Cloud computing appliance that accesses a private cloud and a public cloud and an associated method of use

• US 9,294,552 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2013
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MicroTechnologies LLC
• Original Assignee: MicroTechnologies LLC
• Inventors: Kirsch, Robert, Channing, Roger, Guzman, Alfredo, Jimenez, Anthony R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillis, Brian J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Gil H.
• Application Number:
  US13/946,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/161 Computing infrastructure, e.g. computer clusters, blade chassis or hardware partitioning casings, cabinets, racks or drawers for data centers H05K5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

The present invention is a cloud computing appliance, having a chassis, at least one server, capable of connecting to a remote interface device, at least two network switches, at least one firewall, and a power supply circuit. The present invention also includes a method for initializing the cloud computing appliance, and a method for migrating software applications to the cloud computing appliance. The cloud computing appliance includes at least one private cloud and is in electronic communication with at least one public cloud. There is an electrical connection capable of being in electronic communication with the remote interface device that allows a system administrator to interact with the at least one private cloud and the at least one public cloud.

Claims

1. A cloud computing appliance, comprising:

a chassis with storage capacity to hold hardware components to operate a private cloud and provide electronic communication to a public cloud;

at least one server mounted on the chassis and capable of hosting a private cloud operating system, a plurality of software applications and data storage, wherein the at least one server includes a system management server that utilizes system management software for managing the cloud computing appliance, the private cloud, the public cloud, and the software applications;

an electrical connection capable of being in electronic communication with a remote interface device that allows a system administrator to interact with the private cloud and the public cloud, wherein the remote interface device provides guidance to the system administrator to create and administer the private cloud and is connected to the at least one server as well as being in electronic communication with the public cloud in order to exchange data with the public cloud, wherein at least one software application of the plurality of software applications on the private cloud was migrated to the private cloud through the remote interface device;

at least two network switches mounted on the chassis and in electronic communication between the at least one server and at least one of the private cloud and the public cloud;

at least one firewall mounted on the chassis and in electronic communication with the at least two network switches; and

at least one power supply circuit capable of distributing power to the at least one server, the at least two network switches and the at least one firewall.

2. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cloud computing appliance is a self-contained, stand-alone unit.

3. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cloud computing appliance is in electronic communication with a community cloud.

4. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the private cloud is physically located away from the chassis.

5. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cloud computing appliance is in electronic communication with a first private cloud attached to the chassis and selectively a second private cloud physically located away from the chassis.

6. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cloud computing appliance is in electronic communication with at least one public cloud, at least one community cloud and at least one private cloud.

7. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a removably attached transit case enclosing the chassis.

8. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 7, further comprising a plurality of wheels attached to the bottom of the removably attached transit case for moving the cloud computing appliance.

9. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the remote interface device includes at least one of a keyboard, a video display, a mouse, and a graphical user interface (GUI).

10. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the public cloud includes at least one public cloud storage.

11. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the software applications include a software application for facilitating migration of at least one software application to the private cloud.

12. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 11, wherein the at least one software application can be selectively allowed to migrate to the private cloud through input from the remote interface device.

13. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 11, wherein the at least one software application includes a tool for determining servers and software associated with the network connected cloud computing appliance.

14. A cloud computing appliance, comprising:

at least one chassis with storage capacity to hold hardware components to operate at least one private cloud and provide electronic communication to at least one public cloud;

a plurality of servers mounted on the at least one chassis and capable of hosting a private cloud operating system, a plurality of software applications and data storage, wherein the plurality of servers include a system management server that utilizes system management software for managing the cloud computing appliance, the at least one private cloud and the at least one public cloud, and the software applications;

an electrical connection capable of being in electronic communication with a remote interface device that allows a system administrator to interact with the at least one private cloud and the at least one public cloud, wherein the remote interface device provides guidance to the system administrator to create and administer the at least one private cloud that is connected to the plurality of servers as well as being in electronic communication with the at least one public cloud in order to exchange data with the at least one public cloud, wherein at least one software application of the plurality of software applications on the at least one private cloud was migrated to the at least one private cloud through the remote interface device;

at least one firewall mounted on the chassis and in electronic communication with the private cloud and the public cloud;

at least two network switches mounted on the chassis and in electronic communication between the plurality of servers and the at least one firewall; and

at least one power supply circuit capable of distributing power to the plurality of servers, the at least two network switches, and the at least one firewall, wherein the cloud computing appliance is a self-contained, stand-alone unit.

15. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 14, further comprising a removably attached transit case enclosing the chassis and a plurality of wheels attached to the bottom of the removably attached transit case for transporting the cloud computing appliance.

16. The cloud computing appliance in accordance with claim 14, wherein the software applications include a software application for migrating at least one software application to the private cloud.

17. A method of migrating software applications to a cloud computing appliance, the method comprising:

utilizing a remote interface device to allow a system administrator to invoke a software application migration system for the cloud computing appliance that is in electronic communication to at least one public cloud and at least one private cloud hosted on at least one server mounted on a chassis and capable of hosting a private cloud operating system, a plurality of software applications and data storage, wherein the at least one server utilizes system management software for managing the cloud computing appliance, the private cloud, the public cloud, and the software applications, wherein the chassis includes storage capacity to hold hardware components to operate a private cloud and provide electronic communication to a public cloud in order to exchange data with the public cloud;

searching for software applications that are available to be migrated to the at least one private cloud through a remote interface device that allows a system administrator to interact with the private cloud and the public cloud, wherein the remote interface device provides guidance to the system administrator to create and administer the private cloud and is electrically connected to the at least one server as well as being in electronic communication with the public cloud;

presenting a list of software applications that are available to be migrated to the at least one private cloud through the remote interface device;

selecting a software application from the list of software applications that are available to be migrated to the at least one private cloud through the remote interface device, the selected software application becoming the migrating software application;

resourcing the correct virtual server configuration for the at least one private cloud to accommodate the migrating software application through the remote interface device;

migrating the migrating software application to the at least one private cloud; and

migrating any software application data of the migrating software application to the at least one private cloud, wherein the at least one server mounted on a chassis that is transportable and a stand-alone unit that includes at least two network switches mounted on the chassis and in electronic communication between the at least one server and at least one of the private cloud and the public cloud, at least one firewall mounted on the chassis and in electronic communication with the at least two network switches and at least one power supply circuit capable of distributing power to the at least one server, the at least two network switches and the at least one firewall.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the migrating software application, any migrating software application data, and network connectivity are tested before migration is complete.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the software application migration system is fully automated and does not require human interaction with the remote interface device.