Automated blueprint assembly for assembling an application

• US 8,914,768 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Karnik, Neeran Mohan, Ghaisas, Abhay, Sharma, Abhijit
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILLER, VIVA L
• Application Number:
  US13/433,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20130263080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 717/104, 717/105
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

The embodiments provide a data processing apparatus for automated blueprint assembly. The data processing apparatus includes a micro-blueprint assembler configured to receive a request for automated blueprint assembly for assembling an application, where the request specifies at least one feature, and a model database configured to store model data. The model data includes a plurality of classes and class properties. The data processing apparatus further includes a micro-blueprint database configured to store a plurality of micro-blueprints. Each micro-blueprint corresponds to a functional component of a stack element or service tier, and the functional component is annotated with one or more classes of the plurality of classes and at least one required capability and available capability. The micro-blueprint assembler is configured to generate at least one application blueprint based on the model data and the plurality of micro-blueprints according to the request.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus for automated blueprint assembly, the data processing apparatus including:

at least one processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the at least one processor are configured to implement;

a micro-blueprint assembler configured to receive a request for automated blueprint assembly for assembling an application, the request specifying at least one constraint;

a model database configured to store model data, the model data including an arrangement of a plurality of classes with relational information specifying relationships among the plurality of classes;

a micro-blueprint database configured to store a plurality of micro-blueprints, the plurality of micro-blueprints including first micro-blueprints providing required and available functional features, each first micro-blueprint corresponding to an individual service tier, the plurality of micro-blueprints including second micro-blueprints, each second micro-blueprint corresponding to an individual stack element, the first and second micro-blueprints being annotated with class information of the plurality of classes such that the first and second micro-blueprints are mapped to one or more classes of the model data,

the micro-blueprint assembler configured to query the micro-blueprint database to obtain a first subset of the first micro-blueprints for service tiers of the application based on a matching of the required and available functional features and a second subset of the second micro-blueprints for stack elements for the service tiers such that the first and second subsets meet the at least one constraint of the request and the relational information of the model data,

the micro-blueprint assembler configured to assemble at least one complete blueprint for the application from the first and second subsets.

2. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one constraint of the request includes at least one functional feature and at least one non-functional feature, the at least one non-functional feature specifying a security feature or a scalability feature.

3. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the service tiers include a web tier, an application tier, and a database tier.

4. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of classes includes at least one class property, the first and second micro-blueprints being annotated with the at least one class property from one or more of the plurality of classes.

5. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of classes represent components of an application, the components including operating systems, database servers, application servers, execution environments, and deployment artifacts, the plurality of classes including abstracted domain knowledge information for the components.

6. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the required and available functional features are annotated with class properties of the plurality of classes from the model data, the micro-blueprint assembler being configured to obtain the first subset of the first micro-blueprints based on the matching of the required functional features and the available functional features of the first micro-blueprints and a matching of the at least one constraint of the request to the class properties.

7. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the micro-blueprint assembler is configured to obtain the second subset of the second micro-blueprints using the relational information of the model data as a guide for determining which second micro-blueprint to evaluate in view of the at least one constraint of the request.

8. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the relational information specifies dependencies between the plurality of classes, the micro-blueprint assembler being configured to query a class derived from the request from the model data of the model database, and then query the plurality of micro-blueprints having the obtained class from the micro-blueprint database.

9. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of micro-blueprints are re-usable micro-blueprints such that the plurality of micro-blueprints are available for assembling a secondary application.

10. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the micro-blueprint assembler is configured to obtain the first subset of micro-blueprints using an artificial intelligence (AI) search algorithm.

11. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the micro-blueprint assembler is configured to generate multiple complete blueprints for the application including a first complete blueprint and a second complete blueprint, the micro-blueprint assembler being configured to provide the first and second complete blueprint according to a level of suitability that achieves the at least one constraint of the request.

12. A method for automated blueprint assembly, the method being performed by at least one processor, the method comprising:

receiving a request for automated blueprint assembly for assembling an application, the request specifying at least one constraint;

accessing a model database configured to store model data, the model data including an arrangement of a plurality of classes with relational information specifying relationships among the plurality of classes;

accessing a micro-blueprint database configured to store a plurality of micro-blueprints, the plurality of micro-blueprints including first micro-blueprints providing required and available functional features each first micro-blueprint corresponding to an individual service tier, the plurality of micro-blueprints including second micro-blueprints, each second micro-blueprint corresponding to an individual stack element, the first and second micro-blueprints being annotated with class information of the plurality of classes such that the first and second micro-blueprints are mapped to one or more classes of the model data;

querying the micro-blueprint database to obtain a first subset of the first micro-blueprints for service tiers of the application based on a matching of the required and available functional features and a second subset of the second micro-blueprints for stack elements for the service tiers such that the first and second subsets meet the at least one constraint of the request and the relational information of the model data; and

assembling at least one complete blueprint for the application from the first and second subsets.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one constraint of the request includes at least one functional feature and at least one non-functional feature, the at least one non-functional feature specifying a security feature or a scalability feature.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the service tiers include a web tier, an application tier.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of classes includes at least one class property, the first and second micro-blueprints being annotated with the at least one class property from one or more of the plurality of classes.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of classes represent components of an application, the components including operating systems, database servers, application servers, execution environments, and deployment artifacts, the plurality of classes including abstracted domain knowledge information for the components.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the required and available functional features are annotated with class properties of the plurality of classes from the model data, wherein the querying includes obtaining the first subset of the first micro-blueprints based on the matching of the required functional features and the available functional features of the first micro-blueprints and a matching of the at least one constraint of the request to the class properties.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the querying includes obtaining the second subset of the second micro-blueprints using the relational information of the model data as a guide for determining which second micro-blueprint to evaluate in view of the at least one constraint of the request.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed cause one or more processors to perform a process, the instructions comprising instructions to:

receive a request for automated blueprint assembly for assembling an application, the request specifying at least one constraint;

access a model database configured to store model data, the model data including an arrangement of a plurality of classes with relational information specifying relationships among the plurality of classes;

access a micro-blueprint database configured to store a plurality of micro-blueprints, the plurality of micro-blueprints including first micro-providing required and available functional features, each first micro-blueprint corresponding to an individual service tier, the plurality of micro-blueprints including second micro-blueprints, each second micro-blueprint corresponding to an individual stack element, the first and second micro-blueprints being annotated with class information of the plurality of classes such that the first and second micro-blueprints are mapped to one or more classes of the model data;

query the micro-blueprint database to obtain a first subset of the first micro-blueprints for service tiers of the application based on a matching of the required and available functional features and a second subset of the second micro-blueprints for stack elements for the service tiers such that the first and second subsets meet the at least one constraint of the request and the relational information of the model data; and

assemble at least one complete blueprint for the application from the first and second subsets.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein at least one constraint of the request includes at least one functional feature and at least one non-functional feature, the at least one non-functional feature specifying a security feature or a scalability feature.