System and method for business service management

• US 8,612,408 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Trinon, Jean-Marc, Cline, Troy, Giroir, Walt, Crawford, Shane
• Primary Examiner(s): BETIT, JACOB F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hocker, John P
• Application Number:
  US11/315,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,918 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/705, 707/709, 715/734
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

A management system has a reconciliation engine that reconciles information describing resources from a computer network service and stores reconciled information in a database. An editing engine or server is used to access and search reconciled information in the database based on at least one search criterion. Preferably, the search criterion is user-entered. The editing engine is then used to create at least a portion of a service model of the computer network service using reconciled information obtained through accessing and searching the database. Preferably, creating the service model is done with a graphical user interface application that enables a user to graphically build and modify aspects of the service model. When the service model is created or updated, a publishing engine or server is used publish at least a portion of the service model to one or more impact managers of the computer network service.

Claims

1. A computer network service management method, comprising:

reconciling information describing one or more resources and describing impact relationships associated with the one or more resources, the information being obtained from a plurality of sources of a computer network service and being reconciled to merge descriptions of the same resources obtained from different ones of the sources into one description;

storing reconciled information in a database;

accessing reconciled information in the database;

creating at least a portion of a service model of the computer network service using reconciled information obtained through accessing the database, the service model describing the one or more resources and describing the impact relationships associated with the one or more resources; and

publishing at least a portion of the service model to one or more impact managers used to manage the computer network service, wherein the act of publishing comprises;

distributing one or more packages of service model information to one or more managers associated with the impact managers,

receiving verification from the one or more managers verifying the one or more packages against current service model information associated with the impact managers, and

instructing the one or more managers to apply the one or more packages to associated impact managers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a resource is selected from the group consisting of computer systems, computer system components, data storage systems, switches, routers, memory, operating systems, software applications, and business services.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of reconciling information comprises:

accessing information describing one or more resources from a plurality of sources;

determining that at least one resource is described by information from at least two of the sources; and

merging information from each of the at least two sources describing the at least one resource into reconciled information of a resource object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of publishing comprises preventing modifications to service model information at the impact managers between receiving verification from the one or more managers and instructing the one or more managers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of publishing comprises aborting instructing application of the packages of service model information if one or more of the following conditions apply:

connection at any one of the managers is lost or invalid,

verification failed at any of the managers,

a publishing session is already open,

at least a portion of service model information is verified to be invalid or duplicated, and application of service model information failed at any of the managers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of publishing comprises:

storing modifications to the service model in an isolated test dataset of the database; and

distributing modifications from the isolated test dataset to one or more test impact managers of the computer network service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating an updated version of at least a portion of the service model using reconciled information obtained through accessing the database;

determining information in the updated version of the service model that has changed relative to a current version of the service model in the database;

producing service model updates based on the determined information that has changed; and

publishing the service model updates to one or more impact managers used to manage the computer network service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the act of creating the updated version of the service model is invoked automatically by new information being added to the reconciled information in the database.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising monitoring a log of edits made to the reconciled information in the database, and determining from the log of edits whether to create and publish the updated version of the service model.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the act of creating the updated version of the service model is invoked automatically by a virtualization system responsible for managing virtualization of the computer network service.

11. A program storage device, readable by a programmable control device, comprising instructions stored on the program storage device for causing the programmable control device to perform the acts of:

reconciling information describing one or more resources and describing impact relationships associated with the one or more resources, the information being obtained from a plurality of sources of a computer network service and being reconciled to merge descriptions of the same resources obtained from different ones of the sources into one description;

storing reconciled information in a database;

accessing reconciled information in the database;

creating at least a portion of a service model of the computer network service using reconciled information obtained through accessing the database, the service model describing the one or more resources and describing the impact relationships associated with the one or more resources; and

publishing at least a portion of the service model to one or more impact managers used to manage the computer network service, wherein the act of publishing comprises;

distributing one or more packages of service model information to one or more managers associated with the impact managers,

receiving verification from the one or more managers verifying the one or more packages against current service model information associated with the impact managers, and

instructing the one or more managers to apply the one or more packages to associated impact managers.

12. The program storage device of claim 11, wherein a resource is selected from the group consisting of computer systems, computer system resources, data storage systems, switches, routers, memory, operating systems, software applications and business services.

13. The program storage device of claim 11, wherein the act of reconciling information comprises:

accessing information describing one or more resources from a plurality of sources;

determining that at least one resource is described by information from at least two of the sources; and

merging information from each of the at least two sources describing the at least one resource into reconciled information of a resource object.

14. The program storage device of claim 11, wherein the act of publishing comprises preventing modifications to service model information at the impact managers between receiving verification from the one or more managers and instructing the one or more managers.

