Method and system for modeling, validating and automatically resolving goals and dependencies between elements within a topology

• US 8,126,692 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Arnold, William Carlisle, Berg, Daniel Christopher, Blancett, Brad Lee, Eilam, Tamar, Elder, Michael Damein, Holliday, Chad M., Kalantar, Michael Husayn, Konstantinou, Alexander V., Makin, Narinder, Snible, Edward Charles, Swanke, John Eric, Trossman, Andrew Neil, Vytas, Paul Darius, Yeung, Alice Tae Yun
• Primary Examiner(s): Thangavelu, Kandasamy
• Application Number:
  US12/014,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20090183028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1, 703/13, 703/15, 703/22, 703/21, 709/224, 709/203, 707/100, 707/102, 717/168, 714/16, 714/2, 714/25, 710/1, 715/723
• US Class Current: 703/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Computer implemented method, system and computer usable program code for configuring a computing system. A determination is made whether there are any errors in the model, and responsive to determining that there is at least one error in the model, a determination is made whether there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error. Responsive to determining that there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error, at least one resolution among the at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error is selected to form at least one selected resolution to correct the at least one error. The at least one selected resolution is applied to the model to form a transformed model, and the transformed model is output to a user.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for configuring a computing system, comprising:

displaying a model of the computing system in a visual model editor;

changing the model;

responsive to changing the model, determining whether there are any errors in the model;

responsive to determining that there is at least one error in the model, updating a visual representation of the model by marking a unit associated with the at least one error with an error marker and determining whether there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error;

responsive to determining that there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error, receiving an indication to resolve the at least one error;

responsive to receiving the indication to resolve the at least one error, displaying the at least one resolution and soliciting a selection of the at least one resolution;

responsive to receiving an indication not to select any of the at least one resolution, re-displaying the model of the computing system in the visual model editor;

responsive to receiving an indication to select one or more of the at least one resolution;

selecting the one or more of the at least one resolution; and

responsive to selecting the one or more of the at least one resolution, applying the selected one or more of the at least one resolution to the model and transforming the model to form a transformed model, wherein transforming the model comprises executing resolution rules to add new model elements, and wherein the resolution rules contain model transformation logic to fix the at least one error, and wherein the resolution rules comprise new resolution rules that are associated with the new model elements; and

outputting the transformed model to the visual model editor.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein transforming the model includes identifying relationships among resources in the model.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein identifying relationships among resources in the model, comprises:

identifying at least one of hosting requirements between two resources in the model, dependency requirements between resources in the model, and membership links defining constraints between resources.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether there are any errors in the model comprises:

validating the model in accordance with validation rules which define constraints on the model to identify any errors in the model.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein validating the model in accordance with validation rules comprises:

validating the model in separate threads of execution of the model.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to select one or more of the at least one resolution comprises determining, by one of a user and a configuring system, whether to select one or more of the at least one resolution.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, and further comprising:

repeating the displaying, changing, determining, updating, choosing, selecting, executing, outputting and applying steps with respect to the transformed model.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, and further comprising:

responsive to determining that there are no errors in the model, outputting the model to a user.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises one of a complete computing system, a subunit of a computing system and a collection of computing systems.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying the at least one resolution comprises defining multiple resolutions for the at least one error and prioritizing a presentation of the multiple resolutions.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the model transformation logic triggers a human activity.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein the human activity comprises physically moving a server.

13. A computer implemented method for configuring a computing system, comprising:

displaying a model of the computing system in a visual model editor;

changing the model;

responsive to changing the model, determining whether there are any errors in the model by validating the model in accordance with validation rules;

responsive to determining that there is at least one error in the model, updating a visual representation of the model by marking a unit associated with the at least one error with an error marker and determining whether there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error;

responsive to determining that there is at least one resolution for correcting the at least one error in the model receiving an indication to resolve the at least one error;

responsive to receiving an indication to resolve the at least one error, displaying the at least one resolution and soliciting a selection of the at least one resolution;

responsive to receiving an indication not to select any of the at least one resolution, re-displaying the model of the computing system in the visual model editor;

responsive to receiving an indication to select one or more of the at least one resolution;

selecting the one or more of the at least one resolution; and

responsive to selecting the one or more of the at least one resolution, applying the selected one or more of the at least one resolution to the model and transforming the model to form a transformed model, wherein transforming the model comprises executing resolution rules to add new model elements, and wherein the resolution rules contain model transformation logic to fix the at least one error, and wherein the resolution rules comprise new resolution rules that are associated with the new model elements;

repeating the determining whether to select one or more of the at least one resolution, the selecting the one or more of the at least one resolution and the applying the selected one or more of the at least one resolution with respect to the transformed model until it is determined that there are no errors in the transformed model; and

outputting the transformed model to the visual model editor.