System and method for managing virtual world environments based upon existing physical environments

• US 8,704,821 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2008
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kulkarni, Gaurav N., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Sand, Anne R., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): He, Yingchun
• Application Number:
  US12/233,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20100066733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,042 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 715700-866
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities

Abstract

In general, the present invention provides a system and method for creating, managing and utilizing virtual worlds for enhanced management of an Information Technology (IT) environment. Two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) virtual world renditions are automatically created to replicate the associated real-life IT environment. Such virtual environments can then be used to familiarize staff with remote locations and to securely provide virtual data center tours to others. The virtual environments are managed through an information monitor and management module that generates a work order sent to the physical location for reconfiguration of the real-life environment.

Claims

1. A method for creating and managing a virtual rendition of a real-life information technology (I/T) environment in a system having a gateway, a virtual rendition rendering module, an instrument monitor, a virtual update module and instrument monitor and management module (IMMM), the method comprising the steps of:

a. at the gateway, receiving descriptive resource data from at least one information technology (I/T) physical resource, the descriptive resource data comprising a physical location of the at least one I/T physical resource in the real-life I/T environment;

b. at the gateway, translating the descriptive resource data so that it is understood by the virtual rendition rendering module;

c. at the rendering module, creating a virtual rendition of the at least one I/T physical resource, creating a floor plan of a room in which the at least one I/T physical resource is located showing location of the at least one I/T physical resource within the room, and creating a 2D representation and a 3D representation of the at least one I/T physical resource within the room;

d. at the IMMM receiving a change request for the at least one I/T physical resource to be modified, wherein the change request includes a request for a change in the physical location of the at least one I/T physical resource in the real-life I/T environment;

e. based on the change request, generating, in response to receiving the change request, a work order to be sent to the physical location;

f. receiving, in response to completion of the work order, at the virtual update module updated descriptive resource data reflecting completion of the change request corresponding to the work order;

g. at the rendering module, creating, in response to receiving the updated descriptive resource data, an updated virtual rendition of the at least one I/T physical resource reflecting completion of the change request;

repeating steps a through g for a plurality of I/T physical resources each having at least one physical location, wherein a plurality of physical location data includes floor, row, and rack data and wherein step c) further comprises;

sorting the plurality of physical location data by unique ID; and

building the 3D representation by at least one rack, at least one row, and at least one floor;

building the at least one floor including at least one row based on a blueprint;

building at least one rack, wherein the rack is empty;

for each I/T physical resource;

populating the at least one rack with a 3D object representing each I/T physical resource; and

populating the 3D object with metadata associated with each I/T physical resource, wherein the metadata includes an IP address, a type and quantity of CPU, and an amount of memory; and

determining, based on the floor plan, where to place the plurality of I/T physical resources in the 3D representation, and wherein the step of determining further comprises;

recording coordinates of each I/T physical resource from the floor plan including x, y placement of corners of each I/T physical resource, or x, y coordinate of upper left corner and dimensions; and

using the coordinates to place the plurality of I/T physical resources in correct locations in the 3D representation of the room.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving a change request at the IMMM comprises receiving a change request from a remote location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one physical resource includes an RFID transmitter;

and wherein the receiving of updated descriptive resource data at the virtual update module includes receiving information from the RFID transmitter.

4. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for operating in a system comprising a network I/O, a CPU, and one or more databases, the computer program product, when executed, enabling the system to implement a method for automatically creating and managing virtual renditions of a real-life information technology (I/T) environment in a system having a virtual world gateway, a virtual world rendering module, a virtual update module, and an instrument monitor and management module (IMMM), the method comprising the steps of:

a. at the virtual world gateway, receiving descriptive resource data from the at least one information technology (I/T) physical resource, wherein the descriptive resource data comprises a physical location of the at least one I/T physical resource in the real-life I/T environment;

b. at the virtual world gateway, translating the data so that it is understood by the virtual world rendering module; and

c. at the virtual world rendering module, creating a virtual rendition of the at least one I/T physical resource, creating a floor plan of a room in which the at least one I/T physical resource is located showing location of the at least one I/T physical resource within the room, and creating a 2D representation and a 3D representation of the at least one I/T physical resource within the room, wherein the floor plan is based on a grid;

d. at the IMMM receiving a change request for the at least one I/T physical resource to be modified, wherein the change request includes a request for a change in the physical location of the at least one physical I/T resource in the real-life I/T environment;

