Administration of a network

• US 9,189,758 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Soundararajan, Vijayaraghavan, Celebi, Emre, Muppalla, Harish, Spracklen, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): LINDSEY, MATTHEW S
• Application Number:
  US13/594,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A computer-implemented method to facilitate administration of a network of members. Members of a network are provided with access to a shared message stream such that the members of the network are able to monitor messages generated by other members of the network posted to the shared message stream, wherein at least some of the messages are indicative of operational conditions of particular other members which generated the messages. Responsive to a first member of the network identifying a specific operational condition of the first member, the shared message stream is monitored for a message related to the specific operational condition. Provided the shared message stream includes a message related to the specific operational condition identified by the first member, an association of the message with an indication that the first member identifies with the specific operational condition is established, wherein the first member is configured to establish the association.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to facilitate administration of a network of members, the method comprising:

mapping the members of the network to a social network, wherein the mapping is based at least in part on respective indications that particular members of the network are following other particular members of the network, and wherein the members of the network comprise components of a virtualization infrastructure;

providing members of the network with access to a shared message stream of the social network such that the members of the network are able to monitor messages generated by other members of the network posted to the shared message stream, wherein at least some of the messages are indicative of operational conditions of particular other members which generated the messages;

responsive to a first member of the network identifying a specific operational condition of the first member, monitoring the shared message stream for a message related to the specific operational condition; and

provided the shared message stream comprises a message related to the specific operational condition identified by the first member, establishing an association of the message with an indication that the first member identifies with the specific operational condition, wherein the first member is configured to establish the association.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

provided the shared message stream does not comprise a message related to the specific operational condition, the first member posting a message related to the specific operational condition to the shared message stream.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring the shared message stream for a message related to the specific operational condition comprises:

with respect to a specific message monitored at the first member, determining a relevance of the indicated operational condition of the specific message to the first member, the relevance being based on compatibility of the indicated operational condition to the specific operational condition; and

in response to determining that there is compatibility of the indicated operational condition to the specific operational condition, determining that the specific message is related to the specific operational condition.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the establishing an association of the message an indication that the first member identifies with the specific operational condition comprises:

weighting the message to provide a weighted message.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 further comprising:

responsive to the weighted message attaining a predetermined weight, increasing visibility of the weighted message within the shared message stream.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a group identifier and a hash tag providing information related to the operational condition.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

responsive to a request for the information provided by a particular hash tag, providing access to messages comprising the hash tag across the network.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the mapping the members of the network to a social network comprises:

receiving the respective indications that particular members of the network are following other particular members of the network;

responsive to receiving the respective indications, determining that the other particular members of the network are following the particular members of the network; and

maintaining the mapping of the members.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

associating at least one subset of members of the network with a group such that the members of the at least one subset have access to a group shared message stream.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises the virtualization infrastructure.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the members of the network comprise:

a system administrator;

a virtualization management server;

a plurality of hosts; and

a plurality of virtual machines;

wherein the members are arranged in a hierarchy such that the system administrator follows the virtualization management server, and the virtualization management server follows at least one of the hosts.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to an administrative member of the network posting an administrative message to the shared message stream, performing an operation identified in the administrative message, provided the administrative member has sufficient administrative privileges to authorize the operation.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the respective indications that particular members of the network are following other particular members of the network indicates that there are affiliation relationships between the particular members and the other particular members such that the other particular members of the network are following the particular members of the network.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer-readable program code stored thereon for causing a computer system to perform a method for facilitating management of a virtualization infrastructure, the method comprising:

mapping members of the virtualization infrastructure to a social network arranged in a hierarchy, wherein members of a first level of the hierarchy are affiliated with members of at least a second level of the hierarchy, wherein the mapping is based at least in part on respective indications that particular members of the network are following other particular members of the network, and wherein the members of the network comprise components of the virtualization infrastructure;

providing the members of the virtualization infrastructure with access to shared message streams of the social network such that the members are able to monitor messages generated by other members of the social network posted to the shared message streams, wherein at least some of the messages are indicative of operational conditions of particular other members which generated the messages;

responsive to a first member of the virtualization infrastructure identifying a specific operational condition, monitoring at least one shared message stream for a message related to the specific operational condition, wherein the message is generated by another member of a same level of the hierarchy as the first member; and

receiving an update to the at least one shared message stream with an indication that the first member has identified the specific operational condition.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the mapping members of the virtualization infrastructure to the social network arranged in a hierarchy comprises:

associating subsets of the members are into groups, wherein the members of a group are able to access particular shared message stream associated with the group.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the receiving the update to the at least one shared message stream comprises:

provided the at least one shared message stream comprises a message generated by another member of the same level of the hierarchy as the first member and related to the specific operational condition, establishing an association of the message with an indication that the first member identifies with the specific operational condition, wherein the first member is configured to establish the association.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the establishing an association of the message an indication that the first member identifies with the specific operational condition comprises:

weighting the message to provide a weighted message; and

responsive to the weighted message attaining a predetermined weight, increasing visibility of the weighted message within the at least one shared message stream.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the receiving the update to the at least one shared message stream comprises:

provided the at least one shared message stream does not comprise a message related to the specific operational condition, the first member posting a message related to the specific operational condition to the at least one shared message stream.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the monitoring the shared message stream for a message related to the specific operational condition comprises:

with respect to a specific message monitored at the first member, determining a relevance of the indicated operational condition of the specific message to the first member, the relevance being based on compatibility of the indicated operational condition to the specific operational condition; and

in response to determining that there is compatibility of the indicated operational condition to the specific operational condition, determining that the specific message is related to the specific operational condition.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the respective indications that particular members of the network are following other particular members of the network indicates that there are affiliation relationships between the particular members and the other particular members such that the other particular members of the network are following the particular members of the network.

21. A computer-implemented method to facilitate administration of a network of members, the method comprising:

mapping the members of the network to a social network, wherein the mapping is based at least in part on respective indications that particular members of the network are following other particular members of the network, and wherein the members of the network comprise components of a virtualization infrastructure;

at a first member of the network, monitoring messages generated by other members of the network, wherein at least some of the messages are indicative of operational conditions of particular other members which generated the messages;

with respect to a specific message monitored at the first member, determining a relevance of the indicated operational condition to the first member, the relevance being based on a compatibility of the indicated operation condition to a specific operational condition identified at the first member; and

in response to determining that there is compatibility of the indicated operational condition to the specific operational condition, weighting the specific message to provide a weighted message.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21 further comprising:

mapping members of the network to the social network arranged in a hierarchy, wherein members of a first level of the hierarchy are affiliated with members of at least a second level of the hierarchy.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22 further comprising:

associating at least one subset of members of the network with a group such that the members of the at least one subset have access to messages generated by members of the group.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 21 further comprising:

responsive to the weighted message attaining a predetermined weight, providing the weighted message to a network administration member of the network.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the respective indications that particular members of the network are following other particular members of the network indicates that there are affiliation relationships between the particular members and the other particular members such that the other particular members of the network are following the particular members of the network.