Method and system for realizing an avatar in a management operations center implemented in a global ecosystem of interrelated services

• US 8,843,386 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2011
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Greene, William S., Pierret, Matthew C., Coffey, Christine
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett, Scott L
• Application Number:
  US13/100,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20110213859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.11
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4553 Object oriented directories, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA] name server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 : received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 : Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 : Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 : Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 : Database or file accessing

Abstract

A data processing system may be implemented as a program product embodied on a processing system readable medium for implementing a method for using mobile code for implementing a service in a global ecosystem of interrelated services in an enterprise. The enterprise may include a group of network domains, where each of the network domains further includes a group of servers; at least one service container running on each of the servers; and a group of interrelated services, where each of the interrelated services may run on any of the at least one service container. The program product may include instructions for loading mobile service code for implementing a service on a code server, where the code server is accessible to at least some of the servers in the enterprise; instructions for determining information related to the service, where the information related to the service includes configuration information and a proxy reference for the service, the proxy reference including a codebase containing an address for a code server holding the mobile service code of a proxy for the service; and instructions for launching the service in a network domain.

Claims

1. A method for managing service persons in a management operations center, the method comprising:

loading, on a first server, code for implementing a service,

the first server being accessible by at least one or more of a plurality of second servers;

determining, by the first server, information related to the service,

the information related to the service including configuration information and a proxy reference for the service,

the proxy reference including an address for a server that stores code for implementing a proxy for the service, and

the configuration information being received from an enterprise repository;

launching, by the first server and using the determined information, the service on at least one service container,

the enterprise repository being outside a network domain of the at least one service container, and

the enterprise repository maintaining configuration information used for launching one or more services in other network domains;

identifying, by the first server, a global lookup in an enterprise,

the global lookup being outside the network domain;

listing, by the first server, the service with the global lookup by passing the configuration information and the proxy reference to the global lookup,

the configuration and the proxy reference being viewable by a client via the global lookup;

identifying, by the first server and based on a set of rules used to evaluate a work item associated with the service, a group of service persons, of a plurality of service persons, based on an availability and skill of each service person of the group of service persons,

the group of service persons including more than one service person, and

each service person performing a different role with respect to the work item;

interacting, by the first server, with each service person based on information defining an avatar associated with each service person and based on the work item,

each avatar representing an image of at least one of the skill or responsibilities of the service person, and

the interacting with each service person including;

receiving, by the first server, a request for the service person to participate with a work group,

the request being based on at least one of a communication skills, responsibilities, physical location, availability, workload, or history of work success of the service person;

transmitting, by the first server, the request to the service person,

the transmitting the request including;

 

associating, by the first server, the request with the work item;

 

associating, by the first server, a proxy avatar with the work item; and

 

communicating, by the first server, the request and information pertaining to work performed by the work group to the service person using the proxy avatar; and

updating, by the first server, workload information based on a response to the request; and

updating, by the first server at least one of the skills or history of work success of each respective avatar associated with each service person to reflect the workload information of the each service person and an outcome of participating with the work group.

2. The method recited in claim 1, where, when determining the information related to the service, the method further comprises:

determining a codebase for the service, the codebase containing an address for the first server storing the code for implementing the service;

determining service configuration information used by the at least one service container to launch the service; and

determining service container requirements for the service.

3. The method recited in claim 2, further comprising:

accessing the service configuration information;

locating a service container running on a second server of the plurality of second servers;

passing the service configuration information to the service container;

loading the code for implementing the service on the service container; and

running the service on the service container.

4. The method recited in claim 3, where

the configuration information includes service configuration information used for the service container to launch the service, and

when running the service on the service container, the method further comprises:

configuring at least one resource in accordance with the service configuration information.

5. The method recited in claim 4, where the service configuration information used for the service comprises:

a schema for creating tables in a database resource; and

an address of a source of data with which to populate the database resource.

6. The method recited in claim 5, where, when running the service on the service container, the method further comprises:

creating tables in the database resource;

sending, to the address of the source, a request requesting the data; and

populating the tables in the database resource with the requested data.

7. The method recited in claim 3, where

the configuration information includes the codebase containing the address for the first server storing the code for implementing the service, and

when loading the code for implementing the service on the service container, the method further comprises:

sending, to the address of the first server, a request for the code implementing the service; and

receiving, based on sending the request, the code for implementing the service from the first server.

