Monitoring cloud-runtime operations

• US 8,713,163 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Teather, Gregory Wray
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, DUYEN MY
• Application Number:
  US12/963,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 709224-226, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for monitoring cloud-runtime operations. Embodiments of the invention include an infrastructure for initiating and monitoring (e.g., asynchronous) cloud-runtime operations. In some embodiments, cloud-runtime operations are included in a sequence of operations (e.g., in a workflow) for deploying or purging cloud based resources for a customer premises. Accordingly, monitored operations include creating cloud deployments, growing cloud deployments, shrinking cloud deployments, and deleting cloud deployments. Cloud deployments can be reliably deleted when a workflow is aborted, to prevent accrual of unexpected charges.

Claims

1. At an on premises computer system including a processor and system memory, the on premises computer system also including a computing component having a management database and a cloud deployment monitor, the on premises computer system being within a customer premises and connected to an on premises cluster, an external cloud management service that manages an external resource cloud, a method for monitoring cloud resource allocation for the customer premises, the method comprising:

an act of the on premises computer system accessing a user entered command invoking a cloud deployment comprising a sequence of operations against the external cloud management service, the sequence of operations of the cloud deployment instructing the external cloud management service to alter cloud resources of the external resource cloud that are allocated to the customer premises;

an act of the on premises computer system submitting an operation, from among the sequence of operations of the cloud deployment, to the external cloud management service;

subsequent to submitting the operation and at a specified recurring time interval, an act of the on premises computer system polling the external cloud management service for the status of the submitted operation automatically and without user intervention;

an act of the on premises computer system receiving cloud deployment information from the external cloud management service in response to the on premises computer system polling the external cloud management service, at least a portion of the cloud deployment information representing a status of completion of the submitted operation by the external cloud management service;

based on the received cloud deployment information, an act of the on premises computer system notifying the computing component of the status of completion of the submitted operation; and

based on the status of completion of the submitted operation, an act of the on premises computer system identifying a next action to take, including;

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that the submitted operation is still in progress, idling until a recurring time interval;

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that the submitted operation has failed, identifying the submitted operation is to be re-submitted to the external cloud management service;

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that the submitted operation has completed, identifying a further operation in the sequence of operations of the cloud deployment for submission to the external cloud management service; and

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that cloud deployment has failed, identifying one or more purge operations for submission to the external cloud management service, the one or more purge operations instructing the external cloud management service to de-allocate one or more cloud resources for the customer premises.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a user entered command invoking a sequence of operations against the external cloud management service comprises an act of accessing a deployment command.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a user entered command invoking a sequence of operations against the external cloud management service comprises an act of accessing a workflow with operations for deploying additional external cloud resources to the customer premises.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a user entered command invoking a sequence of operations against the external cloud management service comprises an act of accessing a purge command.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a user entered command invoking a sequence of operations against the external cloud management service comprises an act of accessing a workflow with operations for de-allocating deployed external cloud resources from the customer premises.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising an act of determining the status of the submitted operation by comparing the cloud deployment information to information in a management database prior to notifying the computing component of the status of the submitted operation.

7. A computer program product for use at an on premises computer system, the on premises computer system including a computing component having a management database and a cloud deployment monitor, the on premises computer system being within a customer premises and connected to an on premises cluster, an external cloud management service that manages an external resource cloud, the computer program product for implementing a method for monitoring cloud resource allocation for the customer premises, the computer program product comprising one or more computer storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, that when executed at a processor, cause the on premises computer system to perform the method, including the following:

access a user entered command invoking a cloud deployment comprising a sequence of operations against the external cloud management service, the sequence of operations of the cloud deployment instructing the external cloud management service to alter cloud resources of the external resource cloud that are allocated to the customer premises;

submit an operation, from among the sequence of operations of the cloud deployment, to the external cloud management service;

subsequent to submitting the operation and at a specified recurring time interval, poll the external cloud management service for the status of the submitted operation automatically and without user intervention;

receive cloud deployment information from the external cloud management service in response to the on premises computer system polling the external cloud management service, at least a portion of the cloud deployment information representing a status of completion of the submitted operation by the external cloud management service;

based on the received cloud deployment information, notify the computing component of the status of completion of the submitted operation; and

based on the status of completion of the submitted operation, identify a next action to take, including;

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that the submitted operation is still in progress, idling until a recurring time interval;

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that the submitted operation has failed, identifying the submitted operation is to be re-submitted to the external cloud management service;

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that the submitted operation has completed, identifying a further operation in the sequence of operations of the cloud deployment for submission to the external cloud management service; and

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that cloud deployment has failed, identifying one or more purge operations for submission to the external cloud management service, the one or more purge operations instructing the external cloud management service to de-allocate one or more cloud resources for the customer premises.

8. The computer program product as recited in claim 7, wherein computer-executable instructions, that when executed, cause the on premises computer system to access a user entered command invoking a sequence of operations against the external cloud management service comprise computer-executable instructions, that when executed, cause the on premises computer system to create a deployment or expand an existing deployment.

9. The computer program product as recited in claim 7, wherein computer-executable instructions, that when executed, cause the on premises computer system to access a user entered command invoking a sequence of operations against the external cloud management service comprise computer-executable instructions, that when executed, cause the on premises computer system to delete a deployment or shrink an existing deployment.

10. The computer program product as recited in claim 7, further comprising computer-executable instructions, that when executed, cause the on premises computer system to determine the status of the submitted operation by comparing the cloud deployment information to information in a management database prior to notifying the computing component of the status of the submitted operation.

11. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instruction that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computer system to implement a method for monitoring cloud resource allocation for a customer premises, wherein the method includes;

an act of accessing a user entered command invoking a cloud deployment comprising a sequence of operations against an external cloud management service, the sequence of operations of the cloud deployment instructing the external cloud management service to alter the allocation of external cloud resources for a premises to implement a high performance computing service;

an act of submitting an operation to the external cloud management service, the submitted operation selected from the sequence of operations of the cloud deployment;

subsequent to submitting the operation and at specified intervals, automatically and without user intervention;

an act of identifying the operation that is currently attempting to execute within the external resource cloud;

an act of polling the external cloud management service to check the progress of the operation;

an act of determining the status of completion of the identified operation from the external cloud management service based on the polling;

an act of notifying the computing component of the status of completion of the identified operation; and

based on the status of completion of the submitted operation, an act of identifying a next action to take, including;

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that the submitted operation is still in progress, idling until a recurring time interval;

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that the submitted operation has failed, identifying the submitted operation is to be re-submitted to the external cloud management service;

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that the submitted operation has completed, identifying a further operation in the sequence of operations of the cloud deployment for submission to the external cloud management service; and

when the status of completion of the submitted operation indicates that cloud deployment has failed, identifying one or more purge operations for submission to the external cloud management service, the one or more purge operations instructing the external cloud management service to de-allocate one or more cloud resources for the customer premises.

12. The computer system as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of accessing a user entered command invoking a sequence of operations comprises an act of accessing a user entered command for handling deployment notifications.

13. The computer system as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of accessing a user entered command invoking a sequence of operations comprises an act of accessing a user entered command for deleting unused storage in the resource cloud.