e. based on the change request, generating, in response to receiving the change request, a work order to be sent to the physical location;

f. receiving, in response to completion of the work order, at the virtual update module reflecting completion of the change request corresponding to the work order; and

g. at the rendering module, creating, in response to receiving the updated descriptive resource data, an updated virtual rendition of the at least one I/T physical resource reflecting completion of the change request;

repeating steps a through g for a plurality of I/T physical resources each having at least one physical location, wherein a plurality of physical location data includes floor, row, and rack data and wherein step c) further comprises;

sorting the plurality of physical location data by unique ID;

building the 3D representation by at least one rack, at least one row, and at least one floor;

building the at least one floor including at least one row based on a blueprint;

building at least one rack, wherein the rack is empty;

for each I/T physical resource;

populating the at least one rack with a 3D object representing each I/T physical resource; and

populating the 3D object with metadata associated with each I/T physical resource, wherein the metadata includes an IP address, a type and quantity of CPU, and an amount of memory; and

determining, based on the floor plan, where to place the plurality of I/T physical resources in the 3D representation, and wherein the step of determining further comprises;

recording coordinates of each I/T physical resource from the floor plan including x, y placement of corners of each I/T physical resource, or x, y coordinate of upper left corner and dimensions; and

using the coordinates to place the plurality of I/T physical resources in correct locations in the 3D representation of the room.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the at least one physical resource includes an RFID transmitter;

and wherein the receiving of updated descriptive resource data at the virtual update module includes receiving information from the RFID transmitter.

6. A system for creating and managing two dimensional (2D ) and three dimensional (3D) virtual world graphic representations of a real-life information technology (I/T) environment, the system comprising:

a. a virtual world gateway for receiving descriptive resource data from a plurality of information technology (I/T) physical resources, the descriptive resource data comprising a physical location of each I/T physical resource in the real-life I/T environment;

b. a virtual world rendering module for translating the descriptive resource data so that it is understood by the virtual rendition rendering module and creating a virtual rendition of each I/T physical resource

c. an instrument monitor and management module (IMMM) for receiving

a change request for each I/T physical resource to be modified, wherein the change request includes a request for a change in the physical location of each I/T physical resource in the real-life I/T environment;

generating, in response to receiving the change request, a work order to be sent to the physical resource location based on the change request;

receiving, in response to completion of the work order, the updated descriptive resource data reflecting completion of the change request corresponding to the work order, and

sending, in response to the receiving, the updated descriptive resource data to the virtual world rendering model, wherein the virtual world rendering model creates, in response to receiving the updated descriptive resource data, an updated virtual rendition of each I/T physical resource reflecting completion of the change request, wherein each of the plurality of I/T physical resources has physical location data including floor, row, and rack data, and

wherein the virtual world rendering module sorts the plurality of physical location data by unique ID, and

builds the 3D representation by at least one rack, at least one row, and at least one floor,

determines, based on the floor plan, where to place the plurality of I/T physical resources in the 3D representation, and

wherein the determining further comprises;

recording coordinates of each I/T physical resource from the floor plan including x, y placement of corners of each I/T physical resource, or x, y coordinate of upper left corner and dimensions; and

placing the plurality of I/T physical resources in correct location in the 3D representation of the room based upon the x, y, recorded coordinates, wherein building the 3D representation further comprises;

building at least one floor including at least one row based on a blueprint;

building at least one rack, wherein the rack is empty;

for each I/T physical resource;

populating the at least one rack with a 3D object representing each I/T physical resource; and

populating the 3D object with metadata associated with each I/T physical resource, wherein the metadata includes an IP address, a type and quantity of CPU, and an amount of memory.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising an application programming interface (API), connected between the virtual world gateway and each I/T physical resource, for receiving the descriptive resource data from each I/T physical resource and passing the descriptive resource data to the virtual world gateway.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the at least one database has an agent for monitoring the descriptive resource data and the API comprises an agent for monitoring outputs from the at least one database agent.

9. The system of claim 6 further comprising at least one database for storing the descriptive resource data prior to sending the descriptive resource data to the virtual world gateway.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein each I/T physical resource includes an RFID transmitter;

and wherein the receiving of updated descriptive resource data at the virtual update module includes receiving information from the RFID transmitter.