Designing and cross-configuring software

• US 9,405,529 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2015
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Florian, Berg, Daniel C., Eilam, Tamar, Kalantar, Michael H., Kofman, Alexander, Oliveira, Fabio A., Saadoun, Gilad M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Insun
• Application Number:
  US14/927,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20160054992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 277 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

Various embodiments create a cross-configuration software module for cross-configuring software entities. In one embodiment, a first set of requirements and at least a second set of requirements are obtained. Each of the first and second set of requirements identify at least one of a set of software entities and a set of hardware components required to be present on at least one system including software entities to be cross-configured. At least one set of operations is obtained. The set of operations includes at least one executable instruction that configures a first software entity with a second software entity. A first configuration definition is generated including at least the first set of requirements and the at least one set of operations. A second configuration definition is generated including at least the second set of requirements. The first and second configuration definitions are stored within a cross-configuration software module.

Claims

1. A system for creating a cross-configuration software module for cross-configuring software entities, the system comprising:

a memory;

a hardware processor communicatively coupled to the memory; and

a connector creation tool communicatively coupled to the memory and the processor, wherein the connector creation tool is configured to perform a method comprising;

retrieving a semantic representation of a set of systems utilizing the cross-configuration software module, wherein the cross-configuration software module is a self-contained software package configured to automatically cross-configure software entities to interact with each other, the semantic representation semantically representing a set of requirements that identifies at least one set of software entities required to be present on the set of systems, the set of software entities comprising at least one composable software bundle that includes a cloud independent description of software capturing a set of aspects needed to install and configure the software in a virtual machine;

retrieving a functional representation of a set of operations, each operation in the set of operations is performed on the set of software entities associated with the set of systems during at least one connector life-cycle phase in a set of connector life-cycle phases, wherein the set of operations cross-configures at least a first of the set of software entities with at least a second of the set of software entities;

identifying a set of artifacts comprising at least one of a set of metadata and a set of executable instructions associated with the set of operations; and

storing the semantic representation, the functional representation, and the set of artifacts, in the cross-configuration software module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the semantic representation semantically represents a set of capabilities associated with the set of systems, wherein the set of capabilities identify one or more software entities to be installed by the cross-configuration software module on at least one of the set of systems.

3. The system claim 1, wherein the set of executable instructions comprises at least one of:

a configuration script; and

an installation script.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of systems comprises at least one of:

a virtual image;

a virtual appliance; and

a physical system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of connector life-cycle phases comprises at least one of:

a connector install life-cycle phase; and

a connector configuration life-cycle phase.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of executable instructions is a script that installs one or more software entities on at least one of the set of systems during one of the set of connector life-cycle phases associated with the script.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of executable instructions is a script that configures one or more software entities installed on at least one of the set of systems during one of the set of connector life-cycle phases associated with the script.

8. A system for creating a cross-configuration software module for cross-configuring software entities, the system comprising:

a memory;

a hardware processor communicatively coupled to the memory; and

a connector creation tool communicatively coupled to the memory and the processor, wherein the connector creation tool is configured to perform a method comprising;

receiving a selection of at least one system comprising a set of software entities;

identifying a plurality of cross-configuration software modules, wherein each cross-configuration software module is a self-contained software package configured to automatically cross-configure software entities to interact with each other, each cross-configuration software module comprises at least two configuration definitions each comprising at least a set of requirements and identifying at least one software module to be cross-configured, and the set of requirements identifies at least one set of software entities required to be present on at least one system comprising software entities to be cross-configured, the identified set of software entities comprising at least one composable software bundle that includes a cloud independent description of software capturing a set of aspects needed to install and configure the software in a virtual machine;

comparing the set of software entities of the at least one system to the set of requirements for each of the plurality of cross-configuration software modules;

identifying, based on the comparing, at least one of the plurality of cross-configuration software modules having the set of requirements being satisfied by at least two of the set of software entities of the at least one system; and

automatically cross-configuring the at least two of the set of software entities based on the at least two configuration definitions of the at least one identified cross-configuration software module, wherein the automatically cross-configuring automatically configures each of the at least two of the set of software entities to interact with each other.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying, via a user interface and prior to the automatic cross-configuration, the at least one identified cross-configuration software module to a user; and

receiving, based on the displaying, a selection from the user of the at least one identified cross-configuration software module, wherein the automatically cross-configuring is performed based on receiving the selection from the user.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the automatic cross-configuration comprises:

executing at least one operation defined by the at least one of the two configuration definitions on at least one of the at least two of the set of software entities.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the automatic cross-configuration further comprises:

installing a set of artifacts included in at least one of the two configuration definitions on one of the at least two systems, wherein the set of artifacts are required by the at least one operation.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of artifacts are installed prior to the at least one system comprising the at least one of the at least two of the set of software entities being captured, and wherein the at least one operation is executed upon deployment of the at least one system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the set of artifacts are installed upon deployment of the at least one system, and wherein the at least one operation is executed upon deployment of the at least one system.