Validating configuration of distributed applications

• US 8,219,854 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2010
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Busayarat, Sata, Pogrebinsky, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Manoskey, Joseph D
• Application Number:
  US12/731,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20110239055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 714/3, 714/4.1, 714/4.4, 714/25, 714/26, 714/33, 714/37, 714/38.1, 714/38.14, 714/46, 714/48, 714/57
• US Class Current: 714/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for validation configuration of distributed applications. Embodiments of the invention provide a system framework for identifying root causes of configuration errors and best-practice incompliance of distributed applications. The system framework provides both platform provider and customer a powerful and consistent method to create, extend, and utilize a tool that simplifies the configuration troubleshooting experience. Using the system framework, a user is able to access more information about applications and to troubleshoot multiple applications at the same time without having to load or activate any of the applications. In addition, users are able to add custom rules to identify commonly occurring configuration problems.

Claims

1. At a computer system including one or more processors and system memory, the computer system also including a one or more configuration readers, and a rule store, the rule store containing a plurality of configuration validation rules, each of the one or more configuration readers configured to read configuration data for one or more configuration validation rules from among the plurality of configuration validation rules, a rule engine configured to apply configuration validation rules against configuration data, a method for attempting to validate the configuration of an application, the method comprising:

an act of accessing a configuration validation rule from the rule store, the configuration validation rule configured to execute against configuration data to validate an at least partial configuration of the application, the configuration validation rule containing rule metadata, detection logic, and resolution logic, the rule metadata identifying at least one configuration reader, from among the one or more configuration readers, the configuration validation rule is to read configuration data from, the detection logic indicating how to detect one or more conditions in configuration data accessed from the identified configuration reader, the resolution logic representing one or more possible resolutions to the one or more detectable conditions;

an act of matching the accessed configuration validation rule to the at least one identified configuration reader based on the at least one configuration reader being identified in the rule metadata;

an act of accessing a portion of configuration data from the at least one identified configuration reader;

an act of attempting to validate the at least partial configuration of the application by executing the detection logic against the accessed portion of configuration data, execution of the detection logic including attempting to detect any of the one or more conditions the detection logic;

an act of detecting a condition, from among the one or more conditions, in the accessed portion of configuration data;

an act of presenting at least the detected condition at a user interface; and

an act of applying a resolution, from among a presented one or more possible resolutions for the detected condition, based on a resolution policy.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of matching the accessed configuration rule to the at least one identified configuration reader comprises matching the access configuration rule to a first configuration reader and a second different configuration reader;

wherein the act of accessing a portion of configuration data from the at least one identified configuration reader comprises an act of accessing a first portion of configuration data from the first configuration reader and accessing a second portion of configuration data from the second different configuration reader;

further comprising an act of combining the first portion of configuration data and the second portion of configuration data together into a distributed application configuration for use by the configuration validation rule, the distributed application configuration representing the at least a partial configuration of the application; and

wherein the act attempting to validate the at least partial configuration of the application by executing the detection logic comprises an act of executing the detection logic against the distributed application configuration.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a configuration validation rule from the rule store comprises an act of accessing a child configuration validation rule that is dependent on a parent configuration validation rule.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the act of attempting to validate the at least partial configuration of the distributed application comprises an act of the child configuration validation rule accessing results data from a cache, wherein the results data was written to the cache by the parent configuration validation rule.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising an act of detecting that the parent configuration validation rule did not execute;

and

wherein the act of attempting to validate the at least partial configuration of the distributed application comprises an act of attempting to validate the at least partial configuration of the distributed application in response to detecting that the parent configuration validation rule did not execute.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of attempting to validate the at least partial configuration of the application by executing the detection logic comprises an act of comparing the at least partial configuration to a reference application model.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of detecting a condition comprises an act of detecting one or a syntax error, semantic error, or best practices violation in the one or more portions of configuration data.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of detecting a condition comprises an act of detecting one of:

a condition indicative of an error in a distributed application configuration, a condition that warrants a warning with respect to the distributed application configuration, and a condition that warrants providing information about the distributed application configuration.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of applying a resolution, from among the one or more presented possible resolutions, for the detected condition comprises an act of automatically editing a portion of configuration data to correct one or more of:

