Providing access control to user-controlled resources in a cloud computing environment

• US 8,984,505 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Ferris, James Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Camquy
• Application Number:
  US12/324,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,302 Days
• Field of Search: 718/104, 718/102, 718/1
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/504 Resource capping
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A cloud computing environment can be configured to allow third party, user-controlled resources to be included in the pool of resources available in the cloud. The user-controlled resources can include a cloud application to communicate with a cloud management system to coordinate access to the user-controlled resources. The cloud application allows the user to specify the specific set of resources that the cloud can access, such as specific hardware and software resources.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing device, from a user a request for access to resources, which are local to the user, in a pool of resources available for use in a cloud computing environment, wherein the resources are under control of the user, and are not included in the cloud computing environment, wherein the request comprises an amount of the resources and a process to be performed on the resources;

identifying a set of resources among the resources that are available to the cloud computing environment;

selecting, by the processing device, from the identified set of the resources a set of allowed resources for integrating with and for use by the cloud computing environment, wherein the set of allowed resources comprise the resources allowed to be accessed by the cloud computing environment;

providing access of the set of allowed resources to the cloud computing environment;

instantiating the process on the set of allowed resources; and

upon receipt of instructions from the user, modifying, by the processing device, the set of allowed resources to the cloud computing environment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the cloud computing environment to allocate a portion of the set of allowed resources to the process in the cloud computing environment; and

allocating the portion of the allowed resources to the process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the allowed resources comprise one of a range of memory accessible by the cloud computing environment, a processor accessible by the cloud computing environment, or storage devices accessible by the cloud computing environment.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the selection of the set of allowed resources accessible by the cloud computing environment; and

storing the selection of the set of allowed resources.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selection of the set of allowed resources comprises one of a first identification of cloud computing environments that can access the set of allowed resources or a second identification of cloud computing environment processes that can access the set of allowed resources.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the request comprises a parameter defining operation of the resource.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the parameter comprises one of a period for the process, a task for the process, a resource service level agreement for the process and amount of processing power to be available to each instance of the resource.

8. A system comprising:

a memory;

a processing device operatively coupled to a memory to;

receive from a user a request for access to resources, which are local to the user, in a pool of resources available for use in a cloud computing environment, wherein the resources are under control of the user, and are not included in the cloud computing environment, wherein the request comprises an amount of the resources and a process to be performed on the resources

identify a set of resources among the resources that are available to the cloud computing environment;

select from the identified set of the resources a set of allowed resources for integrating with and for use by the cloud computing environment, wherein the set of allowed resources comprise the resources allowed to be accessed by the cloud computing environment;

provide access of the set of allowed resources to the cloud computing environment;

instantiate the process on the set of allowed resources; and

upon receipt of instructions from the user, modify the set of allowed resources to the cloud computing environment.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing device to:

receive a request from the cloud computing environment to allocate a portion of the set of allowed resources to the process in the cloud computing environment; and

allocate the portion of the allowed resources to the process.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the allowed resources comprise one of a range of memory accessible by the cloud computing environment, a processor accessible by the cloud computing environment, or storage devices accessible by the cloud computing environment.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing device is to:

receive the selection of the set of allowed resources accessible by the at cloud computing environment; and

store the selection of the set of allowed resources.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the selection of the set of allowed resources comprises one of a first identification of the cloud computing environment that can access the set of allowed resources or a second identification of cloud processes of the cloud computing environment that can access the set of allowed resources.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the user is associated with a cloud management system in the cloud computing environment.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the request comprises a parameter defining operation of the resource.

15. The system of claim 8 wherein the parameter comprises one of a period for the process, a task for the process, a resource service level agreement for the process and amount of processing power to be available to each instance of the resource.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:

receive from a user a request for access to resources, which are local to the user, in a pool of resources available for use in a cloud computing environment, wherein the resources are under control of the user, and are not included in the cloud computing environment, wherein the request comprises an amount of the resources and a process to be performed on the resources;

identify a set of resources among the resources that are available to the cloud computing environment;

select from the identified set of the resources a set of allowed compute resources for integrating with and for use by the cloud computing environment, wherein the set of allowed resources comprise the resources allowed to be accessed by the cloud computing environment;

provide access of the set of allowed resources to the cloud computing environment;

instantiate the process on the set of allowed resources; and

upon receipt of instructions from the user, modify the set of allowed resources to the cloud computing environment.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the processing device to:

receive a request from the cloud computing environment to allocate a portion of the set of allowed resources to the process in the cloud; and

allocate the portion of the allowed resources to the process.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the allowed resources comprise one of a range of memory accessible by the cloud computing environment, a processor accessible by the cloud computing environment, or storage devices accessible by the cloud computing environment.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the processing device to:

receive a selection of the set of allowed resources accessible by the cloud computing environment; and

store the selection of the set of allowed resources.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the selection of the set of allowed resources comprises one of a first identification of cloud computing environments that can access the set of allowed resources or a second identification of cloud computing environment processes that can access the set of allowed resources.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the request comprises a parameter defining operation of the resource.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the parameter comprises one of a period for the process, a task for the process, a resource service level agreement for the process and amount of processing power to be available to each instance of the resource.