Porting of information technology structures

• US 8,626,887 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Andreev, Dmitry, Greenstein, Paul Gregory, Vilshansky, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hua
• Application Number:
  US11/452,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20060248501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,765 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A method and system for porting an abstract Information Technology (IT) structure into an IT delivery environment. An abstract IT structure A that is currently within an IT delivery environment X is translated by generating a virtual IT structure V from the abstract IT structure A through specification of an IT delivery environment Y. Delivery binding the virtual IT structure V to the IT delivery environment Y generates a delivery-bound virtual IT structure D. The delivery-bound virtual IT structure D is deployed in the IT delivery environment Y, resulting in a real IT structure instance R capable of operating in the IT delivery environment Y.

Claims

1. A method for porting an abstract Information Technology (IT) structure into an IT delivery environment, said method comprising:

verifying conformance, by a processor of a computer system, of an abstract IT structure A in an IT delivery environment X to rules of the IT delivery environment Y, wherein the abstract structure A comprises an IT entity that comprises at least two undefined characteristics, wherein the abstract IT structure A is a computer or a software application, and wherein the IT delivery environment Y is a data center;

in response to said verifying conformance, said processor translating the abstract IT structure A that is currently within the IT delivery environment X, said translating generating a virtual IT structure V from the abstract IT structure A through specification of the IT delivery environment Y, wherein the virtual IT structure V comprises an IT entity that comprises one and only one undefined characteristic;

in response to said translating the IT structure A, said processor delivery binding the virtual IT structure V to the IT delivery environment Y to generate a delivery-bound virtual IT structure D; and

in response to said delivery binding the virtual IT structure V to the IT delivery environment Y, said processor deploying the delivery-bound virtual IT structure D in the IT delivery environment Y, resulting in a real IT structure instance R capable of operating in the IT delivery environment Y,

wherein the virtual IT structure V comprises a composition, and wherein said delivery binding comprises;

determining that the composition of the virtual IT structure V is not a primitive composition of elements;

after said determining that the composition of the virtual IT structure V is not a primitive composition of elements, receiving a first list of all dependencies of elements in the composition of the virtual IT structure V;

after said receiving the first list, determining that no dependency of any element in the composition of the virtual IT structure V in the first list of dependencies has an exclusion with a class to which an IT structure B belongs;

receiving a second list of all dependencies of the IT structure B;

after said receiving the second list, determining that no dependency of the IT structure B in the second list of dependencies has an exclusion with a class to which an element in the composition of the virtual IT structure V belongs, and in response, adding the IT structure B to the composition of the virtual IT structure V to generate the delivery-bound virtual IT structure D.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said translating comprises:

translating an abstract IT structure element of the abstract IT structure A to at least one subclass of the abstract IT structure element to form a new instance of the abstract IT structure element; and

substituting the new instance of the abstract IT structure element for the abstract IT structure element in the abstract IT structure A in a manner that satisfies all IT dependencies in the abstract IT structure A involving the abstract IT structure element, satisfies all IT relationships in the abstract IT structure A involving the abstract IT structure element, and supports all functional and operational characteristics of the abstract IT structure A.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the IT delivery environment X is a collection of rules, policies, practices, and associated support functions, and management facilities involved in operating a data processing center, and means of provisioning and deployment of the support functions, wherein the support functions include labor, physical space, power supply, hardware, software, and networking.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the abstract IT structure A is the computer, and wherein said verifying conformance comprises analyzing conformance factors that include:

power availability at the data center;

voltage at the data center;

ability to introduce, at the data center, devices from a specified list of supported devices;

a requirement to run, at the data center, specific software pertaining to virus defense;

availability, at the data center, of specific space;

ability to use, at the data center, geometrically non-standard devices;

a requirement, at the data center, to have an extra network interface per physical box for administrative access;

network bandwidth requirements at the data center;

Internet availability requirements at the data center; and

architectural requirements, at the data center, with respect to network layering, firewalls, Internet Protocol (IP) addressing schema, and network isolation requirements.

5. A process for supporting computer infrastructure, said process comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in a computing system, wherein the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing a method for porting an abstract Information Technology (IT) structure into an IT delivery environment, said method comprising:

said processor verifying conformance of an abstract IT structure A in an IT delivery environment X to rules of the IT delivery environment Y, wherein the abstract structure A comprises an IT entity that comprises at least two undefined characteristics, wherein the abstract IT structure A is a computer or a software application, and wherein the IT delivery environment Y is a data center;

in response to said verifying conformance, said processor translating the abstract IT structure A that is currently within the IT delivery environment X, said translating generating a virtual IT structure V from the abstract IT structure A through specification of the IT delivery environment Y, wherein the virtual IT structure V comprises an IT entity that comprises one and only one undefined characteristic;

in response to said translating the IT structure A, said processor delivery binding the virtual IT structure V to the IT delivery environment Y to generate a delivery-bound virtual IT structure D; and

