Configuration management repository for a federation of distributed platforms

• US 8,868,701 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edgio Incorporated
• Original Assignee: EdgeCast Networks (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Peters, Robert J., Elazary, Lior, Sakata, Jayson G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US13/222,619
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-224
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 Loop networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 : Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a repository that manages configurations for a distributed platform and that automatedly configures servers of the distributed platform with different hierarchical sets of configurations while ensuring integrity and consistency across the servers and in the repository. In some embodiment, the repository includes a data store that stores configurations for a first set of servers that are operated by a first service provider and a second set of servers that are operated by a second service provider. The data store also identifies different sets of configurations to deploy to different sets of servers from the first and second sets of servers. The repository also includes a function processor to automatedly deploy the different sets of configurations to the different sets of servers and to perform functions for updating the configurations in a manner that ensures integrity and consistency.

Claims

1. A configuration management repository comprising:

a data store operable to perform operations comprising (i) storing a plurality of configurations for a first set of servers that are operated by a first service provider and a second set of servers that are operated by a second service provider, and (ii) identifying which servers of the first and second sets of servers are to deploy each configuration of the plurality of configurations; and

a processor operable to perform operations comprising automatedly configuring server operation by deploying a particular configuration from the plurality of configurations, wherein deploying the particular configuration comprises deploying an application, a configuration for customizing parameters of said application, and a configuration for using said application to perform a service on behalf of a customer to at least one server of the first set of servers and at least one server of the second set of servers identified by the data store.

2. The configuration management repository of claim 1, wherein the first service provider operates a first content delivery network (CDN) and the second service provider operates a second CDN.

3. The configuration management repository of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to (i) commit a user specified modification to the particular configuration and (ii) automatedly deploy said modification to the at least one server of the first set of servers and the at least one server of the second set of servers to which said particular configuration is deployed.

4. The configuration management repository of claim 3, wherein the processor is further operable to verify integrity of said modification before deploying said modification to the at least one server of the first set of servers and the at least one server of the second set of servers.

5. The configuration management repository of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to issue an alert when the particular configuration satisfies a specified condition.

6. The configuration management repository of claim 5 further comprising a user interface for a user to specify said condition for the alert.

7. The configuration management repository of claim 1, wherein the data store is further operable to store, for each configuration of the plurality of configurations, a revision history comprising prior instances of the configuration.

8. The configuration management repository of claim 7, wherein the data store is further operable to store, for each instance of the revision history for a configuration, a set of parameters identifying performance realized by the instance of the configuration when deployed.

9. The configuration management repository of claim 8, wherein the processor is further operable to deploy a prior instance of the particular configuration when a set of parameters associated with the prior instance indicate better performance than is realized by a current deployed instance of the particular configuration.

10. The configuration management repository of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to (i) obtain, for the particular configuration, versioning data from the at least one server of the first set of servers and at least one server of the second set of servers to which the particular configuration is deployed and (ii) use said versioning data to determine if deployment of the particular configuration was successful.

11. The configuration management repository of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operable to (iii) revert the particular configuration to a previous instance of the particular configuration when said versioning data is used to determine unsuccessful deployment of the particular configuration.

12. The configuration management repository of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to perform a test when the particular configuration is modified.

13. The configuration management repository of claim 12, wherein performing said test comprises at least one of verifying syntax of the particular configuration and simulating the particular configuration independently of deploying the particular configuration to any server of the first and second sets of servers.

14. The configuration management repository of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to verify syntax of the particular configuration when modifications made to the particular configuration are to be stored to the data store.

15. The configuration management repository of claim 1, wherein the data store is further operable to store a pre-deployment trigger with the particular configuration, the pre-deployment trigger instructing the processor to simulate the particular configuration before deploying said particular configuration to the at least one server of the first set of servers and the at least one server of the second set of servers.

16. The configuration management repository of claim 1, wherein the data store is further operable to store a post-deployment trigger with the particular configuration, the post-deployment trigger instructing the processor to perform at least one of stopping, starting, and restarting a service that is running on a server to which the particular configuration is to be deployed.