a syntax error, a semantic error, and a best practice violation.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of applying a resolution for the detected condition based on a resolution policy comprises an act of applying the resolution for the detected condition based on an always apply resolution policy, the always apply resolution policy defining that resolutions are to be automatically applied for conditions detected by any configuration validation rule.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of applying a resolution for the detected condition based on a resolution policy comprises an act of applying the resolution based on the resolution policy defining that resolutions are to be automatically applied only for conditions detected by the accessed configuration validation rule.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of presenting at least the detected condition comprises an act of presenting the detection condition along with a possible resolutions to detected condition, possible resolution requesting user input relating to resolving the detected condition;

further comprising an act of receiving user input related to correcting the detected condition prior to applying a resolution for the detected condition; and

wherein the act of applying a resolution for the detected condition comprises an act of the resolution logic using the user input to resolve the detected condition.

6. The method as recited in 1 claim, further comprising prior to accessing a configuration validation rule from the rule store, an act of a rule author entering the configuration validation rule through a rule Application Program Interface (“

API”

) for storage in the rule store.

14. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer system including a one or more configuration readers, and a rule store, the rule store containing a plurality of configuration validation rules, each of the one or more configuration readers configured to read configuration data for one or more configuration validation rules from among the plurality of configuration validation rules, the rule engine configured to apply configuration validation rules against configuration data, the computer program product for implementing a method for attempting to validate the configuration of an application, the computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer system to perform the method, including the following:

access a configuration validation rule from the rule store, the configuration validation rule configured to execute against configuration data to validate an at least partial configuration of the application, the configuration validation rule containing rule metadata, detection logic, and resolution logic, the rule metadata identifying at least one configuration reader, from among the one or more configuration readers, the configuration validation rule is to read configuration data from, the detection logic indicating how to detect one or more conditions in configuration data accessed from the identified configuration reader, the resolution logic representing one or more possible resolutions to the one or more detectable conditions;

match the accessed configuration validation rule to the at least one identified configuration reader based on the at least one configuration reader being identified in the rule metadata;

access a portion of configuration data from the at least one identified configuration reader; and

attempt to validate the at least partial configuration of the application by executing the detection logic against the accessed portion of configuration data, execution of the detection logic including attempting to detect any of the one or more conditions the detection logic;

detect a condition, from among the one or more conditions, in the accessed portion of configuration data;

present the detected condition along with one or more possible resolutions for the detected condition; and

apply a resolution, from among the presented one or more possible resolutions for the detected condition, based on a resolution policy.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to detect a condition from among the one or more conditions in the accessed portion of configuration data further comprise computer executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer system to detect a condition selected from among an error, a warning, and an informational message.

16. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to access a configuration validation rule from the rule store comprise computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to access a child configuration validation rule that is dependent on a parent configuration validation rule.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to automatically applying a resolution, from among the presented one or more possible resolutions, for the detected condition.

18. A system for validating the configuration of distributed applications, the system comprising one or more processors and system memory, the system also including a one or more configuration readers, and a rule store, the rule store containing a plurality of configuration validation rules, each of the one or more configuration readers configured to read configuration data for one or more configuration validation rules from among the plurality of configuration validation rules, a rule engine configured to apply configuration validation rules against configuration data, and the system comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed, perform a method for attempting to validate the configuration of an application comprising:

accessing a configuration validation rule from the rule store, the configuration validation rule configured to execute against configuration data to validate an at least partial configuration of the application, the configuration validation rule containing rule metadata, detection logic, and resolution logic, the rule metadata identifying at least one configuration reader, from among the one or configuration readers, the configuration validation rule is to read configuration data from, the detection logic indicating how to detect one or more conditions in configuration data accessed from the identified configuration reader, the resolution logic representing one or more possible resolutions to the one or more detectable conditions;

matching the accessed configuration validation rule to the at least one identified configuration reader based on the at least one configuration reader being identified in the rule metadata;

accessing a portion of configuration data from the at least one identified configuration reader;

attempting to validate the at least partial configuration of the application by executing the detection logic against the accessed portion of configuration data, execution of the detection logic including attempting to detect any of the one or more conditions the detection logic;

detecting a condition, from among the one or more conditions, in the accessed portion of configuration data;

presenting at least the detected condition at a user interface; and

applying a resolution, from among a presented one or more possible resolutions for the detected condition, based on a resolution policy.