in response to said delivery binding the virtual IT structure V to the IT delivery environment Y, said processor deploying the delivery-bound virtual IT structure D in the IT delivery environment Y, resulting in a real IT structure instance R capable of operating in the IT delivery environment Y,

wherein the virtual IT structure V comprises a composition, and wherein said delivery binding comprises;

determining that the composition of the virtual IT structure V is not a primitive composition of elements;

after said determining that the composition of the virtual IT structure V is not a primitive composition of elements, receiving a first list of all dependencies of elements in the composition of the virtual IT structure V;

after said receiving the first list, determining that no dependency of any element in the composition of the virtual IT structure V in the first list of dependencies has an exclusion with a class to which an IT structure B belongs;

receiving a second list of all dependencies of the IT structure B;

after said receiving the second list, determining that no dependency of the IT structure B in the second list of dependencies has an exclusion with a class to which an element in the composition of the virtual IT structure V belongs, and in response, adding the IT structure B to the composition of the virtual IT structure V to generate the delivery-bound virtual IT structure D.

6. The process of claim 5, wherein said translating comprises:

translating an abstract IT structure element of the abstract IT structure A to at least one subclass of the abstract IT structure element to form a new instance of the abstract IT structure element; and

substituting the new instance of the abstract IT structure element for the abstract IT structure element in the abstract IT structure A in a manner that satisfies all IT dependencies in the abstract IT structure A involving the abstract IT structure element, satisfies all IT relationships in the abstract IT structure A involving the abstract IT structure element, and supports all functional and operational characteristics of the abstract IT structure A.

7. The process of claim 5, wherein the IT delivery environment X is a collection of rules, policies, practices, and associated support functions, and management facilities involved in operating a data processing center, and means of provisioning and deployment of the support functions, wherein the support functions include labor, physical space, power supply, hardware, software, and networking.

8. The process of claim 5, wherein the abstract IT structure A is the computer, and wherein said verifying conformance comprises analyzing conformance factors that include:

power availability at the data center;

voltage at the data center;

ability to introduce, at the data center, devices from a specified list of supported devices;

a requirement to run, at the data center, specific software pertaining to virus defense;

availability, at the data center, of specific space;

ability to use, at the data center, geometrically non-standard devices;

a requirement, at the data center, to have an extra network interface per physical box for administrative access;

network bandwidth requirements at the data center;

Internet availability requirements at the data center; and

architectural requirements, at the data center, with respect to network layering, firewalls, Internet Protocol (IP) addressing schema, and network isolation requirements.

9. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code containing instructions which, upon being executed by a processor of a computer system, implement a method for porting an abstract Information Technology (IT) structure into an IT delivery environment, said method comprising:

said processor verifying conformance of an abstract IT structure A in an IT delivery environment X to rules of the IT delivery environment Y, wherein the abstract structure A comprises an IT entity that comprises at least two undefined characteristics, wherein the abstract IT structure A is a computer or a software application, and wherein the IT delivery environment Y is a data center;

in response to said verifying conformance, said processor translating the abstract IT structure A that is currently within the IT delivery environment X, said translating generating a virtual IT structure V from the abstract IT structure A through specification of the IT delivery environment Y, wherein the virtual IT structure V comprises an IT entity that comprises one and only one undefined characteristic;

in response to said translating the IT structure A, said processor delivery binding the virtual IT structure V to the IT delivery environment Y to generate a delivery-bound virtual IT structure D; and

in response to said delivery binding the virtual IT structure V to the IT delivery environment Y, said processor deploying the delivery-bound virtual IT structure D in the IT delivery environment Y, resulting in a real IT structure instance R capable of operating in the IT delivery environment Y,

wherein the virtual IT structure V comprises a composition, and wherein said delivery binding comprises;

determining that the composition of the virtual IT structure V is not a primitive composition of elements;

after said determining that the composition of the virtual IT structure V is not a primitive composition of elements, receiving a first list of all dependencies of elements in the composition of the virtual IT structure V;

after said receiving the first list, determining that no dependency of any element in the composition of the virtual IT structure V in the first list of dependencies has an exclusion with a class to which an IT structure B belongs;

receiving a second list of all dependencies of the IT structure B;

after said receiving the second list, determining that no dependency of the IT structure B in the second list of dependencies has an exclusion with a class to which an element in the composition of the virtual IT structure V belongs, and in response, adding the IT structure B to the composition of the virtual IT structure V to generate the delivery-bound virtual IT structure D.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said translating comprises:

translating an abstract IT structure element of the abstract IT structure A to at least one subclass of the abstract IT structure element to form a new instance of the abstract IT structure element; and

