Integrating software provisioning and configuration management

• US 9,411,570 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: DeHaan, Michael Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Salad, Abdullahi E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Wing
• Application Number:
  US12/395,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,720 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 717/176, 717/177
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A provisioning server can cooperate with configuration management systems to deliver provisioning processes integrated with configuration management services. The provisioning server can associate provisioning objects for the various provisioning processes with management classes supported by the configuration management systems. The management classes can include data for configuring the resources of a target machine (hardware, software, data, etc.). As the provisioning server performs the provisioning process for a particular provisioning object on a target machine, the provisioning server can apply the management class, associated with the particular provisioning object, to the target machine.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating, by a hardware processor of a provisioning server, a first provisioning process on a first target machine utilizing a first provisioning object and a second provisioning process on a second target machine utilizing a second provisioning object, wherein the first provisioning object comprises an identification of first software to be installed on the first target machine and the second provisioning object comprises an identification of second software to be installed on the second target machine, wherein the first provisioning process comprises one or more of installation, reinstallation, or virtualization of the first software at the first target machine by communicating with a helper client in operation at the first target machine and the second provisioning process comprises one or more of installation, reinstallation, or virtualization of the second software at the second target machine by communicating with the helper client in operation at the second target machine, and wherein the helper client enables replacement of running systems and installation of virtualized profiles;

hosting, by the provisioning server, one or more exception plugins that further customize the first provisioning process of the first software at the first target machine or the second provisioning process of the second software at the second target machine;

linking to or mirroring, by the provisioning server, a provisioning database comprising a distribution tree list, wherein the distribution tree list comprises an inventory of software that is hosted or mirrored by the provisioning server, and wherein the inventory of software identifies the first software and the second software;

providing, by the provisioning server, an identification of the first target machine and an identification of a first management class to a first configuration management system that is separate from the provisioning server, wherein the first configuration management system is a first type of configuration management system and performs configuration management services for a first plurality of target machines other than installation, reinstallation, and virtualization, wherein the first type indicates that the first management class has a first format, wherein the first plurality of target machines comprises the first target machine, and wherein the first configuration management system performs configuration management services for the first software at the first target machine according to the first management class; and

providing, by the provisioning server, an identification of the second target machine and an identification of a second management class to a second configuration management system that is separate from the provisioning server, wherein the second configuration management system is a second type of configuration management system that is different than the first type and performs configuration management services for a second plurality of target machines other than installation, reinstallation, and virtualization, wherein the second type indicates that the second management class has a second format that is different than the first format, wherein the second plurality of target machines comprises the second target machine, and wherein the second configuration management system performs configuration management services for the second software at the second target machine according to the second management class.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first management class comprises a configuration for resources of the first target machine and the second management class comprises a configuration for resources of the second target machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first provisioning object comprises at least one of a profile for the first provisioning process, a template for the first provisioning process, a software distribution record for the first provisioning process, or a record for the first target machine, and wherein the second provisioning object comprises at least one of a profile for the second provisioning process, a template for the second provisioning process, a software distribution record for the second provisioning process, or a record for the second target machine.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a set of management classes for the first configuration management system and the second configuration management system, wherein the set of management classes comprises the first management class and the second management class; and

storing the set of management classes.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating, by the provisioning server, the first management class with the first provisioning object and the second management class with the second provisioning object.

6. A system comprising:

a network interface at a provisioning server to a first target machine and a second target machine; and

a hardware processor at the provisioning server to communicate with the network interface, a first configuration management system, and a second configuration management system, the hardware processor to;

initiate a first provisioning process on the first target machine utilizing a first provisioning object and a second provisioning process on the second target machine utilizing a second provisioning object, wherein the first provisioning object comprises an identification of first software to be installed on the first target machine and the second provisioning object comprises an identification of second software to be installed on the second target machine, wherein the first provisioning process comprises one or more of installation, reinstallation, or virtualization of the first software at the first target machine by communicating with a helper client in operation at the first target machine and the second provisioning process comprises one or more of installation, reinstallation, or virtualization of the second software at the second target machine by communicating with the helper client in operation at the second target machine, and wherein the helper client enables replacement of running systems and installation of virtualized profiles;

host one or more exception plugins that further customize the first provisioning process of the first software at the first target machine or the second provisioning process of the second software at the second target machine;

link to or mirror a provisioning database comprising a distribution tree list, wherein the distribution tree list comprises an inventory of software that is hosted or mirrored by the provisioning server, and wherein the inventory of software identifies the first software and the second software;

