Morphing a data center in a virtual world

• US 9,390,467 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2014
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dawson, Christopher J., Osias, Michael J., Sledge, Brian W.
• Primary Examiner(s): HICKS, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US14/187,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20140168269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/18 Image warping, e.g. rearranging pixels individually
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery

Abstract

The present invention re-renders data center visualizations at different levels of abstraction based on roles or activities of an avatar. Morphing of data center objects is accomplished by either combining or decomposing existing data center objects in a manner that will result in a new object that maintains its relationship to the original objects. An example of this would be when creating an application object by combining an existing infrastructure objects (e.g., a server, a network and storage) used to support the application object runtime environment. This allows for the avatar to not only relate the application object to the supporting infrastructure objects, but also provides a view of how the application object is impacted whenever the supporting infrastructure objects change or break.

Claims

1. A method for modifying a data center in a virtual world, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

providing a data center rendered in an area of the virtual world, the data center comprising a display in the area of images of data center objects that represent components of a real-world data center;

creating, in response to an entry of a first avatar into the area, a first role associated with the first avatar based directly upon inventory being carried by the first avatar;

morphing, in response to an entry of the first avatar into the area, a rendering of the display of an image corresponding to a data center object within the display and entirety of the images in the area to accentuate a display characteristic of the data center object with respect to other data center objects, the data center object to be morphed being selected based on the first role of a first user associated with the first avatar;

creating, in response to an entry of a second avatar into the area, a second role associated with the second avatar directly based upon inventory being carried by the second avatar; and

morphing, in response to an entry of a second avatar into the area, a rendering of the display of an image corresponding to a different data center object within the display and entirety of the images in the area to accentuate a display characteristic of the different data center object with respect to other data center objects, the different data center object to be morphed being selected based on a second role of a second user associated with the second avatar.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

decomposing existing data center objects;

creating, by one of the first avatar or the second avatar, a new datacenter object; and

maintaining the new data center object'"'"'s relationship to the existing data center objects.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the data center system has an existing supporting infrastructure objects used to support an application runtime environment, the method further comprising the computer-implemented step of morphing an existing data center object into an application object by combining existing supporting infrastructure objects used to support the application runtime environment.

4. The method as defined in claim 3 further comprising the computer-implemented step of relating the application object to the existing supporting infrastructure objects.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 further comprising the computer-implemented step of providing a view of how the application object is impacted whenever the existing supporting infrastructure objects change.

6. The method as defined claim 5 further comprising the computer-implemented step of influencing, by an activity of the first avatar and an event of the first avatar, the rendering of the data center objects in the virtual world by the role of the first avatar.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 further comprising the computer-implemented step of predefining the roles to at least one of:

organization, function, and group membership.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 further comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

morphing the data center objects into data center objects meaningful to at least one of the set of roles; and

allowing the avatar to interact with the objects meaningful to at least one of the set of roles.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

selecting a corrective action from a set of corrective actions generated based upon the role of the avatar, the set of corrective actions visually displayed to the avatar as a drop down list when the avatar encounters the data center;

modifying a structural feature of one or more of the data center objects to create a new data center object when an avatar encounters the data center, the new data center object having a relationship with the data center objects, and the new data center object created based on a corrective action to be performed by the avatar on the data center; and

rendering, to the avatar, along with the new data center object, a software tool required for performing the corrective action on the data center.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising the computer-implemented step of identifying a set of roles of an avatar from a profile of the avatar and an inventory of the avatar, each of the set of roles defining an association of the avatar with the data center.

11. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein the avatar has an activity, the method further comprising the computer-implemented step of morphing data center objects based upon the activity of an avatar.

12. A computer-readable storage device storing computer instructions, which when executed, enables a computer system to morph existing data center objects in a virtual world, the computer instructions comprising:

providing a data center rendered in an area of the virtual world, the data center comprising a display in the area of images of data center objects that represent components of a real-world data center;

creating, in response to an entry of a first avatar into the area, a first role associated with the first avatar based directly upon inventory being carried by the first avatar;

morphing, in response to an entry of the first avatar into the area, a rendering of the display of an image corresponding to a data center object within the display and entirety of the images in the area to accentuate a display characteristic of the data center object with respect to other data center objects, the data center object to be morphed being selected based on the first role of a first user associated with the first avatar

creating, in response to an entry of a second avatar into the area, a second role associated with the second avatar based directly upon inventory being carried by the second avatar; and

morphing, in response to an entry of a second avatar into the area, a rendering of the display of an image corresponding to a different data center object within the display and entirety of the images in the area to accentuate a display characteristic of the different data center object with respect to other data center objects, the different data center object to be morphed being selected based on a second role of a second user associated with the second avatar.

13. The computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 12 wherein the computer instructions further comprise:

decomposing existing data center objects;

creating, by one of the first avatar or the second avatar, a new datacenter object; and

maintaining the relationship of the new data center object to the existing data center objects.

14. The computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 13 wherein the computer instructions further comprise morphing the data center object into an application object by combining an existing supporting infrastructure object used to support an application runtime environment.

15. The computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 13, wherein the computer instructions further comprise identifying a set of roles of an avatar from a profile of the avatar, each of the set of roles defining an association of the avatar with the data center.

16. A system in a virtual world, the system comprising:

a memory medium comprising instructions;

a bus coupled to the memory medium; and

a processor coupled to a controller via the bus that when executing the instructions causes the system to;

provide a data center rendered an area of in the virtual world, the data center comprising a display in the area of images of data center objects that represent components of a real-world data center;

create, in response to an entry of a first avatar into the area, a first role associated with the first avatar based directly upon inventory being carried by the first avatar;

morph, in response to an entry of the first avatar into the area, a rendering of the display of an image corresponding to a data center object within the display and entirety of the images in the area to accentuate a display characteristic of the data center object with respect to other data center objects, the data center object to be morphed being selected based on the first role of a first user associated with the first avatar;

create, in response to an entry of a second avatar into the area, a second role associated with the second avatar based directly upon inventory being carried by the second avatar; and

morph, in response to an entry of a second avatar into the area, a rendering of the display of an image corresponding to a different data center object within the display and entirety of the images in the area to accentuate a display characteristic of the different data center object with respect to other data center objects, the different data center object to be morphed being selected based on a second role of a second user associated with the second avatar.

17. The system as defined in claim 16 the instructions further causing the system to:

decompose existing data center objects to create the new data center object;

creating, by one of the first avatar or the second avatar, a new datacenter object; and

maintain the relationship of the new data center object to the existing data center objects.

18. The system as defined in claim 16 the instructions further causing the system to morph the data center object into an application object by combining an existing supporting infrastructure object used to support an application runtime environment.