Efficiently relating adjacent management applications managing a shared infrastructure

• US 8,856,338 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dinger, John E., Duggan, Matthew E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Louie, Oscar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Naji, Younes
• Application Number:
  US13/352,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

A linkage controller analyzes, for a first management application managing at least one common resource with a second management application adjacent to the first management application within a computing environment comprising multiple resources and relationships, a resource and relationship model known by the first management application of a selection of resources and relationships managed by the first management application from among the plurality of resources and relationships in the computing environment. The linkage controller identifies, for the first management application, only a minimal set of resources and relationships within the resource and relationship model providing at least one optimal linkage point between the first management application and the second management application as to the at least one common resource. The linkage controller outputs the minimal set of resources and relationships to the second management application for relating to the first management application.

Claims

1. A system for relating a first management application to a second management application, comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory;

a linkage controller operative, on the processor, to access a resource and relationship model of a selection of resources and relationships managed by and known by a first management application from among a plurality of resources and relationships in a computing environment, wherein the resource and relationship model comprises at least one common resource managed by the first management application and a second management application adjacent to the first management application in a computing environment;

the linkage controller operative to identify only a minimal set of resources and relationships from among a plurality of resources and relationships within the resource and relationship model required for providing at least one optimal linkage point between the first management application and the second management application as to the at least one common resource by;

the linkage controller operative to identify at least one server managed by the first management application as a starting point of a set of devices providing an optimal and consumable set of devices for the minimal set of resources and relationships;

the linkage controller operative to define a file comprising the minimal set of resources and relationships to be exported by the first management application;

the linkage controller operative to specify a particular open systems interconnect layer, from among multiple open systems interconnect layers, to be analyzed by the linkage controller;

the linkage controller operative to specify a hop setting as one of on or off;

the linkage controller operative, for each server from among the at least one server specified in the set of devices, to add the server to the file and to define a set of first network devices connected one hop away from the server at the particular open systems interconnect layer; and

the linkage controller operative, for each first network device defined in the set of first network devices defined for each server, to add the first network device to the file and to relate the first network device to the server and responsive to the hop setting specified as on, to define a set of second network devices connected one hop away from the first network device at a particular open systems interconnect layer, and for second network device defined in the set of second network devices, to add the second network device in the set of second network devices to the file and relate the second network device in the set of second network devices with the first network device in the set of first network devices; and

the linkage controller operative to output the minimal set of resources and relationships to the second management application by writing the file to disk space accessible by the second management application.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

the linkage controller operative to identify the starting point of the set of devices providing the optimal and consumable set of devices for the minimal set of resources and relationships; and

the linkage controller operative to identify a next layer of devices for the minimal set of resources and relationships, wherein the next layer of devices are connected to the set of devices and one hop away from the set of devices toward a type of device primarily managed by the first management application in a topology within the resource and relationship model.

3. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

the linkage controller, responsive to a depth setting allowing for an additional layer of depth, operative to identify, an additional layer of devices for the minimal set of resources and relationships, wherein the additional layer of devices are connected to the next layer of devices and one hop away from the next layer of devices toward the type of device primarily managed by the first management application in the topology within the resource and relationship model.

4. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

the linkage controller, operative to identify the starting point of the set of devices comprising a plurality of servers managed by the first management application and the second management application, wherein the first management application is a network management application for primarily managing a network infrastructure within the computing environment and wherein the second management application is a server management application for primarily managing a server infrastructure within the computing environment comprising the plurality of servers.

5. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

the linkage controller operative to identify the starting point of the set of devices by identifying at least one network device managed by the first management application and connected to at least one other device and less than a configured number of other devices within the computing environment, wherein the configured number is set to two connections, wherein at least one other network device managed by the first management application is connected to the configured number of other devices within the computing environment, wherein the first management application is a network management application for primarily managing a network infrastructure within the computing environment comprising the plurality of network devices and wherein the second management application is a server management application for primarily managing a server infrastructure within the computing environment.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

the linkage controller operative to identify only the minimal set of resources and relationships within the resource and relationship model by traversing the resource and relationship model from a first set of resources known by both the first management application and the second management application toward discipline specific resources of the discipline primarily managed by the first management application.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

the linkage controller operative to output the minimal set of resources and relationships in a file accessible to the second management application, wherein the file specifies only a selection of servers and network devices necessary for the second management application to link to the first management application as to the at least one common resource from among a plurality of servers and network devices topologically located between the first management application and the second management application.