8. The method recited in claim 3, where

the configuration information includes the service container requirements for the service, and

when locating the service container running on the second server in the plurality of second servers, the method further comprises:

accessing a registry; and

looking up the service container listed in the registry based on the service container requirements for the service.

9. The method recited in claim 3, where, when accessing the configuration information, the method further comprises:

accessing a registry;

looking up a service listing for the service in the registry, where the registry comprises a plurality of service listings; and

finding the configuration information in the registry, where the configuration information is associated with the service listing.

10. The method recited in claim 8, where the registry is a global lookup and access to the registry is initiated by an administrator.

11. The method recited in claim 8, where the registry is a local registrar and access to the registry is performed by monitoring the local registrar.

12. The method recited in claim 8, where, when accessing the registry, the method further comprises:

broadcasting a ping to the network domain;

waiting a particular time period;

determining, after the particular time period, that the service did not respond to the ping; and

accessing, based on determining that the service did not respond to the ping, a domain registrar in the network domain.

13. The method recited in claim 8, where, when accessing the registry, the method further comprises:

sending a health check request to the service;

receiving a response from the service based on the health check request;

determining, based on the response, that the service did not appropriately respond to the health check request; and

accessing the domain registrar in the network domain when the service did not appropriately respond to the health check request.

14. The method recited in claim 12, where, when launching the service, the method further comprises:

registering the service with the domain registrar by passing information related to the service to the domain register; and

registering the service with the global lookup by passing information related to the service to the global lookup.

15. The method recited in claim 14, further comprising:

interacting with the service by;

looking up the service in the domain registrar;

receiving the code for implementing the proxy from the domain register;

executing the code for implementing the proxy; and

interacting with the proxy based on execution of the code.

16. A computer-readable medium storing instructions for managing service persons in a management operations center, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to;

load code for implementing a service on a first server, the first server being accessible by at least one or more of a plurality of second servers;

determine information related to the service,

the information related to the service including configuration information and a proxy reference for the service,

the proxy reference including an address for a server that stores code for implementing a proxy for the service, and

the configuration information being received from an enterprise repository,

the enterprise repository being located on a network domain outside of a network domain of at least one service container, and

the enterprise repository maintaining configuration information used for launching one or more services in other network domains;

launch, using the determined information, the service on the at least one service container;

identify a global lookup in the enterprise, the global lookup being outside of the network domain of the at least one service container;

list the service with the global lookup by passing the configuration information and the proxy reference for the service to the global lookup,

the configuration information and the proxy reference for the service being visible to a client from the global lookup;

identify, based on a set of rules used to evaluate a work item associated with the service,

a group of service persons, of a plurality of service persons, based on an availability and skill of each service person of the group of service persons,

the group of service persons including more than one service person, and each service person performing a different role with respect to the work item;

interact with each service person based on information defining an avatar associated with each service person and based on the work item,

each avatar representing an image of at least one of the skill or responsibilities of the service person, and

the one or more instructions to interact with each service person including;

one or more instructions to receive a request for the service person to participate with a work group,

the request being based on at least one of a communication, skills, responsibilities, physical location, availability, workload, or history of work success of the service person;

one or more instructions to transmit the request to the service person,

one or more instructions to transmit the request to the service person including;

 

one or more instructions to associate the request with the work item;

 

one or more instructions to associate a proxy avatar with the work item; and

 

one or more instructions to communicate the request and information pertaining to work performed by the work group to the service person using the proxy avatar; and

one or more instructions to update workload information based on a response to the request; and

update at least one of the skills or history of work success of each respective avatar associated with each service person to reflect the workload information of the each service person and an outcome of participating with the work group.

17. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 16, where the one or more instructions to determine information related to the service further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine a codebase for the service, the codebase containing an address for the first server storing the code for implementing the service;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine service configuration information used by the at least one service container to launch the service; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine service container requirements for the service.

18. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 17, where the one or more instructions to launch the service further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to access the configuration information for the service;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to locate a service container executing on a second server of the plurality of second servers;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to pass the configuration information to the service container;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to load the code for implementing the service on the service container; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute the service on the service container.

19. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 18, where

the configuration information includes service configuration information used by the service container to launch the service, and

the one or more instructions to execute the service on the service container further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to configure at least one resource in accordance with the service configuration information.

20. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 19, where the service configuration information used by the service container comprises:

a schema for creating tables in a database resource; and

an address of a source of data with which to populate the database resource.

21. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 20, where the one or more instructions to execute the service on the service container further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to create tables in the database resource;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to send a request to the address of a source requesting the data; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to populate the tables in the database resource with the requested data.

22. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 18, where

the configuration information includes the codebase containing the address for the first server storing the code for implementing the service, and

the one or more instructions for loading to load the code for implementing the service on the service container further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to send a request for the code for implementing the service to the address of the first server storing the code for implementing the service; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive the code for implementing the service from the first server based on sending the request.

23. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 18, where

the configuration information includes the service container requirements for the service, and

the one or more instructions to locate the service container executing on the second server in the plurality of second servers further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to access a registry; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to look up the service container listed in the registry based on the service container requirements for the service.

24. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 18, where the one or more instructions to access the configuration information for the service further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to access a registry;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to look up a service listing for the service in the registry, where the registry comprises a plurality of service listings; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to find the configuration information in the registry, the configuration information being associated with the service listing.

25. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 23, where the registry includes a global lookup and the one or more instructions for accessing the registry are initiated by an administrator.

26. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 23, where the registry includes a local registrar and the instructions for accessing the registry are executed by a service monitoring the local registrar.

27. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 23, where the one or more instructions to access the registry further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to broadcast a ping to the network domain;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to wait a predetermined time period;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine that the service did not respond to the ping; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to access a domain registrar in the network domain.

28. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 23, where the one or more instructions to access the registry further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to send a health check request to the service;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive a response from the service based on the health check request;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine, based on the response, that the service did not appropriately respond to the health check request; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to access a domain registrar in the network domain when the service did not appropriately respond to the health check request.

29. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 27, where the one or more instructions to launch the service further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to register the service with the domain registrar by passing information related to the service to the domain register; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to register the service with a global lookup by passing information related to the service to the global lookup.

30. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 29, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to interact with the service,

where the one or more instructions that cause the processor to interact with the service further comprise;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to look up the service in the domain registrar;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive the code for implementing the proxy from the domain registrar;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute the code for implementing the proxy; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to interact with the proxy based on the execution of the code.

31. A system comprising:

one or more devices to;

load code for implementing a service on a first server, the first server being accessible by at least one or more of a plurality of second servers;

determine information related to the service,

the information related to the service including configuration information and a proxy reference for the service,

the proxy reference including an address for a server that stores code for implementing a proxy for the service, and

the configuration information being received from an enterprise repository,

 

the enterprise repository being located on a network domain outside of a network domain of at least one service container, and

 

the enterprise repository maintaining configuration information used for launching one or more services in other network domains;

launch, using the determined information, the service on the at least one service container;

identify a global lookup in the enterprise, the global lookup being outside of the network domain of the at least one service container;

list the service with the global lookup by passing the configuration information and the proxy reference for the service to the global lookup,

the configuration information and the proxy reference for the service being visible to a client from the global lookup;

identify, based on a set of rules used to evaluate a work item associated with the service, a group of service persons, of a plurality of service persons, based on an availability and skill of each service person of the group of service persons,

the group of service persons including more than one service person, and

each service person performing a different role with respect to the work item;

interact with each service person based on information defining an avatar associated with each service person and based on the work item,

each avatar representing an image of at least one of the skill or responsibilities of the service person, and

the one or more devices, when interacting with each service person, being to;

receive a request for the service person to participate with a work group,

 

the request being based on at least one of a communication, skills, responsibilities, physical location, availability, workload, or history of work success of the service person;

transmit the request to the service person,

 

the one or more devices, when transmitting the request to the service person, being to;

 

associate the request with the work item;

 

associate a proxy avatar with the work item; and

 

communicate the request and information pertaining to work performed by the work group to the service person using the proxy avatar; and

update workload information based on a response to the request; and

update at least one of the skills or history of work success of each respective avatar associated with each service person to reflect the workload information of the each service person and an outcome of participating with the work group.