Step-wise, cumulative object and relationship aggregation in a graphical system management topology

• US 8,775,962 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2009
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boykin, J. Russell, Giammaria, Alberto, Griffin, Patricia Diana, Peters, Christopher Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Stevens, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): UM, DANIEL H
• Application Number:
  US12/612,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20110107250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 715/713, 715/712, 715/719, 715/772
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A graphical user interface (GUI) in which a user may navigate through states of an information technology (IT) management process by selecting or deselecting the selectable objects in the GUI. When the user selects a first object in a first display window of the GUI, the first display window is changed to represent a first state of the IT management process based on the selected object, and the second display window is changed to show computing objects and relationships associated with the selected object. When the user selects another associated object in the first display window, the first display window is changed to represent a second state of the IT management process based on the selected object, and the and the second display window is changed to show computing objects and relationships associated with the selected object.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for iteratively displaying and changing a display in a graphical user interface for a distributed computing environment to navigate through states of an information technology management process, comprising:

displaying computing objects and relationships between respective ones of the computing objects in the distributed computing environment in a graphical user interface on a computer, wherein a plurality of selectable objects are displayed in a display in a first display window of the graphical user interface, and the computing objects and relationships are displayed in a display in a second display window of the graphical user interface, and wherein a user navigates through states of an information technology management process displayed in the graphical user interface by selecting or deselecting the selectable objects in the first display window;

responsive to selection of an object of the plurality of selectable objects displayed in the first display window, changing the display in the first display window to represent a first state of the information technology management process based on the selected object, wherein the first display window includes a first set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected object, and changing the display in the second display window to show the selected object and computing objects and relationships associated with the selected object; and

responsive to selection of an associated selectable object of the first set of associated selectable objects, changing the display in the first display window to represent a transition to a second state of the information technology management process, wherein the first display window includes a second set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected associated object of the first set of associated objects and changing the display in the second display window to show the selected associated object and computing objects and relationships associated with the selected associated object of the first set of associated selectable objects.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising,

responsive to selection of an associated selectable object of the second set of associated selectable objects, changing the display in the first display window to represent a transition to a third state of the information technology management process, wherein the first display window includes a third set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected associated object of the second set of associated objects, and changing the display in the second display window to show the selected associated object and computing objects and relationships associated with the selected associated object of the second set of associated selectable objects.

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

changing the display in the first display window each time selection of an associated selectable object of the second set of associated selectable objects is detected to reflect transitions between states of the information technology management process.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computing objects comprise computing resources.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of selectable objects comprises a plurality of incidents, wherein the first set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected object comprises a set of problems, and wherein the second set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected associated object of the first set of associated selectable objects comprises a set of changes.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of selectable objects is displayed in the first window in response to selection of an application for diagnosis of performance problems.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein each change made to the display in the second display window are cumulative but bounded within a context of the application and the selected object and selected associated object.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein selection of a selectable object or selectable associated object results in removal of computing objects and relationships associated with the selected object or selected associated object from the second display window to reflect a transition to another state in the information technology management process.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer readable code; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer readable code to display computing objects and relationships between respective ones of the computing objects in the distributed computing environment, wherein a plurality of selectable objects are displayed in a display in a first display window of a graphical user interface, and the computing objects and relationships are displayed in a display in a second display window of the graphical user interface, and wherein a user navigates through states of an information technology management process displayed in the graphical user interface by selecting or deselecting the selectable objects in the first display window;

change, in response to selection of an object of the plurality of selectable objects displayed in the first display window, the display in the first display to represent a first state of the information technology management process based on the selected object, wherein the first display window includes a first set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected object, and changing the display in the second display window to show the selected object and computing objects and relationships associated with the selected object; and

change, in response to selection of an associated selectable object of the first set of associated selectable objects, the display in the first display window to represent a transition to a second state of the information technology management process, wherein the first display window includes a second set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected associated object of the first set of associated objects, and changing the display in the second display window to show the selected associated object and computing objects and relationships associated with the selected associated object of the first set of associated selectable objects.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer readable code to change, in response to selection of an associated object of the second set of associated selectable objects, the display in the second display window to represent a transition to a third state of the information technology management process, wherein the first display window includes a third set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected associated object of the second set of associated objects, and wherein change to the display in the second display window shows the selected associated object of the second set of associated selectable objects and computing objects and relationships associated with the selected associated object of the second set of associated selectable objects.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of selectable objects comprises a plurality of incidents, wherein the first set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected object comprises a set of problems, and wherein the second set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected associated object of the first set of associated selectable objects comprises a set of changes.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of selectable objects is displayed in the first window in response to selection of an application for diagnosis of performance problems, and wherein each change made to the display in the second display window are cumulative but bounded within a context of the application and the selected object and selected associated object.

13. A computer program product in a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, the computer readable program code for execution by a computer, comprising:

computer readable program code for displaying computing objects and relationships between respective ones of the computing objects in the distributed computing environment in a graphical user interface on a computer, wherein a plurality of selectable objects are displayed in a display in a first display window of the graphical user interface, and the computing objects and relationships are displayed in a display in a second display window of the graphical user interface, and wherein a user navigates through states of an information technology management process displayed in the graphical user interface by selecting or deselecting the selectable objects in the first display window;

computer readable program code for changing, in response to selection of an object of the plurality of selectable objects displayed in the first display window, the display in the first display window to represent a first state of the information technology management process based on the selected object, wherein the first display window includes a first set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected object, and changing the display in the second display window to show the selected object and computing objects and relationships associated with the selected object; and

computer readable program code for changing, in response to selection of an associated selectable object of the first set of associated selectable objects, the display in the first display window to represent a transition to a second state of the information technology management process, wherein the first display window includes a second set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected associated object of the first set of associated objects, and change the display in the second display window to show the selected associated object and computing objects and relationships associated with the selected associated object of the first set of associated selectable objects.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising, computer readable program code for changing, in response to selection of an associated object of the second set of associated selectable objects, the display in the first display window to represent a transition to a third state of the information technology management process, wherein the first display window includes a third set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected associated object of the second set of associated objects, and wherein the change to the display in the second display window shows the selected associated object and computing objects and relationships associated with the selected associated object of the second set of associated selectable objects.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the plurality of selectable objects comprises a plurality of incidents, wherein the first set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected object comprises a set of problems, and wherein the second set of associated selectable objects associated with the selected associated object of the first set of associated selectable objects comprises a set of changes.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the plurality of selectable objects is displayed in the first window in response to selection of an application for diagnosis of performance problems.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein each change made to the display in the second display window are cumulative but bounded within a context of the application and the selected object and selected associated object.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein selection of a selectable object or selectable associated object results in removal of computing objects and relationships associated with the selected object or selected associated object from the second display window.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code is stored in a computer readable storage medium in a data processing system, and wherein the computer readable program code is downloaded over a network from a remote data processing system.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code is stored in a computer readable storage medium in a server data processing system, and wherein the computer readable program code is downloaded over a network from a remote data processing system for use in a computer readable storage medium with the remote system.