Method and system for managing configuration management environment

• US 8,732,294 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2006
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rice, Tony Ray, Mastrangelo, Jeffrey Albert, Kennedy, Paul S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Hee Soo
• Application Number:
  US11/439,363
• Time in Patent Office: 2,920 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/507 Filtering out customers affected by service problems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data

Abstract

A method and a system for managing a configuration management environment in a large organization are provided. A Configuration Management (CM) system is installed in infrastructure devices used by users in the configuration management environment. These users are distributed in a geographically wide area. Information is collected relating to development processes executed in the configuration management environment. This information further includes information regarding performance, management and configuration of the infrastructure devices. The collected information is collated, organized and links corresponding to various information are also provided. Further, the collected information is provided through an access point to the users, to manage the configuration management environment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

configuring a server to interface with a configuration management (CM) environment distributed on a plurality of infrastructure devices;

collecting, by the server, information related to development processes executed in a CM environment distributed on the plurality of infrastructure devices, the collected information comprising;

information associated with a performance of a CM system installed in each of the plurality of infrastructure devices,

information associated with the plurality of infrastructure devices, and

information associated with dependencies between the plurality of infrastructure devices; and

integrating the collected information into a single interface, the interface enabling at least one user to perform management functions based on the collected data, the management functions comprise;

providing, based on the collected information associated with the performance of the CM system, fault information related to a particular infrastructure device, the fault information begin correlated with past fault information and system alarms and the fault information including a link to information related to the particular infrastructure device, and

enabling, based on the collected information associated with dependencies between the plurality of infrastructure devices, the at least one user to send notifications to users affected by the fault associated with the particular infrastructure device by providing, within the linked information related to the particular infrastructure device, contact information for an administrator of the particular infrastructure device and administrators of infrastructure devices dependent on the particular infrastructure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the management functions further comprise providing the at least one user with options for obtaining the collected information across various locations in a geographically wide area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected information further comprises information related to usage patterns and the configuration of the plurality of infrastructure devices, and information related to the plurality of users using the plurality of infrastructure devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected information further comprises information related to licenses of the CM system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected information further comprises information related to repositories and information related to faults occurring in the configuration management environment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected information further comprises information related to an application metrics, based on attributes of the CM system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected information further comprises information related to a repository metrics, based on attributes of a repository, a workspace metrics, based on attributes of a workspace, a host performance metrics, based on performance attributes of a host, and a user information-reporting structure.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein collected information further comprises information regarding application of the CM system across a plurality of locations.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the management functions further comprise providing information related to downtime of the CM system.

10. A non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions executable by one or more processors, the machine-readable medium comprising:

one or more instructions for configuring a server to interface with a configuration management (CM) environment distributed on a plurality of infrastructure devices;

one or more instructions for collecting, by the server, information related to development processes executed in a CM environment distributed on the plurality of infrastructure devices, the collected information comprising;

information associated with a performance of a CM system installed in each of the plurality of infrastructure devices,

information associated with the plurality of infrastructure devices, and

information associated with dependencies between the plurality of infrastructure devices; and

one or more instructions for integrating the collected information into a single interface, the interface enabling at least one user to perform management functions based on the collected data, the management functions comprise;

providing, based on the collected information associated with the performance of the CM system, fault information related to a particular infrastructure device, the fault information begin correlated with past fault information and system alarms and the fault information including a link to information related to the particular infrastructure device, and

enabling, based on the collected information associated with dependencies between the plurality of infrastructure devices, the at least one user to send notifications to users affected by the fault associated with the particular infrastructure device by providing, within the linked information related to the particular infrastructure device, contact information for an administrator of the particular infrastructure device and administrators of infrastructure devices dependent on the particular infrastructure.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising one or more instructions for installing the CM system in a plurality of infrastructure devices in the configuration management environment.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the CM system comprises one or more instructions for tracking metadata of one or more files related to the development processes.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the CM system further comprises one or more instructions for selecting the one or more files related to the development processes.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the CM system further comprises one or more instructions for storing the tracked metadata of the one or more files in a central database.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the CM system further comprises one or more instructions for updating the tracked metadata of the one or more files in the central database.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the CM system further comprises one or more instructions for maintaining one or more backup replicas of the central database.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the CM system further comprises one or more instructions for maintaining a master replica of the central database.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the CM system further comprises one or more instructions for maintaining a plurality of production replicas of the central database.