Recommending a policy for an IT asset

• US 9,210,043 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Biles, Nathan P., Kugel, Jacob, Riedemann, Matthew C., Wood, Brian O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Katsikis, Kostas
• Application Number:
  US13/756,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements

Abstract

When a policy for an IT asset is created in a system manager that manages one or more IT assets, other IT assets that are related to the selected IT asset are determined based on at least one relation criteria related to system topology. The system administrator is prompted to apply the same policy to the related systems. When the system administrator accepts the recommendation to apply the same policy to the related systems, a system group is defined that includes the selected computer system and the related systems, and the system group and its corresponding policy are displayed to the system administrator.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method executed by at least one processor for system manager software to manage a plurality of information technology (IT) assets in a networked computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

allowing a system administrator to use the system manager software to create a policy for a selected IT asset that defines how the selected IT asset is managed;

the system manager software detecting when the policy for the selected IT asset is created;

the system manager software dynamically determining after the policy for the selected IT asset is created at least one related IT asset based on at least one relation criterion that the at least one related IT asset has in common with the selected IT asset; and

the system manager software prompting the system administrator with a recommendation to apply the policy to the at least one related IT asset that has the at least one relation criterion in common with the selected IT asset.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

when the system administrator accepts the recommendation to apply the policy to the at least one related IT asset, the system manager software defining a system group containing the selected IT asset and the at least one related IT asset and displaying the system group and the policy to the system administrator.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one relation criterion comprises connection to the same network switch.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one relation criterion comprises running the same workload.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one relation criterion comprises cloned from the same virtual server.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one relation criterion comprises running a same level of agent.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one relation criterion comprises components of the same system.

8. A computer-implemented method executed by at least one processor for system manager software to manage a plurality of information technology (IT) assets in a networked computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

allowing a system administrator to use the system manager software to create a policy for a selected IT asset that defines how the selected IT asset is managed;

the system manager software detecting when the policy for the selected IT asset is created;

the system manager software dynamically determining after the policy for the selected IT asset is created at least one related IT asset based on at least one relation criterion the at least one related IT asset has in common with the selected IT asset, the at least one relation criterion comprising;

connection to the same network switch;

running the same workload;

cloned from the same virtual server;

running a same level of agent;

components of the same system; and

physical proximity;

the system manager software prompting the system administrator with a recommendation to apply the policy to the at least one related IT asset;

when the system administrator accepts the recommendation to apply the policy to the at least one related IT asset, the system manager software performing the steps of;

defining a system group containing the selected IT asset and the at least one related IT asset; and

displaying the system group and the policy to the system administrator.

9. A computer-implemented method executed by at least one processor for system manager software to manage a plurality of information technology (IT) assets in a networked computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

allowing a system administrator to use the system manager software to create a policy for a selected IT asset that defines how the selected IT asset is managed;

the system manager software detecting when the policy for the selected IT asset is created;

the system manager software dynamically determining after the policy for the selected IT asset is created at least one related IT that runs a same workload as the selected IT asset; and

the system manager software prompting the system administrator with a recommendation to apply the policy to the at least one related IT asset that runs the same workload as the selected IT asset.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of:

when the system administrator accepts the recommendation to apply the policy to the at least one related IT asset, the system manager software defining a system group containing the selected IT asset and the at least one related IT asset and displaying the system group and the policy to the system administrator.