17. The configuration management repository of claim 1, wherein the data store is further operable to store a post-deployment trigger with the particular configuration, the post-deployment trigger instructing the processor to monitor performance of the particular configuration when the particular configuration is deployed to the at least one server of the first set of servers and the at least one server of the second set of servers.

18. For a configuration management repository of a distributed platform, a method comprising:

storing a plurality of configurations, the plurality of configurations for configuring a first set of servers that are operated by a first service provider of the distributed platform and a second set of servers that are operated by a second service provider;

storing, for each configuration of the plurality of configurations, a revision history comprising prior instances of the configuration and a set of parameters for identifying performance realized by the prior instances of the configuration when deployed;

identifying a particular configuration from the plurality of configurations that is defined to configure operation of at least a first server of the first set of servers operated by the first service provider and at least a second server of the second set of servers operated by the second service provider;

deploying the particular configuration from the configuration management repository to at least the first and second servers for simultaneous execution of the particular configuration across the first service provider and the second service provider; and

monitoring performance of the particular configuration on at least the first and second servers.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising committing a user specified modification to the particular configuration and automatedly deploying the user specified modification to at least the first and second servers.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein deploying the particular configuration comprises deploying to at least the first and second servers (i) an application, (ii) a configuration for customizing parameters of said application, and (iii) a configuration for using said application to perform a service on behalf of a customer.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising deploying a prior instance of the particular configuration when a set of parameters associated with the prior instance of the particular configuration indicate better performance than is realized by a current deployed instance of the particular configuration.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for managing configurations for a distributed platform, the computer program for execution by at least one processor, the computer program comprising:

a set of instructions for storing a plurality of configurations, the plurality of configurations for configuring a first set of servers that are operated by a first service provider of the distributed platform and a second set of servers that are operated by a second service provider;

a set of instructions for storing, for each configuration of the plurality of configurations, a revision history comprising prior instances of the configuration and a set of parameters for identifying performance realized by the prior instances of the configuration when deployed;

a set of instructions for identifying a particular configuration from the plurality of configurations that is defined to configure operation of at least a first server of the first set of servers operated by the first service provider and at least a second server of the second set of servers operated by the second service provider;

a set of instructions for deploying the particular configuration from the configuration management repository to at least the first and second servers for simultaneous execution of the particular configuration across the first service provider and the second service provider; and

a set of instructions for monitoring performance of the particular configuration on at least the first and second servers.

23. A method performed by at least one machine of a distributed platform configuration management repository comprising a processor and memory storing computer-executable instructions that control execution of the processor, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of configurations, the plurality of configurations for configuring a first set of servers that are operated by a first service provider and a second set of servers that are operated by a second service provider;

identifying a particular configuration from the plurality of configurations that is defined to configure operation of at least a first server of the first set of servers operated by the first service provider and at least a second server of the second set of servers operated by the second service provider; and

deploying the particular configuration from the configuration management repository to at least the first and second servers, wherein deploying the particular configuration comprises deploying to at least the first and second servers, an application, a configuration for customizing parameters of said application, and a configuration for using said application to perform a service on behalf of a customer.

24. A configuration management repository comprising:

a data store operable to perform operations comprising (i) storing a plurality of configurations for a first set of servers that are operated by a first service provider and a second set of servers that are operated by a second service provider, (ii) storing at least one of a pre-deployment trigger and a post-deployment trigger for a particular configuration of the plurality of configurations, and (iii) identifying which servers of the first and second sets of servers are to deploy each configuration of the plurality of configurations; and

a processor operable to perform operations comprising automatedly configuring server operation by deploying the particular configuration from the plurality of configurations to at least one server of the first set of servers and at least one server of the second set of servers identified by the data store, wherein the pre-deployment trigger instructs the processor to simulate the particular configuration before said deploying of the particular configuration, and wherein the post-deployment trigger instructs the processor to monitor performance of the particular configuration after said deploying.