Configuring processing entities according to their roles in a data processing system with a distributed architecture

• US 8,171,116 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pichetti, Luigi, Secomandi, Antonio, Ranucci, Roberto, Marinelli, Claudio, Lupini, Francesco
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ashok
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, LINGLAN E
• Application Number:
  US12/128,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20080228902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/220, 709/227, 718/100, 718/200, 718/220, 717/168, 717/174, 717/177
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for configuring different computers of a network. Each computer plays a specific physic role (defined by an architecture of the network) and/or a specific logic role (defined by the applications running in the network). A reference model and a transition table are associated with each product to be installed in the network; the reference model specifies a target configuration for each role (defined by the components of the product to be installed), while the transition table specifies the actions required to reach each target configuration from each current configuration of the computers. A server identifies the role and the current configuration of each computer; the actions required to enforce the desired target configuration on the computer are then established and executed.

Claims

1. In a data processing system with a distributed architecture including a plurality of computers, each computer playing at least one of a plurality of predetermined roles in the data processing system, a method of configuring the computers comprising:

defining a target configuration for each predetermined role based on a reference model for a software product, the reference model specifying for each predetermined role, components of the software product that are to be installed on a computer having the predetermined role, wherein the plurality of predetermined roles comprises one or more physical roles and one or more logical roles;

defining, in a transition table data structure, for each current state/target state pair of each component of the software product, an identifier of one or more actions required to reach the target state from the current state;

identifying, for a computer in the plurality of computers, a physical role corresponding to the computer, the physical role identifying at least one function the computer plays within the distributed architecture of the data processing system and being defined based on the computer'"'"'s position within the distributed architecture and a relationship between the computer and other computers in the plurality of computers;

identifying, for the computer in the plurality of computers, at least one logical role, defined by a software configuration of the computer; and

configuring the computer according to the target configuration corresponding to the physical role and the at least one logical role of the computer based on the current state/target state pairs in the transition table data structure.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein an indication of a physical role of each computer in the plurality of computers is stored in a memory structure at an installation of the computers in the data processing system, and wherein identifying the physical role of the computer comprises retrieving an indication of a corresponding physical role from the memory structure.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a software application includes a plurality of software features, each logic role in the at least one logic role is associated with a corresponding software feature, and wherein identifying the at least one logical role of the computer comprises:

detecting a software feature of the software application installed on the computer; and

establishing a logical role of the computer according to the installed software feature.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein configuring the computer according to the target configuration comprises:

detecting a current configuration of the computer;

identifying at least one action required to reach the target configuration from the current configuration; and

executing the at least one action on the computer.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

providing a software product including a plurality of components;

associating a reference structure with the software product, the reference structure defining a target configuration for each physical role and logical role, specifying at least one component to be installed; and

associating a transition structure with the software product, wherein for each current configuration, the transition structure identifies the at least one action required to reach a target configuration corresponding to the physical role and one or more logical roles of the current configuration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transition table data structure comprises an error code for a current state/target state pair in which a transition from the current state to the target state is not supported.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an indication of the physical role of the computer is stored in a memory structure of the computer at an installation of the computer in the data processing system, and identifying the physical role of the computer comprises retrieving the indication of the corresponding physical role from the memory structure.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical role corresponding to the computer is set at a time of installation of the computer in the distributed architecture and is stored in a configuration catalogue of a server in the distributed architecture, and wherein the configuration catalogue stores, for each computer in the distributed architecture, a name of a corresponding physical role of the computer and an inventory of software components installed on the computer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one logical role is dynamic and changes as changes in the software configuration of the computer are made.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer recordable medium having a computer readable program recorded thereon, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to

define a target configuration for each of a plurality of predetermined roles based on a reference model for a software product, the reference model specifying for each predetermined role, components of the software product that are to be installed on a computer having the predetermined role, wherein the plurality of predetermined roles comprises one or more physical roles and one or more logical roles;

