Methods and systems for centrally managing multiple provisioning servers

• US 8,527,578 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: DeHaan, Michael Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): COX, NATISHA D
• Application Number:
  US12/201,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20100057833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A software provisioning environment can include several provisioning server for providing software provisioning. One of the several provisioning server can be configured to be a central provisioning server. The central provisioning server can be configured to maintain the provisioning objects required for the software provisioning. The central provisioning server can be configured to manage the software provisioning supported by additional provisioning servers in the environment. The central provisioning server can be configured to select the provisioning objects to be supported by each additional provisioning server.

Claims

1. A method of managing a software provisioning environment, comprising:

storing, in a first provisioning server, a set of one or more profiles that each define a function to be performed by a computing system and a set of provisioning objects for the software provisioning environment, wherein the first provisioning server is a central provisioning server configured to centrally manage a plurality of provisioning servers, wherein the set of provisioning objects comprise a set of software distributions, a set of one or more configuration templates for configuration file generation, a set of one or more configuration files, and a set of one or more distribution profiles that maps the set of profiles to the set of software distributions, wherein the plurality of provisioning servers are not previously installed and configured to provision one or more computing systems with the set of provisioning objects;

receiving, by the first provisioning server, input selecting one of the set of profiles, the selected profile defining a function to be performed by a computing system that is to be provisioned by one or more provisioning servers without identifying any specific software to be installed at the computing system, wherein the software distribution comprises a collection of software to be installed on the computing system by the one or more provisioning servers;

independently selecting, by the first provisioning server, two or more provisioning objects from the set of provisioning objects to be supported by the one or more of the plurality of provisioning servers based on the selected profile;

providing the selected provisioning objects to the one or more provisioning servers to complete a software installation on the one or more computing systems;

receiving an update to one of the set of provisioning objects;

determining, by the first provisioning server, whether the update applies to any of the plurality of provisioning servers; and

providing the update to the provisioning servers to which the update applies.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

selecting the software distribution based on the profile; and

selecting configuration template associated with the profile.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the selected provisioning objects to an additional provisioning server.

4. The method of claim 3, providing the selected profile to the additional provisioning server.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising maintaining a record of the selected provisioning objects provided to the one or more provisioning servers and the additional provisioning server.

6. A system for managing a software provisioning environment, comprising:

a network interface to a network comprising a provisioning server; and

a central provisioning server comprising a processor, communicating with the network interface, wherein the first provisioning server is a central provisioning server configured to centrally manage a plurality of provisioning servers that are configured to provision one or more computing systems with one or more of the set of software distributions, and wherein the plurality of provisioning servers are not previously installed and configured to provision one or more computing systems with the set of provisioning objects, and wherein the processor is configured to

maintain a set of one or more provisioning objects for the software provisioning environment, wherein the set of provisioning objects comprise a set of software distributions for the software provisioning environment, a set of one or more configuration templates for configuration file generation, a set of one or more configuration files, and a set of one or more distribution profiles that maps the set of profiles to the set of software distributions;

receiving, by the first provisioning server, input selecting one of the set of profiles, the selected profile defining a function to be performed by a computing system that is to be provisioned by one or more provisioning servers without identifying any specific software to be installed at the computing system, wherein the software distribution comprises a collection of software to be installed on the computing system by the one or more provisioning servers;

independently two or more provisioning objects from the set of provisioning objects to be supported by the one or more of the plurality of provisioning servers based on the selected profile; and

provide the software distribution selected provisioning objects to the one or more provisioning servers to complete a software installation on the one or more computing systems;

receive an update to one of the set of provisioning objects;

determine whether the update applies to any of the plurality of provisioning servers; and

provide the update to the provisioning servers to which the update applies.

7. The method of claim 6, the method further comprising:

selecting the software distribution based on the profile; and

selecting configuration template associated with the profile.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to provide the selected provisioning objects to an additional provisioning server.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to provide the selected profile to the additional provisioning server.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to maintain a record of the selected provisioning objects provided to the one or more provisioning servers and the additional provisioning server.

11. A method of managing a software provisioning environment, comprising:

receiving, from a first provisioning server, a profile to be associated with a second provisioning server, wherein the profile specifies a software distribution to be provisioned by the second provisioning server on one or more computing systems, wherein the first provisioning server is a central provisioning server configured to centrally manage a plurality of provisioning servers that are configured to provision one or more computing systems with one or more software distributions, wherein the second provisioning server is not previously installed and configured to provision the one or more computing systems with the software distribution;

receiving, in the second provisioning server comprising a processor, a request for the software distribution, specified by the profile, to be installed on a computer system, the profile defining a function to be performed by the computer system without identifying any specific software to be installed at the computer system;

obtaining, by the second provisioning server, the software distribution from the first provisioning server; and

provisioning, by the second provisioning server, the software distribution on the computing system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving an update that applies to the software distribution supported by the second provisioning server.