provide an identification of the first target machine and an identification of a first management class to the first configuration management system that is separate from the provisioning server, wherein the first configuration management system is a first type of configuration management system and performs configuration management services for a first plurality of target machines other than installation, reinstallation, and virtualization, wherein the first type indicates that the first management class has a first format, wherein the first plurality of target machines comprises the first target machine, and wherein the first configuration management system performs configuration management services for the first software at the first target machine according to the first management class; and

provide an identification of the second target machine and an identification of a second management class to the second configuration management system that is separate from the provisioning server, wherein the second configuration management system is a second type of configuration management system that is different than the first type and performs configuration management services for a second plurality of target machines other than installation, reinstallation, and virtualization, wherein the second type indicates that the second management class has a second format that is different than the first format, wherein the second plurality of target machines comprises the second target machine, and wherein the second configuration management system performs configuration management services for the second software at the second target machine according to the second management class.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first management class comprises a configuration for resources of the first target machine and the second management class comprises a configuration for resources of the second target machine.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the first provisioning object comprises at least one of a profile for the first provisioning process, a template for the first provisioning process, a software distribution record for the first provisioning process, or a record for the first target machine, and wherein the second provisioning object comprises at least one of a profile for the second provisioning process, a template for the second provisioning process, a software distribution record for the second provisioning process, or a record for the second target machine.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the hardware processor is further to:

generate a set of management classes for the first configuration management system and the second configuration management system, wherein the set of management classes comprises the first management class and the second management class; and

store the set of management classes.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the hardware processor is further to:

associate the first management class with the first provisioning object and the second management class with the second provisioning object.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein that, when executed by a hardware processor, cause the hardware processor to:

initiate, by the hardware processor of a provisioning server, a first provisioning process on a first target machine utilizing a first provisioning object and a second provisioning process on a second target machine utilizing a second provisioning object, wherein the first provisioning object comprises an identification of first software to be installed on the first target machine and the second provisioning object comprises an identification of second software to be installed on the second target machine, wherein the first provisioning process comprises one or more of installation, reinstallation, or virtualization of the first software at the first target machine by communicating with a helper client in operation at the first target machine and the second provisioning process comprises one or more of installation, reinstallation, or virtualization of the second software at the second target machine by communicating with the helper client in operation at the second target machine, and wherein the helper client enables replacement of running systems and installation of virtualized profiles;

host, by the provisioning server, one or more exception plugins that further customize the first provisioning process of the first software at the first target machine or the second provisioning process of the second software at the second target machine;

link to or mirror, by the provisioning server, a provisioning database comprising a distribution tree list, wherein the distribution tree list comprises an inventory of software that is hosted or mirrored by the provisioning server, and wherein the inventory of software identifies the first software and the second software;

provide, by the provisioning server, an identification of the first target machine and an identification of a first management class to a first configuration management system that is separate from the provisioning server, wherein the first configuration management system is a first type of configuration management system and performs configuration management services for a first plurality of target machines other than installation, reinstallation, and virtualization, wherein the first type indicates that the first management class has a first format, wherein the first plurality of target machines comprises the first target machine, and wherein the first configuration management system performs configuration management services for the first software at the first target machine according to the first management class; and

provide, by the provisioning server, an identification of the second target machine and an identification of a second management class to a second configuration management system that is separate from the provisioning server, wherein the second configuration management system is a second type of configuration management system that is different than the first type and performs configuration management services for a second plurality of target machines other than installation, reinstallation, and virtualization, wherein the second type indicates that the second management class has a second format that is different than the first format, wherein the second plurality of target machines comprises the second target machine, and wherein the second configuration management system performs configuration management services for the second software at the second target machine according to the second management class.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first management class comprises a configuration for resources of the first target machine and the second management class comprises a configuration for resources of the second target machine.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first provisioning object comprises at least one of a profile for the first provisioning process, a template for the first provisioning process, a software distribution record for the first provisioning process, or a record for the first target machine, and wherein the second provisioning object comprises at least one of a profile for the second provisioning process, a template for the second provisioning process, a software distribution record for the second provisioning process, or a record for the second target machine.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the hardware processor is further to:

generate a set of management classes for the first configuration management system and the second configuration management system, wherein the set of management classes comprises the first management class and the second management class; and

store the set of management classes.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the hardware processor is further to:

associate, by the provisioning server, the first management class with the first provisioning object and the second management class with the second provisioning object.