Provisioning services using a cloud services catalog

• US 8,924,559 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2009
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Gene L., Coffey, Brendan F., Dawson, Christopher J., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Viswanathan, Mahesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thanh Tammy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US12/630,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/225, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for provisioning Cloud services by establishing a Cloud services catalog using a Cloud service bus within a Cloud computing environment. In one embodiment, there is a Cloud services catalog manager configured to connect a plurality of Clouds in a Cloud computing environment; maintain a catalog of integrated Cloud services from the plurality of connected Clouds; and display an index of the integrated services on a user interface. Using this system and method will allow for multiple disparate services, offered by different partners, across unrelated, physically distinct Clouds to be presented as an index of integrated services.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning services from a plurality of Clouds in a Cloud computing environment, comprising:

connecting the plurality of Clouds in the Cloud computing environment using a Cloud services bus, the Cloud services bus comprising a Cloud services catalog manager;

maintaining, via the Cloud services catalog manager, a catalog of integrated Cloud services from the plurality of connected Clouds using the Cloud services bus;

displaying an index of the integrated Cloud services on a user interface, the integrated Cloud services comprising individual Cloud services and composite Cloud services, wherein the composite Cloud services comprise Cloud services from the plurality of connected Clouds, the composite Cloud services being composed by a Cloud services broker;

receiving a notification of a change to at least one of the plurality of connected Clouds, the change comprising at least one of a modification to an existing Cloud service and an addition of a new Cloud service;

updating, based on the change, a Cloud services registry associated with the at least one of the plurality of Clouds;

updating, based on the change, the catalog of integrated Cloud services; and

replicating the change to the plurality of connected Clouds.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the Cloud services broker is an entity other than the Cloud services catalog manager.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a service does not exist in the catalog;

collecting characteristics of the service needed to establish the service in the catalog; and

inserting an entry for the service into the catalog based on the characteristics.

4. The method of claim 3, the collecting comprising accepting characteristics of the service as input using a user interface.

5. The method of claim 3, the collecting comprising accessing at least two existing services stored in the catalog to create the non-existent service by integrating the existing services.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the characteristics of each service stored in the catalog;

when at least one characteristic of at least one service changes, updating the catalog.

7. A Cloud services catalog manager for provisioning services from a plurality of Clouds in a Cloud computing environment, comprising;

a memory medium comprising instructions;

a bus coupled to the memory medium; and

a processor coupled to the bus that when executing the instructions causes the Cloud manager to;

connect the plurality of Clouds in the Cloud computing environment using a Cloud services bus, the Cloud services bus comprising a Cloud services catalog manager;

maintain, via the Cloud services catalog manager, a catalog of integrated Cloud services from the plurality of connected Clouds using the Cloud services bus;

display an index of the integrated services on a user interface, the integrated Cloud services comprising individual Cloud services and composite Cloud services, wherein the composite Cloud services comprise Cloud services from the plurality of connected Clouds, the composite Cloud services being composed by a Cloud services broker;

receive a notification of a change to at least one of the plurality of connected Clouds, the change comprising at least one of a modification to an existing Cloud service and an addition of a new Cloud service;

update, based on the change, a Cloud services registry associated with the at least one of the plurality of connected Clouds;

update, based on the change, the catalog of integrated Cloud services; and

replicate the change to the plurality of Clouds.

8. The Cloud services catalog manager of claim 7, wherein the Cloud services broker is an entity other than the Cloud services catalog manager.

9. The Cloud services catalog manager of claim 7, the Cloud services catalog manager being further caused to:

determine a service does not exist in the catalog;

collect characteristics of the service needed to establish the service in the catalog; and

insert an entry for the service into the catalog based on the characteristics.

10. The Cloud services catalog manager of claim 9, the collecting requirement comprising accepting characteristics of the service as input using a user interface.

11. The Cloud services catalog manager of claim 9 the collecting requirement comprising accessing at least two existing services stored in the catalog to create the non-existent service by integrating the existing services.

12. The Cloud services catalog manager of claim 7, the Cloud services catalog manager being further caused to monitor the characteristics of each service stored in the catalog;

when at least one characteristic of at least one service changes, updating the catalog.

13. A non-transitory computer readable device containing a program product for provisioning services from a plurality of Clouds in a Cloud computing environment, the non-transitory computer readable device comprising program code for causing a computer system to:

connect the plurality of Clouds in the Cloud computing environment using a Cloud services bus;

maintain, via the Cloud services catalog manager, a catalog of integrated Cloud services from the plurality of connected Clouds using the Cloud services bus, the Cloud services bus comprising a Cloud services catalog manager;

display an index of the integrated Cloud services on a user interface, the integrated Cloud services comprising individual Cloud services and composite Cloud services, wherein the composite Cloud services comprise Cloud services from the plurality of connected Clouds, the composite Cloud services being composed by a Cloud services broker;

receive a notification of a change to at least one of the plurality of connected Clouds, the change comprising at least one of a modification to an existing Cloud service and an addition of a new Cloud service;

update, based on the change, a Cloud services registry associated with the at least one of the plurality of connected Clouds;

update, based on the change, the catalog of integrated Cloud services; and

replicate the change to the plurality of Clouds.

14. The computer readable device containing the program product of claim 13, wherein the Cloud services broker is an entity other than the Cloud services catalog manager.

15. The computer readable device containing the program product of claim 13, the computer readable medium further comprising program code for causing the computer system to:

determine a service does not exist in the catalog;

collect characteristics of the service needed to establish the service in the catalog; and

insert an entry for the service into the catalog based on the characteristics.

16. The computer readable device containing the program product of claim 15, the collecting requirement comprising accepting characteristics of the service as input using a user interface.

17. The computer readable device containing the program product of claim 15, the collecting comprising accessing at least two existing services stored in the catalog to create the non-existent service by integrating the existing services.

18. The computer readable device containing the program product of claim 13, the computer readable medium further comprising program code for causing the computer system to monitor the characteristics of each service stored in the catalog;

when at least one characteristic of at least one service changes, updating the catalog.

19. A method for deploying a system for provisioning services from a plurality of Clouds in a Cloud computing environment, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

connect the plurality of Clouds in the Cloud computing environment using a Cloud services bus, the Cloud services bus comprising a Cloud services catalog manager;

maintain, via the Cloud services catalog manager, a catalog of integrated Cloud services from the plurality of connected Clouds using the Cloud services bus;

display an index of the integrated services on a user interface, the integrated Cloud services comprising individual Cloud services and composite Cloud services, wherein the composite Cloud services comprise Cloud services from the plurality of connected Clouds, the composite Cloud services being composed by a Cloud services broker;

receive a notification of a change to at least one of the plurality of connected Clouds, the change comprising at least one of a modification to an existing Cloud service and an addition of a new Cloud service;

update, based on the change, a Cloud services registry associated with the at least one of the plurality of connected Clouds;

update, based on the change, the catalog of integrated Cloud services; and

replicate the change to the plurality of Clouds other than the at least one of the plurality of Clouds.

20. The method of claim 19, the computer infrastructure further being operable to:

determine a service does not exist in the catalog;

collect characteristics of the service needed to establish the service in the catalog; and

insert an entry for the service into the catalog based on the characteristics.