8. A computer program product for relating a first management application and an adjacent management application both managing at least one common resource in a computing environment, said computer program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and comprising computer executable instructions which cause a computer to:

analyze, for a first management application managing at least one common resource with a second management application adjacent to the first management application within a computing environment comprising a plurality of resources and relationships, a resource and relationship model known by the first management application of a selection of resources and relationships managed by the first management application from among the plurality of resources and relationships;

identify, for the first management application, only a minimal set of resources and relationships from among a plurality of resources and relationships within the resource and relationship model required for providing at least one optimal linkage point between the first management application and the second management application as to the at least one common resource by;

identifying at least one server managed by the first management application as a starting point of a set of devices providing an optimal and consumable set of devices for the minimal set of resources and relationships;

defining a file comprising the minimal set of resources and relationships to be exported by the first management application;

specifying a particular open systems interconnect layer, from among multiple open systems interconnect layers, to be analyzed by the linkage controller;

specifying a hop setting as one of on or off;

for each server from among the at least one server specified in the set of devices, adding the server to the file and defining a set of first network devices connected one hop away from the server at the particular open systems interconnect layer; and

for each first network device defined in the set of first network devices defined for each server, adding the first network device to the file and relating the first network device to the server and responsive to the hop setting specified as on, defining a set of second network devices connected one hop away from the first network device at a particular open systems interconnect layer, and for second network device defined in the set of second network devices, adding the second network device in the set of second network devices to the file and relating the second network device in the set of second network devices with the first network device in the set of first network devices; and

output the minimal set of resources and relationships to the second management application by writing the file to disk space accessible by the second management application.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, further comprising computer executable instructions which cause a computer to:

identify, for the first management application, the starting point of the set of devices providing the optimal and consumable set of devices for the minimal set of resources and relationships; and

identify, for the first management application, a next layer of devices for the minimal set of resources and relationships, wherein the next layer of devices are connected to the set of devices and one hop away from the set of devices toward a type of device primarily managed by the first management application in a topology within the resource and relationship model.

10. A method for relating a first management application and an adjacent management application both managing at least one common resource in a computing environment, comprising:

analyzing, by a computer system, for a first management application managing at least one common resource with a second management application adjacent to the first management application within a computing environment comprising a plurality of resources and relationships, a resource and relationship model known by the first management application of a selection of resources and relationships managed by the first management application from among the plurality of resources and relationships;

identifying, by the computer system, for the first management application, only a minimal set of resources and relationships from among a plurality of resources and relationships within the resource and relationship model required for providing at least one optimal linkage point between the first management application and the second management application as to the at least one common resource by;

identifying at least one server managed by the first management application as a starting point of a set of devices providing an optimal and consumable set of devices for the minimal set of resources and relationships;

defining a file comprising the minimal set of resources and relationships to be exported by the first management application;

specifying a particular open systems interconnect layer, from among multiple open systems interconnect layers, to be analyzed by the linkage controller;

specifying a hop setting as one of on or off;

for each server from among the at least one server specified in the set of devices, adding the server to the file and defining a set of first network devices connected one hop away from the server at the particular open systems interconnect layer; and

for each first network device defined in the set of first network devices defined for each server, adding the first network device to the file and relating the first network device to the server and responsive to the hop setting specified as on, defining a set of second network devices connected one hop away from the first network device at a particular open systems interconnect layer, and for second network device defined in the set of second network devices, adding the second network device in the set of second network devices to the file and relating the second network device in the set of second network devices with the first network device in the set of first network devices; and

outputting, by the computer system, the minimal set of resources and relationships to the second management application by writing the file to disk space accessible by the second management application.

11. The method according to claim 10 further comprising:

identifying, by the computer system for the first management application, the starting point of the set of devices providing the optimal and consumable set of devices for the minimal set of resources and relationships; and

identifying, by the computer system for the first management application, a next layer of devices for the minimal set of resources and relationships, wherein the next layer of devices are connected to the set of devices and one hop away from the set of devices toward a type of device primarily managed by the first management application in a topology within the resource and relationship model.