substituting the new instance of the abstract IT structure element for the abstract IT structure element in the abstract IT structure A in a manner that satisfies all IT dependencies in the abstract IT structure A involving the abstract IT structure element, satisfies all IT relationships in the abstract IT structure A involving the abstract IT structure element, and supports all functional and operational characteristics of the abstract IT structure A.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the IT delivery environment X is a collection of rules, policies, practices, and associated support functions, and management facilities involved in operating a data processing center, and means of provisioning and deployment of the support functions, wherein the support functions include labor, physical space, power supply, hardware, software, and networking.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the abstract IT structure A is the computer, and wherein said verifying conformance comprises analyzing conformance factors that include:

power availability at the data center;

voltage at the data center;

ability to introduce, at the data center, devices from a specified list of supported devices;

a requirement to run, at the data center, specific software pertaining to virus defense;

availability, at the data center, of specific space;

ability to use, at the data center, geometrically non-standard devices;

a requirement, at the data center, to have an extra network interface per physical box for administrative access;

network bandwidth requirements at the data center;

Internet availability requirements at the data center; and

architectural requirements, at the data center, with respect to network layering, firewalls, Internet Protocol (IP) addressing schema, and network isolation requirements.

13. A computer system comprising a processor and a computer readable memory unit coupled to the processor, said memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method for porting an abstract Information Technology (IT) structure into an IT delivery environment, said method comprising:

said processor verifying conformance of an abstract IT structure A in an IT delivery environment X to rules of the IT delivery environment Y, wherein the abstract structure A comprises an IT entity that comprises at least two undefined characteristics, wherein the abstract IT structure A is a computer or a software application, and wherein the IT delivery environment Y is a data center;

in response to said verifying conformance, said processor translating the abstract IT structure A that is currently within the IT delivery environment X, said translating generating a virtual IT structure V from the abstract IT structure A through specification of the IT delivery environment Y, wherein the virtual IT structure V comprises an IT entity that comprises one and only one undefined characteristic;

in response to said translating the IT structure A, said processor delivery binding the virtual IT structure V to the IT delivery environment Y to generate a delivery-bound virtual IT structure D; and

in response to said delivery binding the virtual IT structure V to the IT delivery environment Y, said processor deploying the delivery-bound virtual IT structure D in the IT delivery environment Y, resulting in a real IT structure instance R capable of operating in the IT delivery environment Y,

wherein the virtual IT structure V comprises a composition, and wherein said delivery binding comprises;

determining that the composition of the virtual IT structure V is not a primitive composition of elements;

after said determining that the composition of the virtual IT structure V is not a primitive composition of elements, receiving a first list of all dependencies of elements in the composition of the virtual IT structure V;

after said receiving the first list, determining that no dependency of any element in the composition of the virtual IT structure V in the first list of dependencies has an exclusion with a class to which an IT structure B belongs;

receiving a second list of all dependencies of the IT structure B;

after said receiving the second list, determining that no dependency of the IT structure B in the second list of dependencies has an exclusion with a class to which an element in the composition of the virtual IT structure V belongs, and in response, adding the IT structure B to the composition of the virtual IT structure V to generate the delivery-bound virtual IT structure D.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said translating comprises:

translating an abstract IT structure element of the abstract IT structure A to at least one subclass of the abstract IT structure element to form a new instance of the abstract IT structure element; and

substituting the new instance of the abstract IT structure element for the abstract IT structure element in the abstract IT structure A in a manner that satisfies all IT dependencies in the abstract IT structure A involving the abstract IT structure element, satisfies all IT relationships in the abstract IT structure A involving the abstract IT structure element, and supports all functional and operational characteristics of the abstract IT structure A.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the IT delivery environment X is a collection of rules, policies, practices, and associated support functions, and management facilities involved in operating a data processing center, and means of provisioning and deployment of the support functions, wherein the support functions include labor, physical space, power supply, hardware, software, and networking.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the abstract IT structure A is the computer, and wherein said verifying conformance comprises analyzing conformance factors that include:

power availability at the data center;

voltage at the data center;

ability to introduce, at the data center, devices from a specified list of supported devices;

a requirement to run, at the data center, specific software pertaining to virus defense;

availability, at the data center, of specific space;

ability to use, at the data center, geometrically non-standard devices;

a requirement, at the data center, to have an extra network interface per physical box for administrative access;

network bandwidth requirements at the data center;

Internet availability requirements at the data center; and

architectural requirements, at the data center, with respect to network layering, firewalls, Internet Protocol (IP) addressing schema, and network isolation requirements.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the computer system further comprises the data center, wherein the data center comprises a memory device, a processing unit, a lobby, an administrative area, and a raised floor area, wherein the memory device contains program code that when executed by the processing unit implement a process for controlling access of a visitor to the data center, said process comprising:

performing a biometric scan of the visitor and said processing unit exchanging the visitor'"'"'s driver'"'"'s license for a proxy card, and in response, said processing unit granting the visitor access from the lobby to the administrative area; and

performing another biometric scan of the visitor and confirming the visitor'"'"'s use of the proxy card, and in response, said processing unit granting the visitor access to the raised floor area.