Method and system for providing dynamic hosted service management across disparate accounts/sites

• US 8,316,131 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Galactic Computing Corporation Bvi/Bc
• Inventors: Engel, Stephen J., Smith, Philip S., Sheets, Kitrick B., Korobka, Alexander, Guistozzi, Joseph, Deng, Yuefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US12/748,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226, 709/245, 709/220, 709/221, 718/105
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request

Abstract

A hosted service provider for the Internet is operated so as to provide dynamic management of hosted services across disparate customer accounts and/or geographically distinct sites.

Claims

1. A system for automatically allocating computing resources of a rack-and-blade computer assembly comprising:

means for receiving blade server performance information from a rack-and-blade computer assembly;

a means, coupled to the means for receiving blade server performance information, for managing an image repository; and

a means for storing, in the image repository, software and data in a plurality of administrative groups;

wherein the software and data for each one of the plurality of administrative groups is unique with respect to a customer account associated with an individual administrative group in the plurality of administrative groups.

2. The system of claim 1, additionally comprising a data base means, coupled to the means for receiving blade server performance information, for storing at least one policy.

3. The system of claim 1, additionally comprising a repository means, coupled to the means for receiving blade server performance information, for storing hardware information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said rack-and-blade computer assembly comprises a free server pool.

5. The system of claim 4, additionally comprising a means for allocating a server from the free server pool to one of the plurality of administrative groups, wherein the means for allocating is coupled to the means for receiving blade server performance information and the means for managing the image repository.

6. The system of claim 5, additionally comprising:

a means for retrieving a boot imagine associated with the one of the plurality of administrative groups from the image repository; and

a means for loading the boot image on the allocated server.

7. The system of claim 1, the image repository including boot image software for each administrative group.

8. The system of claim 7, the boot image software including an operating system and at least one application program.

9. The system of claim 1, additionally comprising a means for rebooting a blade server in the rack-and-blade computer assembly.

10. The system of claim 1, additionally comprising an administration means, coupled to the image repository, for managing the plurality of administrative groups for a plurality of customers.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each one of the plurality of administrative groups is associated with an individual customer account.

12. A computer-implemented method for automatically allocating computing resources of a rack-and-blade computer assembly comprising:

receiving blade server performance information from a rack-and-blade computer assembly at a first processor;

managing an image repository coupled to the first processor; and

storing, in the image repository, software and data in a plurality of administrative groups;

wherein the software and data for each one of the plurality of administrative groups is unique with respect to a customer account associated with an individual administrative group in the plurality of administrative groups.

13. The method of claim 12, additionally comprising storing, in a data base coupled to the first processor, at least one policy.

14. The method of claim 12, additionally comprising storing hardware information in a repository coupled to the first processor.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the rack-and-blade computer assembly comprises a free server pool.

16. The method of claim 15, additionally comprising:

allocating a server from the free server pool to one of the plurality of administrative groups based on the received blade server performance information.

17. The method of claim 16, additionally comprising:

retrieving a boot imagine associated with the one of the plurality of administrative groups from the image repository; and

loading the boot image on the allocated server.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the image repository includes boot image software for each administrative group.

19. The method of claim 18, the boot image software including an operating system and at least one application program.

20. The method of claim 12, additionally comprising:

managing the plurality of administrative groups for a plurality of customers.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein each one of the plurality of administrative groups is associated with an individual customer account.

22. A computer-implemented method for automatically allocating computing resources of a rack-and-blade computer assembly comprising:

receiving blade server performance information from a rack-and-blade computer assembly at a first processor;

managing an image repository coupled to the first processor;

storing, in the image repository, unique software and data in a plurality of administrative groups, wherein the software and data for each administrative group is unique with respect to a customer account associated with an individual administrative group in the plurality of administrative groups;

storing at least one policy in a database implemented in a computer readable medium; and

storing hardware information in a repository.