Method, system and program product for managing applications in a shared computer infrastructure

• US 8,286,157 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Drissi, Youssef, Kim, Moon J., Kozakov, Lev, Meliksetian, Dikran S., Waddell, Blanche M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): WRIGHT, BRYAN F
• Application Number:
  US11/068,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,780 Days
• Field of Search: 713/152
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

Under the present invention, when an application is deployed, certain information corresponding thereto will be stored in an Enterprise Application Directory (EAD). Thereafter, when an instance of the application is requested (e.g., by a requestor), the information is retrieved from the EAD. In addition, the instance is registered with an Application Access Registry (AAR). Registering the instance involves creating a record in the AAR, generating a unique application access key for the instance, and storing the access key with the information in the record. The access key (and optionally the information) is then returned to the requestor, which can then issue service requests to one or more grid services in the shared computer infrastructure. The service request will include the access key so that the grid service can identify the application by searching for the record in the registry using the access key.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing applications in a shared computer infrastructure, comprising:

accessing a storage grid architecture for a plurality of commonly shared user files, wherein the storage grid architecture includes a grid service for managing a service request;

receiving a request for an instance of a plurality of instances of an application in the shared infrastructure from a requestor, the application being configured to access data in the shared infrastructure, where the request includes a Uniform Resource Locator;

receiving information corresponding to the application from an Enterprise Application Directory based on the Uniform Resource Locator, the information including information that identifies the application as a whole to enable execution of the application;

registering the instance of the application with a registry by creating a record and generating an access key within the registry as part of the registering process, the access key being a unique value that only corresponds to the instance and the requestor that requested the instance; and

returning the access key to the requestor along with the application instance, the application instance being a unique instance temporarily provided for execution by a computer device of the requestor and being adapted to be provided at a same time as a second instance of the same application to a second requestor,

wherein the access key included in a service request allows the grid service to search the registry for the record containing the application corresponding to the access key and allows the application to be decoupled from another application that uses common data with the application, the shared infrastructure including a storage grid architecture having the common data stored therein.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the registering step further comprises

storing the access key and the information in the record.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

submitting the service request from the requestor to the grid service, wherein the service request includes the access key; and

the grid service identifying the application by searching for the record in the registry using the access key.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the information in the directory upon deployment of the application in the shared infrastructure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information further comprises a description of the application and settings for the application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the access key comprises a unique value corresponding to the instance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is one of a plurality of applications in the shared infrastructure.

8. A system for managing applications in a shared computer infrastructure, comprising at least one computer device that performs a method, comprising:

accessing a storage grid architecture for a plurality of commonly shared user files, wherein the storage grid architecture includes a grid service for managing a service request;

receiving a request for an instance of a plurality of instances of an application in the shared infrastructure from a requestor, the application being configured to access data in the shared infrastructure, where the request includes a Uniform Resource Locator;

obtaining information corresponding to the application from an Enterprise, Application Directory based on the Uniform Resource Locator, the information including information that identifies the application as a whole to enable execution of the application;

registering the instance of the application with a registry by creating a record and generating an access key within the registry as part of the registering process, the access key being a unique value that only corresponds to the instance and the requestor that requested the instance; and

returning the access key to the requestor along with the application instance, the application instance being a unique instance temporarily provided for execution by a computer device of the requestor and being adapted to be provided at a same time as a second instance of the same application to a second requestor,

wherein the access key included in a service request allows the grid service to search the registry for the record containing the application corresponding to the access key and allows the application to be decoupled from another application that uses common data with the application, the shared infrastructure including a storage grid architecture having the common data stored therein.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the registering further stores the access key with the information in the record.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the requestor comprises:

a system for requesting the instance from the shared infrastructure;

a system for receiving the information and the access key from the shared infrastructure; and

a system for submitting a service request that includes the access key to the grid service.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the grid service comprises a system for searching for the record using the access key received from the requestor.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising a system for storing the information in the directory upon deployment of the application.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the information further comprises a description of the application and settings for the application.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the access key comprises a unique value corresponding to the instance.

