Client-specified schema extensions in cloud computing environments

• US 8,805,971 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roth, Gregory B., Scharf, James E. Jr., Ramachandran, Rajiv, Samuelsson, Anders, Carlson, Keith A.
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN, FRANTZ B
• Application Number:
  US13/524,945
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/224, 709/220, 715/234, 715/244
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for client-specified schema extensions in cloud computing environments are disclosed. A system includes a plurality of service managers coordinating respective multitenant network-accessible services, and one or more computer servers. In response to a schema extension request specifying a client account, a client attribute set, and a client data source, the one or more computer servers generate a composite schema customized for the client account comprising (a) attributes of a plurality of resources implementing the functionality of at least one service to which the client account has access and (b) the client attribute set. In response to an account state view request specifying the client account, the one or more computer servers provide a state representation comprising (a) at least one value of a particular client attribute and (b) at least one attribute value of a resource.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a plurality of computing devices configured to implement:

a plurality of service managers, wherein each service manager of the plurality of service managers is configured to coordinate a respective service of a plurality of multitenant network-accessible service implemented in a provider network; and

one or more computer servers operable to;

in response to a schema extension request, wherein the request includes an indication of a client account of a client of the provider network, a client attribute set, and a client data source, generate and store a composite schema customized for the client account comprising (a) attributes of a plurality of resources of the provider network implementing the functionality of at least one service of the plurality of multitenant network-accessible services to which the client account has access and (b) the client attribute set;

in response to an account state view request specifying the client account, provide a representation of a state of the client account comprising (a) at least one value of a particular client attribute of the client attribute set, obtainable from the client data source and (b) at least one attribute value of a particular resource of the provider network, obtainable from a particular service manager of the plurality of service managers.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of an update protocol to be used to obtain a value of an attribute of the client attribute set from the client data source, wherein the update protocol includes at least one of:

a push update protocol, a pull update protocol, or a hybrid update protocol.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client attribute set comprises a configuration setting of a computing device resident within a client network external to the provider network.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client attribute set comprises a configuration setting of an application executing on behalf of the client on a particular resource of the provider network.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of an encryption protocol to be used to encrypt a value of a particular attribute of the client attribute set.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of a third-party attribute set, including at least one attribute of a third-party-owned resource to be included in the composite schema.

7. A method, comprising:

in response to a schema extension request, wherein the request includes an indication of a client account of a client of a provider network and a client attribute set, generating and storing a composite schema customized for the client account comprising (a) a provider network attribute set, comprising attributes of a plurality of resources of the provider network implementing the functionality of at least one service of a plurality of multitenant network-accessible services to which the client has access and (b) the client attribute set;

in response to an account state view request specifying the client account, providing a representation of a state of the client account comprising (a) at least one value of a client attribute included in the client attribute set and (b) at least one value of an attribute included in the provider network attribute set.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of an update protocol to be used to obtain a value of an attribute of the client attribute set from a client data source.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of a client data source from which the value of the client attribute is obtained.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the client attribute set comprises an indication of a client-specified functional objective associated with an application executed on behalf of the client.

11. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the client attribute set comprises a performance metric of a computing device resident within a client network external to the provider network.

12. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the client attribute set comprises a configuration setting of an application executing on behalf of the client on a particular resource of the provider network.

13. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of an encryption protocol to be used to encrypt a value of a particular attribute of the client attribute set.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein, in accordance with the encryption protocol, the value of the particular attribute is encrypted before being transmitted into the provider network, and a key owned by the client is required to decrypt the value of the particular attribute.

15. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of a third-party attribute set, including at least one attribute of a third-party-owned resource to be included in the composite schema.

16. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

in response to a resource placement recommendation request, using one or more values of attributes of the client attribute set obtained from a client data source to generate a recommendation to transfer a particular client application from a client resource to a particular resource of the provider network.

17. A non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium storing program instructions that when executed on one or more processors:

in response to a schema extension request, wherein the request includes an indication of a client account of a client of a provider network and a client attribute set, generate and store a composite schema customized for the client account comprising (a) a provider network attribute set, comprising attributes of a plurality of multitenant network-accessible services of the provider network in use by the client and (b) the client attribute set;

in response to an account state view request specifying the client account, provide a representation of a state of the client account comprising (a) at least one value of a client attribute included in the client attribute set and (b) at least one value of an attribute included in the provider network attribute set.

18. The storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of an update protocol to be used to obtain a value of an attribute of the client attribute set from a client data source.

19. The storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of a client data source from which the value of the client attribute is obtainable.

20. The storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the client attribute set comprises a network configuration setting of a client network.

21. The storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the client attribute set comprises an estimated cost of execution of a client application on a resource within a client network.

22. The storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of an encryption protocol to be used to encrypt a value of a particular attribute of the client attribute set.

23. The storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of a third-party attribute set, including at least one attribute of a third-party-owned resource to be included in the composite schema.

24. The storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the instructions when executed on the one or more processors:

in response to an optimization request, use one or more values of attributes of the client attribute set obtained from a client data source to generate a recommendation to reduce network traffic within at least a portion of a client network.

25. The storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of a particular data source from which a value of a particular attribute of the composite schema is to be obtained, wherein the data source comprises at least one of (a) a computing device of the provider network (b) a third party computing device or (c) a client computing device, wherein the instructions when executed on the one or more processors:

in response to the account state view request, obtain a value of the particular attribute from the data source, and include the value in the representation of the state.

26. The storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the schema extension request comprises an indication of an authorization attribute to be included in the composite schema, wherein the instructions when executed on the one or more processors:

in response to an operation request from a particular user, determine, using a value of the authorization attribute, whether the particular user is permitted to perform the requested operation.