Management of composite software services

• US 8,677,318 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mohindra, Ajay, Naik, Vijay K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente, Emerson
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWIFT, CHARLES M
• Application Number:
  US12/054,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,185 Days
• Field of Search: 717/120, 717/174, 717/177, 709/224, 709/226
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5048 Automatic or semi-automatic definitions, e.g. definition templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components

Abstract

A computer implemented method, data processing system, computer usable program code, and active repository are provided for management of a software service. A request is received to deploy the software service in a computer network. A dependency analysis is performed for the requested software service to determine component software services and physical resources necessary to deploy and manage new software service as a composite in responsive to the software service being the new software service. An active object is created to manage the new software service using an active template based on the analysis. The new software service is deployed in the computer network using the active object. The new software service is managed using the active object.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for management of a software service, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a request to deploy the software service in a computer network;

responsive to the software service being a new software service, performing a dependency analysis for the requested software service to determine component software services and a first set of physical resources necessary to deploy and manage the new software service as a composite;

creating an active object to manage the new software service using an active template based on the dependency analysis, wherein the active object is configured to make one or more decisions by interacting with other active objects of other software services deployed in the computer network;

responsive to the one or more decisions, deploying the new software service in the computer network using the active object and in accordance with the one or more decisions made by the active object; and

managing the new software service using the active object, wherein managing the new software service comprises;

monitoring the new software service to determine if the new software service must be re-deployed on a second set of physical resources based on a policy; and

responsive to the determination that the new software service must be re-deployed on the second set of physical resources, re-deploying the new software service to the second set of physical resources.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dependency analysis is triggered by an imbalance in a current state and a desired state of the software service, wherein the imbalance in the current state and the desired state may occur in response to at least one of a service request, a request from a dependent service, global policies, global management actions, administrative actions, a supporting service, a supporting physical resource, or a spontaneous change in a state of the software service.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the active object performs at least one of a monitoring function, an analyzing function, a configuration function, or an execution function.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the active template represents one of a plurality of physical resources or one of a plurality of software service types in the computer network.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the active object uses a plurality of management interfaces to manage the new software service.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of management interfaces comprises at least one of a service specification interface, a dependency requirements interface, a service configuration interface, a service deployment interface, a service state interface, or a lifecycle management interface.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the service specification interface identifies functionalities provided by the new software service.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the dependency requirements interface provides at least one of:

identifying the physical resources required for making the new software service available;

or

identifying other software services required for making the new software service available;

or

identifying other software services that depend on the new software service.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the service configuration interface provides at least one of:

managing information on configuring supporting services so that the new software service is deployed on top of the supporting services;

managing information on configuring the new software service given a set of the supporting services that meet a dependency requirement;

or

managing a manner in which the dependent services are to be configured.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the service deployment interface provides at least one of:

managing deployment of the new software service given a specific configuration of supporting services;

managing a new software service functionality to be enabled;

or

managing higher-level software services to be supported.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the service state interface provides at least one of:

listing software service functions selected and enabled;

listing first actual software service instances selected to support the new software service;

listing second actual software service instances supported by the new software service, demand placed by software service instances, or current usage by supported services;

listing any service level agreements with supported software service instances;

or

listing any service level agreement violations.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the lifecycle management interface provides at least one of:

managing a service lifecycle;

managing a lifecycle of a software package used to deploy the new software service;

or

managing a lifecycle of a service management layer.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the software service being an existing software service, identifying an existing active object that manages the existing software service;

reconfiguring and deploying the existing software service in the computer network using the existing active object; and

managing the existing software service using the existing active object.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of software services are simultaneously managed by a plurality of active objects from an active repository, wherein each active object responds to state imbalances in the software service it manages.

15. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications system connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to receive a request to deploy a software service in a computer network;

perform a dependency analysis for the software service to determine component software services and a first set of physical resources necessary to deploy and manage the software service as a composite in response to the software service being a new software service;

create an active object to manage the new software service using an active template based on the dependency analysis, wherein the active object is configured to make one or more decisions by interacting with other active objects of other software services deployed in the computer network;

responsive to the one or more decisions, deploy the new software service in the computer network using the active object and in accordance with the one or more decisions made by the active object; and

manage the new software service using the active object wherein managing the new software service comprises;

monitoring the new software service to determine if the new software service must be re-deployed on a second set of physical resources based on a policy; and

responsive to the determination that the new software service must be re-deployed on the second set of physical resources, re-deploying the new software service to the second set of physical resources.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the dependency analysis is triggered by an imbalance in a current state and a desired state of the software service, wherein the imbalance in the current state and the desired state may occur in response to at least one of a service request, a request from a dependent service, global policies, global management actions, administrative actions, a supporting service, a supporting physical resource, or a spontaneous change in a state of the software service.

17. A non-transitory computer program product comprising:

a computer usable storage medium including computer usable program code for management of a software service, the non-transitory computer program product including;

computer usable program code for receiving a request to deploy the software service in a computer network;

computer usable program code for performing a dependency analysis for the software service to determine component software services and physical resources necessary to deploy and manage a new software service as a composite in response to the software service being a new software service;

computer usable program code for creating an active object to manage the new software service using an active template based on the dependency analysis, wherein the active object is configured to make one or more decisions by interacting with other active objects of other software services deployed in the computer network;

computer usable program code for deploying, responsive to the one or more decisions, the new software service in the computer network using the active object and in accordance with the one or more decisions made by the active object; and

computer usable program code for managing the new software service using the active object.

18. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 17, wherein the dependency analysis is triggered by an imbalance in a current state and a desired state of the software service, wherein the imbalance in the current state and the desired state may occur in response to at least one of a service request, a request from a dependent service, global policies, global management actions, administrative actions, a supporting service, a supporting physical resource, or a spontaneous change in a state of the software service.

19. A system having an active repository comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories, and one or more non-transitory computer readable storage devices;

a plurality of active templates stored in the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage devices; and

an active object repository containing program instructions stored on the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage devices, wherein the program instructions are configured for execution on the one or more processors via the one or more memories to;

receive a request to deploy a software service in a computer network;

perform a dependency analysis for the software service to determine component software services and a first set of physical resources necessary to deploy and manage the software service as a composite in response to the software service being a new software service;

create an active object to manage the new software service using an active template based on the dependency analysis, wherein the active object is configured to make one or more decisions by interacting with other active objects of other software services deployed in the computer network;

responsive to the one or more decisions, deploy the new software service in the computer network using the active object and in accordance with the one or more decisions made by the active object; and

wherein the active object manages the new software service by monitoring the new software service to determine if the new software service must be re-deployed on a second set of physical resources based on a policy, and responsive to the determination that the new software service must be re-deployed on the second set of physical resources, by re-deploying the new software service to the second set of physical resources.

20. The active repository of claim 19, wherein the dependency analysis is triggered by an imbalance in a current state and a desired state of the software service, wherein the imbalance in the current state and the desired state may occur in response to at least one of a service request, a request from a dependent service, global policies, global management actions, administrative actions, a supporting service, a supporting physical resource, or a spontaneous change in a state of the software service.