Providing status information for virtual resource computing environment

• US 9,215,153 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2011
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeLuca, Lisa Seacat, DeLucca, Albert, Jang, Soobaek, Krook, Daniel C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donabed, Ninos
• Application Number:
  US13/252,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3086 where the reporting involves the use of self describing data formats, i.e. metadata, markup languages, human readable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• 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 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/20 the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for an image provider to specify data (e.g., commands to run, files to read), etc., about an image of a virtual resource (e.g., virtual machine, etc.) in a networked computing environment (e.g., a cloud computing environment). Such data may be used (e.g., at runtime) by a client application to obtain specific information about a running instance that is provisioned based on the image (e.g., operating system health, middleware health, etc.).

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing status information for virtual resource images in a networked computing environment, comprising:

associating a template with an image of a previously created virtual resource, the template being separate from the virtual resource and comprising a set of instructions that gather information regarding a status of the image as the image is executing, the information being gathered independently from other images;

storing the template and the image in a catalog on a computer storage medium in the networked computing environment;

receiving a request for an instance of the virtual resource;

provisioning the instance based on the image;

providing the template with the instance;

generating a user interface via an application that is external to the instance in response to the instance being provisioned, the user interface comprising a visualization of the status of the image generated by executing the set of instructions in the template by the application that gather the information, and

accessing the status by executing an application against the information, the application being loaded on a computerized device that utilizes the instance, the execution of the application providing a user interface on the computerized device on which the status can be displayed.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the information comprising at least one of the following:

a set of commands, or a set of files, the execution of which yields the status of the image.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the status pertaining to an operational fitness of at least one of the following:

an operating system associated with the instance, or middleware associated with the instance.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the status comprising at least one of the following:

available memory, central processing unit (CPU) usage, process information, or port information.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the template comprising at least one of the following, an extensible markup language (XML) file, a text file, or a binary file.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the networked computing environment comprising a cloud computing environment.

7. A system for providing status information for virtual resource images in a networked 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 system to;

associate a template with an image of a previously created virtual resource, the template being separate from the virtual resource and comprising a set of instructions that gather information regarding a status of the image as the image is executing, the information being gathered independently from other images;

store the template and the image in a catalog on a computer storage medium in the networked computing environment;

receive a request for an instance of the virtual resource;

provision the instance based on the image;

provide the template with the instance; and

generate a user interface via an application that is external to the instance in response to the instance being provisioned, the user interface comprising a visualization of the status of the image generated by executing the set of instructions in the template by the application that gather the information, and

access the status by executing an application against the information, the application being loaded on a computerized device that utilizes the instance, the execution of the application providing a user interface on the computerized device on which the status can be displayed.

8. The system of claim 7, the information comprising at least one of the following:

a set of commands, or a set of files, the execution of which yields the status of the image.

9. The system of claim 7, the status pertaining to an operational fitness of at least one of the following:

an operating system associated with the instance, or middleware associated with the instance.

10. The system of claim 7, the status comprising at least one of the following:

available memory, central processing unit (CPU) usage, process information, or port information.

11. The system of claim 7, the template comprising at least one of the following, an extensible markup language (XML) file, a text file, or a binary file.

12. The system of claim 7, the networked computing environment comprising a cloud computing environment.

13. A computer program product for providing status information for virtual resource images in a networked computing environment, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage device, and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage device, to:

associate a template with an image of a previously created virtual resource, the template being separate from the virtual resource and comprising a set of instructions that gather information regarding a status of the image as the image is executing, the information being gathered independently from other images;

store the template and the image in a catalog on a computer storage medium in the networked computing environment;

receive a request for an instance of the virtual resource;

provision the instance based on the image;

provide the template with the instance; and

generate a user interface via an application that is external to the instance in response to the instance being provisioned, the user interface comprising a visualization of the status of the image generated by executing the set of instructions in the template by the application that gather the information, and

access the status by executing an application against the information, the application being loaded on a computerized device that utilizes the instance, the execution of the application providing a user interface on the computerized device on which the status can be displayed.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, the information comprising at least one of the following:

a set of commands, or a set of files, the execution of which yields the status of the image.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, the status pertaining to an operational fitness of at least one of the following:

an operating system associated with the instance, or middleware associated with the instance.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, the status comprising at least one of the following:

available memory, central processing unit (CPU) usage, process information, or port information.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, the template comprising at least one of the following, an extensible markup language (XML) file, a text file, or a binary file.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, the networked computing environment comprising a cloud computing environment.

19. A method for deploying a system for providing status information for virtual resource images in a networked computing environment, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

associate a template with an image of a previously created virtual resource, the template being separate from the virtual resource and comprising a set of instructions that gather information used to determine a status of the image as the image is executing;

store the template and the image in a catalog on a computer storage medium in the networked computing environment;

receive a request for an instance of the virtual resource;

provision the instance based on the image;

provide the template with the instance; and

associate a template with an image of a previously created virtual resource, the template being separate from the virtual resource and comprising a set of instructions that gather information regarding a status of the image as the image is executing, the information being gathered independently from other images; and

access the status by executing an application against the information, the application being loaded on a computerized device that utilizes the instance, the execution of the application providing a user interface on the computerized device on which the status can be displayed.