Remote software deployment across a network

• US 9,262,145 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2011
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Grimme, David J., Rn, Vishwanath
• Primary Examiner(s): TECKLU, ISAAC TUKU
• Application Number:
  US14/352,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3672 Test management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Methods, computer-readable media, and systems are provided for deployment of software tools across a network. One example method includes initiating a discovery mechanism to poll a plurality of computing machines 121-1, . . . , 144-T from a remote deployment system 101 to multiple systems 120/130/140 across a network 108. The multiple systems 120/130/140 include computing machines 121-1, . . . , 144-T having different operating system (OS) types. Respective agents 151 are deployed for each type of OS identified in the response to the discovery mechanism 210/220. Each of the respective agents 151 is configured to manage communications 230 between the deployment system 101 and the different OS types for each of the plurality of computing machines 121-1, . . . , 144-T on the network 108 and to initiate application deployment and monitoring on each of the plurality of computing machines 230.

Claims

1. A method for deployment of software tools across a network, comprising:

initiating a discovery mechanism to poll a plurality of computing machines from a remote deployment system to multiple systems across the network, wherein the discovery mechanism identifies an operating system (OS) that is on each one of the plurality of computing machines, wherein the multiple systems include rack and blade computing stacks with the plurality of computing machines having different operating systems (OSs);

deploying respective agents for each type of OS identified in response to the discovery mechanism, wherein each of the respective agents is able to manage communications between the remote deployment system and each of the plurality of computing machines on the network and initiate application installation on each of the plurality of computing machines; and

creating, by a respective agent of the respective agents, a plurality of logical groupings according to a particular fiber demarcation, wherein the plurality of logical groups each comprises two or more of the plurality of computing machines in a system of the multiple systems, wherein each system of the multiple systems is managed by a different service provider, and concurrently running different functional tests based on identified characteristics and applications deployed by the respective agents according to the plurality of logical groupings wherein the logical groupings are created by bundling an agent for a particular OS (Operating System) type with a particular user specified application to run a functional test.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein, the particular user specified application is selected from one of the group including:

a base input output system (BIOS) update;

a software patch;

a firmware patch; and

an application to enumerate parameters on a given computing machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the discovery mechanism includes using a plurality of query methods to each of the multiple systems to discover characteristics of each computing machine of the multiple systems on the network including query methods selected from one of the group including:

an Internet Protocol (IP) address range query for each computing machine of the multiple systems on the network;

a media access controller (MAC) address query for each computing machine of the multiple systems on the network; and

a machine name query for each computing machine of the multiple systems on the network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein using the plurality of query methods includes specifying a text identifier for each of the characteristics to be discovered on the each computing machine of the multiple systems over the network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes deploying respective agents that can communicate with one another across OS types and further includes monitoring the different functional tests.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further includes:

monitoring the different functional tests, wherein the monitoring includes filtering and sorting in real time by each error type, each warning type, each computing machine, a total number of functional tests conducted and a number of iterations per logical grouping; and

providing a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows a user to select an entry item to the filtering and sorting and the remote deployment system opens up a desktop window or a secure socket to a given computing machine such that the user can directly interact with the given computing machine.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes deploying secure versions of applications to conduct functional tests and hosting a security key locally on the remote deployment system.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium including machine executable instructions stored thereon which when executed by a processor cause a deployment system to:

initiate a discovery mechanism that discovers characteristics, including an operating system (OS) type, from a plurality of computing machines on multiple systems across a network, the multiple systems including at least some computing machines having different operating systems (OSs);

deploy respective agents able to manage cross talk communications between different OS types, the deployment system and each of the plurality of computing machines on the network, initiate application installation and conduct functional tests on applications on each of the plurality of computing machines for the OS type that is identified; and

create, by a respective agent of the respective agents, a plurality of logical groupings according to a particular fiber demarcation, wherein the plurality of logical groups each comprises two or more of the plurality of computing machines in a system of the multiple systems, wherein each system of the multiple systems is managed by a different service provider, and concurrently running different functional tests based on identified characteristics and applications deployed by the respective agents according to the plurality of logical groupings wherein the logical groupings are created by bundling an agent for a particular OS type with a particular user specified application to run a functional test.

9. The non-transitory medium of claim 8, and wherein the machine executable instructions further comprise instructions to:

monitor, including a sort function and a filter function, in real time by the deployment system the different functional tests that are concurrently running, the instructions to monitor including instructions executed according to the sort function and the filter function to monitor and report by an error type, a warning type, a computing machine name, a total number of functional tests conducted and a number of iterations per logical grouping.

10. A deployment system for automatic, remote deployment of applications to multiple systems across a network, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and including machine executable instructions that can be executed by the processor to;

initiate characteristic discovery for a plurality of computing machines on multiple systems across the network, wherein the characteristic discovery identifies an operating system (OS) that is on each one of the plurality of computing machines, wherein the multiple systems include rack and blade computing stacks with the plurality of computing machines having different operating systems (OSs);

deploy respective agents able to manage cross talk communications between different OS types discovered, the deployment system and each of the plurality of computing machines on the network and initiate application installation and conduct functional tests on the applications on each of the plurality of computing machines; and

create, by a respective agent of the respective agents, a plurality of logical groupings according to a particular fiber demarcation, wherein the plurality of logical groups each comprises two or more of the plurality of computing machines in a system of the multiple systems, wherein each system of the multiple systems is managed by a different service provider, and concurrently running different functional tests based on identified characteristics and applications deployed by the respective agents according to the plurality of logical groupings wherein the logical groupings are created by bundling an agent for a particular OS type with a particular user specified application to run a functional test.

11. The deployment system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the multiple systems is a mobile Performance Optimized Datacenter (POD) and the respective agents are configured to communicate with different out of the box OSs.

12. The deployment system of claim 10 wherein the deployment system includes machine executable instructions that can be executed by the processor to allow selectable deployment of functional test applications through the respective agents to keep track of installed applications and conduct the functional tests on the installed applications according to the logical grouping of the plurality of computing machines based on the characteristics that are identified.

13. The deployment system of claim 10 wherein the machine executable instructions can be executed by the processor to:

initiate the characteristics discovery of each computing machine of the plurality of computing machines in the multiple systems across the network upon receiving only a root user name and a password; and

deploy the respective agents as lightweight agents not including an entire OS or applications but sufficient to manage communication, exchange of applications, and status exchange for monitoring between a given computing machine and the deployment system.