15. The program storage device of claim 11, wherein the act of publishing comprises aborting instructing application of the packages of service model information if one or more of the following conditions apply:

connection at any one of the managers is lost or invalid,

verification failed at any of the managers,

a publishing session is already open,

at least a portion of service model information is verified to be invalid or duplicated, and application of service model information failed at any of the managers.

16. The program storage device of claim 11, wherein the act publishing comprises:

storing modifications to the service model in an isolated test dataset of the database; and

distributing modifications from the isolated test dataset to one or more test impact managers of the computer network service.

17. The program storage device of claim 11, further comprising:

creating an updated version of at least a portion of the service model using reconciled information obtained through accessing the database;

determining information in the updated version of the service model that has changed relative to a current version of the service model in the database;

producing service model updates based on the determined information that has changed; and

publishing the service model updates to one or more impact managers used to manage the computer network service.

18. The program storage device of claim 17, wherein the act of creating the updated version of the service model is invoked automatically by new information being added to the reconciled information in the database.

19. The program storage device of claim 17, comprising monitoring a log of edits made to the reconciled information in the database, and determining from the log of edits whether to create and publish the updated version of the service model.

20. The program storage device of claim 17, wherein the act of creating the updated version of the service model is invoked automatically by a virtualization system responsible for managing virtualization of the computer network service.

21. A computer network service management system, comprising:

a database;

a reconciliation engine functionally coupled to the database, the reconciliation engine configured to;

reconcile information describing one or more resources and describing impact relationships associated with the one or more resources, the information being obtained from a plurality of sources of a computer network service and being reconciled to merge descriptions of the same resources obtained from different ones of the sources into one description, and

store reconciled information in the database;

an editing engine functionally coupled to the database, the editing engine configured to;

access reconciled information in the database, and

create at least a portion of a service model of the computer network service using reconciled information obtained through accessing the database, the service model describing the one or more resources and describing the impact relationships associated with the one or more resources; and

a publishing engine functionally coupled to the database and the editing engine, the publishing engine configured to publish at least a portion of the service model to one or more impact managers used to manage the computer network service,

wherein to create at least a portion of the service model, the editing engine is configured to;

distribute one or more packages of service model information to one or more managers associated with the impact managers;

receive verification from the one or more managers verifying the one or more packages against current service model information associated with the impact managers; and

instruct the one or more managers to apply the one or more packages to associated impact managers.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein a resource is selected from the group consisting of computer systems, computer system resources, data storage systems, switches, routers, memory, operating systems, software applications and business services.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein to reconcile information, the reconciliation engine is configured to:

access information describing one or more resources from a plurality of sources;

determine that at least one resource is described by information from at least two of the sources; and

merge information from each of the at least two sources describing the at least one resource into reconciled information of a resource object.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein to publish, the publishing engine is configured to prevent modifications to service model information at the impact managers between receiving verification from the one or more managers and instructing the one or more managers.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein to publish, the publishing engine is configured to abort instructing application of the packages of service model information if one or more of the following conditions apply:

connection at any one of the managers is lost or invalid,

verification failed at any of the managers,

a publishing session is already open,

at least a portion of service model information is verified to be invalid or duplicated, and application of service model information failed at any of the managers.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein to create, the editing engine is configured to store modifications to the service model in an isolated test dataset of the database, and wherein to publish, the publishing engine is configured to distribute modifications from the isolated test dataset to one or more test impact managers of the computer network service.

27. The system of claim 21, further comprising at least one service model manager associated with one or more of the impact managers, the service model manager configured to:

establish connection with the publishing engine and the one or more impact managers;

receive from the publishing server portion of the service model associated with the one or more impact managers;

verify the received portion against a current portion of a service model associated with the one or more impact managers;

return verification of the portion of the service model to the publishing engine;

receive instruction from the publishing server to apply the portion of the service model to the one or more impact managers; and

return a result of the application of the portion of the service model to the publishing engine.

28. The system of claim 21,

wherein the editing engine is configured to:

create an updated version of at least a portion of the service model using reconciled information obtained through accessing the database,

determine information in the updated version of the service model that has changed relative to a current version of the service model in the database, and

produce service model updates based on the determined information that has changed; and

wherein the publishing engine is configured to publish the service model updates to one or more impact managers used to manage the computer network service.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the publishing engine is configured to create the updated version, determine the information in the updated version, and produce the service model updates automatically instead of the editing engine.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the publishing engine is configured to:

monitor a log of edits made to the reconciled information in the database, and

determine from the log of edits whether to create and publish the updated version of the service model.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the publishing engine is invoked to create the updated version of the service model automatically by:

new information being added to the reconciled information in the database, or

a virtualization system responsible for managing virtualization of the computer network service.