Generic method for resource monitoring configuration in provisioning systems

• US 8,001,240 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2009
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kalantar, Michael Husayn, King, David George, Fong, Liana Liyow, Burton, Toby L., Greff, Andrew Julius, Childress, Rhonda L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woolcock; Madhu
• Application Number:
  US12/355,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20090132702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0883 Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system

Abstract

A generic mechanism and model are provided to capture and store configuration profiles for resource monitors such that monitors can be flexibly deployed, configured, modified, and removed using appropriate sets of parameters and values. As an integral part of resource provisioning, this generic mechanism will require only a generic set of workflows and a generic data model to provision monitors. The provisioning system of the present invention captures and stores response parameters and values from monitors created during initial deployment such that these parameters can be used for later modification and removal of these monitors.

Claims

1. A computer system for provisioning resource monitors, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, and one or more computer readable storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices for execution by at least one of the processors via at least one of the memories, to provide at least one monitor specification, wherein a monitor specification includes a definition of parameters for a resource monitor, and wherein the monitor specification includes both a deployment profile specification for deploying the resource monitor and a response profile specification for modifying and removing the resource monitor, wherein the deployment profile specification defines a list of parameters that must be defined to deploy each instance of the resource monitor, and wherein the response profile specification defines parameters that are returned by deploying the resource monitor;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices for execution by at least one of the processors via at least one of the memories, to provide at least one resource specification, wherein a resource specification includes a definition of parameters that must be defined for each instance of a resource, wherein the resource is a resource to be monitored, and wherein the resource specification identifies a type of resource monitor to use for monitoring the resource that complies with the resource monitor;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices for execution by at least one of the processors via at least one of the memories, to associate the at least one monitor specification with the at least one resource specification to form at least one resource monitor instance configuration profile, wherein at least one instance of the resource monitor is assigned to at least one instance of the resource;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices for execution by at least one of the processors via at least one of the memories, to store the at least one resource monitor instance configuration profile;

program instructions, stored on the storage device for execution by the processor via the memory, to retrieve a resource monitor instance configuration profile for an instance of a given resource monitor assigned to an instance of a given resource;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices for execution by at least one of the processors via at least one of the memories, to receive a selection of the given resource monitor to be provisioned for the instance of the given resource, wherein a monitor configuration profile is defined for the selection of the given resource monitor in association with the resource monitor instance configuration profile;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices for execution by at least one of the processors via at least one of the memories, to receive at least one value for a parameter for the given resource monitor, wherein the monitor configuration profile includes the at least one value for the parameter;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices for execution by at least one of the processors via at least one of the memories, to store the monitor configuration profile for the given resource monitor in association with the instance of the given resource; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices for execution by at least one of the processors via at least one of the memories, to deploy the given resource monitor in accordance with the monitor configuration profile.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions to receive at least one value for a parameter for the given resource monitor present an interface to define parameters for the given resource monitor based on a monitor specification for the given resource monitor.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions to deploy the given resource monitor in accordance with the monitor configuration profile determine whether manual intervention is required for the given resource monitor based on a value of a parameter in the monitor configuration profile and interact, responsive to manual intervention being required for the given resource monitor, with an administrator to receive at least one value for a parameter.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions to deploy the given resource monitor in accordance with the monitor configuration profile store response parameters and values in the response profile specification.

5. The computer system of claim 4, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices for execution by at least one of the processors via at least one of the memories, to de-provision the given resource monitor using the response parameters and values in the response profile specification.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions to deploy the given resource monitor in accordance with the monitor configuration profile capture output parameters and values of a monitor deployment and storing them to the response profile specification.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the instance of the given resource is a resource of a type selected from the group consisting of server hardware, network hardware, storage hardware, operating system software, database middleware software, application software, and monitoring software.

8. A computer program product for provisioning resource monitors, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices, to provide at least one monitor specification, wherein a monitor specification includes a definition of parameters for a resource monitor, and wherein the monitor specification includes both a deployment profile specification for deploying the resource monitor and a response profile specification for modifying and removing the resource monitor, wherein the deployment profile specification defines a list of parameters that must be defined to deploy each instance of the resource monitor, and wherein the response profile specification defines parameters that are returned by deploying the resource monitor;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices, to provide at least one resource specification, wherein a resource specification includes a definition of parameters that must be defined for each instance of a resource, wherein the resource is a resource to be monitored, and wherein the resource specification identifies a type of resource monitor to use for monitoring the resource that complies with the resource monitor;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices, to associate the at least one monitor specification with the at least one resource specification to form at least one resource monitor instance configuration profile, wherein at least one instance of the resource monitor is assigned to at least one instance of the resource;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices, to store the at least one resource monitor instance configuration profile;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices, to retrieve a resource monitor instance configuration profile for an instance of a given resource monitor assigned to an instance of a given resource;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices, to receive a selection of the given resource monitor to be provisioned for the instance of the given resource, wherein a monitor configuration profile is defined for the selection of the given resource monitor in association with the resource monitor instance configuration profile;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices, to receive at least one value for a parameter for the given resource monitor, wherein the monitor configuration profile includes the at least one value for the parameter;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices, to store the monitor configuration profile for the given resource monitor in association with the instance of the given resource; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices, to deploy the given resource monitor in accordance with the monitor configuration profile.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions to receive at least one value for a parameter for the given resource monitor present an interface to define parameters for the given resource monitor based on a monitor specification for the given resource monitor.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions to deploy the given resource monitor in accordance with the monitor configuration profile determine whether manual intervention is required for the given resource monitor based on a value of a parameter in the monitor configuration profile and interact, responsive to manual intervention being required for the given resource monitor, with an administrator to receive at least one value for a parameter.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions to deploy the given resource monitor in accordance with the monitor configuration profile store response parameters and values in the response profile specification.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the storage devices, to de-provision the given resource monitor using the response parameters and values in the response profile specification.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions to deploy the given resource monitor in accordance with the monitor configuration profile capture output parameters and values of a monitor deployment and storing them to the response profile specification.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the instance of the given resource is a resource of a type selected from the group consisting of server hardware, network hardware, storage hardware, operating system software, database middleware software, application software, and monitoring software.