Application environment specifications for provisioning application specific runtime environments using undefined symbols

• US 7,971,182 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Offer, Richard, LeBlanc, Lynn, Vlaovic, Stevan
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri; Anil
• Application Number:
  US11/746,546
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 717104-108, 717140-145, 717121-123
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44536 Selecting among different versions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

Systems and methods of executing an application in an application specific runtime environment are disclosed. The application specific runtime environment is defined by an application environment specification to include a minimal or reduced set of software resources required for execution of the application. The application environment is generated by determining software resource dependencies and is used to provision the application specific runtime environment in real-time in response to a request to execute the application. Use of the application specific runtime environment allows the application to be executed using fewer computing resources, e.g., memory.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a resource repository configured to store resources configured to be used by an executable application;

a parser comprising instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for controlling a computer system to be operable to;

identify a first undefined symbol in the executable application, the undefined symbol not including a definition within the application,

identify a first member of the resources stored in the resource repository including a definition of the first undefined symbol, and

add an identity of the first member to an application environment specification, wherein the application environment specification identifies a set of resources required by the application for execution, the set of resources including the first member;

an application environment specification storage configured to store the application environment specification, and

a provisioning server configured to use the application environment specification to provision an application specific application runtime environment for the executable application,

wherein the identity of the first member of the resources is configured to be used to include the first member in the set of resources provisioned for the application specific runtime environment in which the executable application is executed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the parser is further operable to identify a second undefined symbol in the first member of the resources, to identify a second member of the resources including a definition of the second undefined symbol, and to add an identity of the second member to the application environment specification.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the parser is further operable to add an identifier of a component of the first member of the resources to the application environment specification.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the parser is further operable to use the first member of the resources to resolve an undefined symbol in a second member of the resources.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the parser is operable to tokenize the executable application.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the resources include a library.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the resources include a device driver.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable application includes binary code.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable application includes a script.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the application environment specification includes information identifying a target hardware configuration.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the parser is operable to identify the first undefined symbol without executing the executable application.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the application environment specification storage is configured to store a plurality of application environment specifications.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the application environment specification storage is configured to store a multi-application environment specification.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the application environment specification storage is configured to store a plurality of multi-application environment specifications.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the application environment specification includes an image of at least part of the application specific runtime environment, the image including the set of the resources.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the first member of the resources comprises a software library used by the executable application and another executable application.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of resources provisioned for the application specific runtime environment includes less resources provisioned for a general runtime environment.

12. A system comprising:

a resource repository configured to store resources configured to be used by an executable application;

a parser comprising instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for controlling a computer system to be operable to;

identify a first undefined symbol in the executable application, the undefined symbol not including a definition within the application, wherein the parser is operable to identify the first undefined symbol by executing the executable application and monitoring resources requested by the executable application, identify a first member of the resources stored in the resource repository including a definition of the first undefined symbol; and

add an identity of the first member to an application environment specification, wherein the application environment specification identifies a set of resources required by the application for execution, the set of resources including the first member; and

an application environment specification storage configured to store the application environment specification,

wherein the identity of the first member of the resources is configured to be used to include the first member in the set of resources provisioned for an application specific runtime environment in which the executable application is executed.

19. A method comprising:

identifying a first unresolved symbol in an executable application, the unresolved symbol not including a definition within the executable application;

identifying, by a computing device, a first resource comprising a definition of the first unresolved symbol, the first resource being stored in a resource repository;

adding, by the computing device, a first identifier of the first resource to an application environment specification, the application environment specification comprising a specification of a set of resources required by the application for execution, the set of resources including the first resource;

determining if the first resource includes a second unresolved symbol;

if the first resource includes a second unresolved symbol, identifying a second resource comprising a definition of the second unresolved symbol and adding a second identifier of the second resource to the application environment specification;

associating the executable application with the application environment specification, receiving a request for execution of the executable application;

retrieving the application environment specification in response to receiving the request; and

provisioning an application specific runtime environment using the retrieved application environment specification,

wherein the first identifier of the first resource and the second identifier of the second resource are configured to be used to include the first resource and the second resource in the set of resources provisioned for the application specific runtime environment in which the executable application is executed.

20. The method of claim 19, further including tokenizing the executable application.

21. The method of claim 19, further including adding a directory path of a resource on which the executable application depends, to the application environment specification.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of identifying the first unresolved symbol is performed without executing the executable application.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of identifying the first unresolved symbol is performed by monitoring resources required by the executable application during execution.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising

executing the executable application,

monitoring resources required by the executable application during execution, and

updating the application environment specification responsive to the monitored resources.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising

executing the executable application in the application specific runtime environment.

26. The method of claim 19, further including creating a virtual machine based on information stored within the stored application environment, the application specific runtime environment being provisioned in the virtual machine.

27. A method comprising:

identifying an undefined symbol in an executable application, the undefined symbol not including a definition within the executable application;

identifying, by a computing device, a member of stored resources including a definition of the first undefined symbol, the stored resources being configured to be used by the executable application; and

adding, by the computing device, an identity of the member to an application environment specification, wherein the application environment specification identifies a set of resources required by the executable application for execution, the set of resources including the member;

wherein the identity of the member of the resources is configured to be used to include the member in the set of resources provisioned for the application specific runtime environment in which the executable application is executed.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein provisioning comprises provisioning the application specific runtime environment on a processing node for the executable application.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the set of resources provisioned for the application specific runtime environment includes less resources included in a general runtime environment.

30. An apparatus comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for controlling the one or more computer processors to be operable to;

identify an undefined symbol in an executable application, the undefined symbol not including a definition within the executable application,

identify a member of stored resources including a definition of the first undefined symbol, the stored resources being configured to be used by the executable application; and

add an identity of the member to an application environment specification, wherein the application environment specification identifies a set of resources required by the application for execution, the set of resources including the member;

wherein the identity of the member of the resources is configured to be used to include the member in the set of resources provisioned for the application specific runtime environment in which the executable application is executed.