define, in a transition table data structure, for each current state/target state pair of each component of the software product, an identifier of one or more actions required to reach the target state from the current state;

identify, for a computer in the plurality of computers, a physical role corresponding to the computer, the physical role identifying at least one function the computer plays within the distributed architecture of a data processing system and being defined based on the computer'"'"'s position within the distributed architecture and a relationship between the computer and other computers in the plurality of computers;

identify, for the computer in the plurality of computers, at least one logical role, defined by a software configuration of the computer; and

configure the computer according to a target configuration corresponding to the physical role and the at least one logical role of the computer based on the current state/target state pairs in the transition table data structure.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein an indication of a physical role of each computer in the plurality of computers is stored in a memory structure at an installation of the computer in the data processing system, and wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to identify the physical role of the computer by retrieving an indication of a corresponding physical role from the memory structure.

12. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein a software application includes a plurality of software features, each logic role in the at least one logic role is associated with a corresponding software feature, and wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to identify the at least one logical role of the computer by:

detecting a software feature of the software application installed on the computer; and

establishing a logical role of the computer according to the installed software feature.

13. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to configure the computer according to the target configuration by:

detecting a current configuration of the computer;

identifying at least one action required to reach the target configuration from the current configuration; and

executing the at least one action on the computer.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

provide a software product including a plurality of components;

associate a reference structure with the software product, the reference structure defining a target configuration for each physical role and logical role, specifying at least one component to be installed; and

associate a transition structure with the software product, wherein for each current configuration, the transition structure identifies the at least one action required to reach a target configuration corresponding to the physical role and one or more logical roles of the current configuration.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the transition table data structure comprises an error code for a current state/target state pair in which a transition from the current state to the target state is not supported.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein an indication of the physical role of the computer is stored in a memory structure of the computer at an installation of the computer in the data processing system, and identifying the physical role of the computer comprises retrieving the indication of the corresponding physical role from the memory structure.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

define a target configuration for each of a plurality of predetermined roles based on a reference model for a software product, the reference model specifying for each predetermined role, components of the software product that are to be installed on a computer having the predetermined role, wherein the plurality of predetermined roles comprises one or more physical roles and one or more logical roles;

define, in a transition table data structure, for each current state/target state pair of each component of the software product, an identifier of one or more actions required to reach the target state from the current state;

identify, for a computer in the plurality of computers, a physical role corresponding to the computer, the physical role identifying at least one function the computer plays within the distributed architecture of a data processing system and being defined based on the computer'"'"'s position within the distributed architecture and a relationship between the computer and other computers in the plurality of computers;

identify, for the computer in the plurality of computers, at least one logical role, defined by a software configuration of the computer; and

configure the computer according to a target configuration corresponding to the physical role and the at least one logical role of the computer based on the current state/target state pairs in the transition table data structure.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein an indication of a physical role of each computer in the plurality of computers is stored in a memory structure at an installation of the computers in the data processing system, and wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to identify the physical role of the computer by retrieving an indication of a corresponding physical role from the memory structure.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein a software application includes a plurality of software features, each logic role in the at least one logic role is associated with a corresponding software feature, and wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to identify the at least one logical role of the computer by:

detecting a software feature of the software application installed on the computer; and

establishing a logical role of the computer according to the installed software feature.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to configure the computer according to the target configuration by:

detecting a current configuration of the computer;

identifying at least one action required to reach the target configuration from the current configuration; and

executing the at least one action on the computer.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

provide a software product including a plurality of components;

associate a reference structure with the software product, the reference structure defining a target configuration for each physical role and logical role, specifying at least one component to be installed; and

associate a transition structure with the software product, wherein for each current configuration, the transition structure identifies the at least one action required to reach a target configuration corresponding to the physical role and one or more logical roles of the current configuration.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein an indication of the physical role of the computer is stored in a memory structure of the computer at an installation of the computer in the data processing system, and identifying the physical role of the computer comprises retrieving the indication of the corresponding physical role from the memory structure.