Policy control architecture for blade servers upon inserting into server chassis

• US 7,840,656 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Holdaway, Kevan D., Olguin, Ivan Ronald II
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, LE HIEN
• Application Number:
  US12/112,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/224, 709/221, 709/223, 709/220, 709/222, 726/1, 359/689, 707/5, 711/126
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

A system for implementing and controlling a plurality of server-specific policies for a plurality of servers using a management module in communication with the plurality of servers is provided. A policy controller module is operational on the management module. The policy controller module is adapted for defining a first policy of a plurality of policies for each of the plurality of servers, managing a plurality of rules relevant to an execution of the first policy, and coordinating the execution of the first policy with an execution of a second policy of the plurality of policies.

Claims

1. A method for implementing and controlling a plurality of server-specific policies for a plurality of blade servers by a management module in communication with the plurality of blade servers, comprising:

defining a first policy of a plurality of policies for each of the plurality of blade servers;

managing a plurality of rules relevant to an execution of the first policy; and

coordinating the execution of the first policy with an execution of a second policy of the plurality of policies, including coordinating the execution of a BIOS policy according to a blade insertion routine, the BIOS policy applying at least one blade-specific BIOS setting to one of the plurality of blade servers upon the insertion of the one of the plurality of blade servers into a blade server chassis.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein coordinating the execution of the first policy with the execution of the second policy includes assigning at least one of the plurality of rules with the first policy to a portion of the management module for execution.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the first policy of the plurality of policies for each of the plurality of blade servers includes configuring a policy controller module operational on the management module for controlling execution of the plurality of policies.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein coordinating the execution of the first policy with the execution of the second policy of the plurality of policies includes coordinating the execution of one of a slot policy, a blade policy, a blade sparing policy, a volume sparing policy, an operating system policy, and an application policy with the second policy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the first policy of the plurality of policies for each of the plurality of blade servers includes defining a plurality of routines for the first policy.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein defining the plurality of routines includes defining the blade server insertion routine for the first policy executed upon an insertion of the one of the plurality of blade servers into the blade server chassis.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein defining the plurality of routines includes defining a failure routine for the first policy executed upon a failure of a blade server component.

8. A system for implementing and controlling a plurality of server-specific policies for a plurality of blade servers using a management module in communication with the plurality of blade servers, comprising:

a policy controller module operational on the management module, wherein the policy controller module is adapted for;

defining a first policy of a plurality of policies for each of the plurality of blade servers,

managing a plurality of rules relevant to an execution of the first policy, and

coordinating the execution of the first policy with an execution of a second policy of the plurality of policies, including coordinating the execution of a BIOS policy according to a blade insertion routine, the BIOS policy applying at least one blade-specific BIOS setting to one of the plurality of blade servers upon the insertion of the one of the plurality of blade servers into a blade server chassis.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the policy controller module is further adapted for assigning at least one of the plurality of rules with the first policy to a portion of the management module for execution.

10. The system of claim 8, further including:

an operating system repository module in communication with the policy controller module for implementing an operating system policy assigned by the policy controller module,

an information manager module in communication with the policy controller module for managing information within the management module, and

a BIOS module in communication with the policy controller module for implementing the BIOS policy assigned by the policy controller module.

11. The system of claim 8, further including:

a configuration module in communication with the policy controller module for configuring a server resource per the first policy,

a compatibility matrix module in communication with the policy controller module for determining a compatibility of a server resource per the first policy, and

a sparing module in communication with the policy controller module for implementing a sparing policy assigned by the policy controller module.

12. The system of claim 8, further including an application module in communication with the policy controller module for executing a policy-specific application.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the policy controller module is further adapted for defining a plurality of routines for the first policy.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of routines includes the blade server insertion routine executed upon an insertion of the one of the plurality of blade servers into the blade server chassis, and a failure routine executed upon a failure of a blade server component.

15. A computer program product for implementing and controlling a plurality of server-specific policies of a plurality of blade servers by a management module in communication with the plurality of blade servers, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for defining a first policy of a plurality of policies for each of the plurality of blade servers;

a second executable portion for managing a plurality of rules relevant to an execution of the first policy; and

a third executable portion for coordinating the execution of the first policy with an execution of a second policy of the plurality of policies, including coordinating the execution of a BIOS policy according to a blade insertion routine, the BIOS policy applying at least one blade-specific BIOS setting to one of the plurality of blade servers upon the insertion of the one of the plurality of blade servers into a blade server chassis.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the third executable portion for coordinating the execution of the first policy with the execution of the second policy includes a fifth executable portion for assigning at least one of the plurality of rules with the first policy to a portion of the management module for execution.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first executable portion for defining the first policy of a plurality of policies for each of the plurality of blade servers includes a fifth executable portion for configuring a policy controller module operational on the management module for controlling execution of the plurality of policies.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the third executable portion for coordinating the execution of the first policy with the execution of the second policy of the plurality of policies includes a fifth executable portion for coordinating the execution of one of a slot policy, a blade policy, a blade sparing policy, a volume sparing policy, an operating system policy, and an application policy with the second policy.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first executable portion for defining the first policy of the plurality of policies for each of the plurality of blade servers includes a fifth executable portion for defining a plurality of routines for the first policy.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the fifth executable portion for defining the plurality of routines includes a sixth executable portion for defining the blade server insertion routine for the first policy executed upon an insertion of one of the plurality of blade servers into the blade server chassis and a sixth executable portion for defining a failure routine for the first policy executed upon a failure of a blade server component.