupled to the foreign data center, wherein the first hardware device comprises the first database; and

a second hardware device, coupled to the foreign data center, wherein the second hardware device comprises the second database.

3. The component of claim 1 further comprising a module for generating a response formatted in accordance with the schema and further adapted to format the attribute information and status information of databases in an extensible markup language (XML) tree format.

4. The component of claim 1 wherein the first database comprises at least one entry not found in the second database.

5. The component of claim 1 further comprising a module for generating a response formatted in accordance with the schema whereby the attribute information and status information of databases are returned in an extensible markup language (XML) tree format with a plurality of leaf nodes, where each leaf node corresponds to one of the databases.

6. The component of claim 5 further comprising a data center management software tool associated with the foreign data center that is different from the data center management software tool associated with the home data center.

27. The system of claim 1 wherein the first module parses the model based information query into a plurality of individual information queries and queues the plurality of queries for handling by the first data center management software tool.

7. In an enterprise data center network system, computer readable code, stored on computer-readable media of a home data center, for obtaining attribute information and status information of a hardware device in a foreign data center, the computer readable code comprising a code module for generating and sending a model based information query to the foreign data center from the home data center and for interpreting attribute information and status information of targeted hardware device in the foreign data center received from the foreign data center in an extensible markup language (XML) tree format with a plurality of leaf nodes associated with a hardware device of the foreign data center, wherein the model based information query comprises a plurality of queries that are mappable to a plurality of application program interface (API) calls at the foreign data center;

and a schema, associated with the module, that provides the rules for preparing the model based information query from the home data center and for interpreting a populated response containing attribute information and status information of targeted hardware devices in the foreign data center.

8. The computer readable code of claim 7 further comprising a data center management software tool adapted to receive the attribute information and status information of targeted hardware devices in the foreign data center and to display the interpreted model based information query.

9. The computer readable code of claim 7 wherein the populated response comprises an extensible markup language (XML) tree format response that is an expanded version of the model based information query populated with the attribute information and status information of targeted hardware devices in the foreign data center.

10. The computer readable code of claim 9 wherein the XML tree format comprises a plurality of leaf nodes.

11. A method for determining the attribute information of a plurality of instances in a foreign data center, the method comprising:

at the first foreign data center, receiving a first model based information query comprising a plurality of queries from a home data center;

at the first foreign data center, interpreting, using a schema, the first model based information query to generate a first application program interface (API) call to acquire attribute information for a first software application and a second API call to acquire attribute information for a second software application, the first and second software applications identified in the first model based information query;

from the first foreign data center, returning a first response to the home data center whereby the response comprises attribute information for each software application identified in the first model based information query;

from the first foreign data center, transmitting a second model based information query comprising a plurality of queries to a second foreign data center, different from the first foreign data center and home data center, wherein the second model based information query is different from the first model based information query; and

at the first foreign data center, receiving a response from the second foreign data center whereby the response comprises attribute information for each software application identified in the second model based information query.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first software application comprises a first database, and the second software application comprises a second database.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the first foreign data center comprises a first hardware device comprising the first software application, and the first foreign data center comprises a second hardware device comprising the second software application.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first software application comprises a first database and the second software application comprises a second database.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the first foreign data center comprises data center management software that differs from the data center management software at the home data center.

16. A method for determining status and attribute information of a plurality of instances in a foreign data center, the method comprising:

generating, in combination with a schema, a model based information query comprising a plurality of queries directed to a plurality of databases;

transmitting the model based information query to at least one foreign data center, wherein the foreign data center comprises at least two of the databases, the foreign data center being arranged to generate at least two API calls to query the at least two databases to obtain the status and attribute information of the databases, wherein a first database of the at least two databases comprises at least one entry not found in a second database of the at least two databases; and

interpreting, in combination with the schema, a response from the foreign data center wherein the response comprises the model based information query populated with status and attribute information for each database identified in the model based information query.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising:

a first hardware device, coupled to the foreign data center, wherein the first hardware device comprises the first database; and

a second hardware device, coupled to the foreign data center, wherein the second hardware device comprises the second database.

18. A device for determining the status and attribute information of a plurality of instances in a foreign data center, the device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory containing instructions, that when executed cause the one or more processors to perform a sequence of operations comprising;

receiving through a first network a model based information query comprising a plurality of queries from a home data center;

interpreting, using a schema, the model based information query to generate at least one application program interface (API) call for at least a first database and a second database identified in the model based information query;

and returning a response wherein the response comprises attribute information and status information of the first database and the second database, wherein the first and second databases are referenced in the model based information query and changes to the first database may be made independently of changes to the second database.

19. In a data center, a system for determining the attribute information and status information of targeted instances in a foreign data center, the foreign data center having a plurality of instances, the system comprising:

means for composing a model-based query, the model-based query comprising a plurality of queries, wherein at least one of the plurality of queries is associated with targeted instances in the foreign data center;

means for transmitting the model-based query to the foreign data center over a first network through which the data center and foreign data center are connected;

at the foreign data center, means for interpreting the model-based query using a schema;

at the foreign data center, means for generating at least one API call for the targeted instances in response to the model-based query;

means for receiving populated responses from foreign data center; and

means for presenting attribute information for each of the targeted instances received from foreign data center response, wherein a first instance is independent from a second instance.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the query comprises a query in XML tree format having a plurality of queries directed to more than one instance.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the responses from foreign data center comprise an XML tree format populated with a plurality of responses from each target instance.

22. In a data center, a system for determining the attribute information and status information of targeted servers in a foreign data center, the foreign data center having a plurality of servers, the system comprising:

means for receiving a model-based information query, the model-based information query comprising a plurality of queries that reference the targeted servers in the foreign data center;

means for interpreting the model based information query using a schema;

means for generating responsive API calls for the targeted servers;

means for issuing at least one API call to each of the targeted servers, wherein each targeted server is within the foreign data center, a first targeted server is responsive to a first API call, a second targeted server is responsive to a second API call, the first targeted server is not responsive to the second API call, the second targeted server is not responsive to the first API call, and the targeted servers are arranged to be queried for attribute information and status information;

means for receiving response from targeted servers; and

means for populating model based information query with responses.

23. A system for determining the attribute information of a plurality of instances in a first foreign data center, the system comprising an interpreter module for receiving a first model based information query over a network comprising a plurality of queries from a home data center;

the interpreter module adapted to interpret, using a schema, the first model based information query to generate a first application program interface (API) call for a first instance to acquire attribute information of the first instance and a second API call for a second instance to acquire attribute information of the second instance, the first and second instances identified in the first model based information query and return a response to the home data center whereby the response comprises attribute information for the first and second instance identified in the first model based information query, wherein the first API call is specific to the first instance and the first instance is not responsive to the second API call, and the second API call is specific to the second instance and the second instance is not responsive to the first API call.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising schema for use by the interpreter to interpret the first model based information query.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the first model based information query comprises a query in extensible markup language (XML) tree format having a plurality of queries directed to more than one instance.

26. The system of claim 23 further comprising populating the first model based information query with attribute information.