15. A program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage device for managing applications in a shared computer infrastructure, that performs the following steps:

accessing a storage grid architecture for a plurality of commonly shared user files, wherein the storage grid architecture includes a grid service for managing a service request;

receiving a request for an instance of a plurality of instances of an application in the shared infrastructure from a requestor, the application being configured to access data in the shared infrastructure, where the request includes a Uniform Resource Locator;

obtaining information corresponding to the application from an Enterprise Application Directory based on the Uniform Resource Locator, the information including information that identifies the application as a whole to enable execution of the application;

registering the instance of the application with a registry by creating a record and generating an access key within the registry as part of the registering process, the access key being a unique value that only corresponds to the instance and the requestor that requested the instance; and

returning the access key to the requestor along with the application instance, the application instance being a unique instance temporarily provided for execution by a computer device of the requestor and being adapted to be provided at a same time as a second instance of the same application to a second requestor,

wherein the access key included in a service request allows the grid service to search the registry for the record containing the application corresponding to the access key and allows the application to be decoupled from another application that uses common data with the application, the shared infrastructure including a storage grid architecture having the common data stored therein.

16. The program product of claim 15, wherein computer readable device further comprises program code for

storing the access key with the information in the record.

17. The program product of claim 15, wherein computer readable device further comprises program code for performing the following step:

storing the information in the directory upon deployment of the application.

18. The program product of claim 15, wherein the information further comprises a description of the application and settings for the application.

19. The program product of claim 15, wherein the access key comprises a unique value corresponding to the instance.

20. A method for deploying an application for managing applications in a shared computer infrastructure, comprising:

providing a computer system being operable to;

access a storage grid architecture for a plurality of commonly shared user files,

wherein the storage grid architecture includes a grid service for managing a service request;

receive a request for an instance of a plurality of instances of an application in the shared infrastructure from a requestor, the application being configured to access data in the shared infrastructure, where the request includes a Uniform Resource Locator;

obtain information corresponding to the application from an Enterprise Application Directory based on the Uniform Resource Locator, the information including information that identifies the application as a whole to enable execution of the application;

register the instance of the application with a registry by creating a record and generating an access key within the registry as part of the registering process, the access key being a unique value that only corresponds to the instance and the requestor that requested the instance; and

return the access key to the requestor along with the application instance, the application instance being a unique instance temporarily provided for execution by a computer device of the requestor and being adapted to be provided at a same time as a second instance of the same application to a second requestor,

wherein the access key included in a service request allows the grid service to search the registry for the record containing the application corresponding to the access key and allows the application to be decoupled from another application that uses common data with the application, the shared infrastructure including a storage grid architecture having the common data stored therein.

21. A computer implemented method for identifying applications in a shared computer infrastructure, comprising:

accessing a storage grid architecture for a plurality of commonly shared user files, wherein the storage grid architecture includes a grid service for managing a service request;

receiving a request for an instance of a plurality of instances of an application in the shared infrastructure, the application being configured to access data in the shared infrastructure, where the request includes a Uniform Resource Locator;

receiving information corresponding to the application from an Enterprise Application Directory based on the Uniform Resource Locator, the information including information that identifies the application as a whole to enable execution of the application;

registering the instance of the application with a registry by creating a record and generating an access key within the registry as part of the registering process, the access key being a unique value that only corresponds to the instance and the requestor that requested the instance;

returning the access key to a requestor along with the application instance, the application instance being a unique instance temporarily provided for execution by a computer device of the requestor and being adapted to be provided at a same time as a second instance of the same application to a second requestor, and

identifying the application by searching for the record in the registry using the access key in response to a service request to the shared computer resource by the requestor using the instance,

wherein the access key included in the service request allows the grid service to search the registry for the record containing the application corresponding to the access key and allows the application to be decoupled from another application that uses common data with the application, the shared infrastructure including a storage grid architecture having the common data stored therein.