Provisioning of operating environments on a server in a networked environment

• US 9,465,625 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2012
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gopalakrishnan, U, Horn, William P., Mohindra, Ajay, Nagar, Shailabh, Rendahl, Randy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): KATSIKIS, KOSTAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/463,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20120221842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 709/222, 709/221, 713/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]

Abstract

A computer deploys an operating environment onto a provisionable server. The computer assigns an operating environment from an operating environment configuration management database to the provisionable server in response to detecting a provisioning event. The computer stores a record of the assignment in a deployment configuration management database and updates a management server with a designated operating environment identifier of the assignment.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for deploying an operating environment onto a provisionable server, the computer implemented method comprising:

responsive to detecting a provisioning event, assigning, by a management server using a provisionable server identifier, a designated operating environment identifier to the provisionable server, from an operating environment configuration management database of a configuration management database server, the configuration management database server further comprising a provisionable server configuration management database and a deployment configuration management database, wherein details of an assignment are embodied in an assignment record comprising information relating to the assignment of the operating environment from a software server to the provisionable server, and wherein the designated operating environment identifier is an identifier that identifies a unique operating environment and discloses a location of the unique operating environment within the software server, and wherein the unique operating environment is a set of software components comprising an operating system, middleware, and one or more software applications selected to satisfy processing requirements of one or more tenants, and wherein each operating environment has a unique name reflecting a type of the operating environment and a version, of the operating environment, representing different versions of a set of software applications that form the operating environment;

storing only the assignment record in the deployment configuration management database used in managing an assignment of operating environments;

updating the management server controlling a deployment process for deployment of the operating environments with the designated operating environment identifier of the assignment; and

generating, by the management server, bootstrap code corresponding to the assignment.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provisioning event is at least one of acceptance of a new operating environment, an addition of the provisionable server to a data center, and request for reassigning the provisionable server.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to detecting the provisioning event comprising an acceptance of a new operating environment, assigning a new designated operating environment identifier to the new operating environment;

storing, in a software server, software for the new operating environment; and

updating the operating environment configuration management database with the new designated operating environment identifier and a locator for locating the software in the software server.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to detecting the provisioning event comprising an addition of the provisionable server to a data center, registering a media access control address of the provisionable server in a provisionable server configuration management database.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provisionable server comprises a set of servers configured to host a set of operating environments;

and

a set of software servers stores software required for provisioning operating environments onto the provisionable server.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating bootstrap code, corresponding to the assignment, usable by the provisionable server to initiate the provisioning of the operating environment onto the provisionable server, wherein the bootstrap code includes the designated operating environment identifier.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the management server transmits the designated operating environment identifier along with a bootstrap code to the provisionable server, wherein the bootstrap code is executed on the provisionable server to identify a local operating environment on the provisionable server, and further comprising:

comparing the identified local operating environment to the designated operating environment identifier, wherein the bootstrap code includes the designated operating environment identifier; and

initiating a final boot sequence of the provisionable server based on a comparison of the identified local operating environment and the designated operating environment identifier.

8. A computer program product for deploying an operating environment onto a provisionable server, the computer program product comprising:

a computer recordable storage device;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage device, for assigning, by a management server using a provisionable server identifier, a designated operating environment identifier to the provisionable server from an operating environment configuration management database of a configuration management database server, the configuration management database server further comprising a provisionable server configuration management database and a deployment configuration management database, wherein details of an assignment are embodied in an assignment record comprising information relating to the assignment of the operating environment from a software server to the provisionable server, and wherein the designated operating environment identifier is an identifier that identifies a unique operating environment and discloses a location of the unique operating environment within the software server, and wherein the unique operating environment is a set of software components comprising an operating system, middleware, and one or more software applications selected to satisfy processing requirements of one or more tenants in response to detecting a provisioning event, and wherein each operating environment has a unique name reflecting a type of the operating environment and a version, of the operating environment, representing different versions of a set of software applications that form the operating environment;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage device, for storing only the assignment record in the deployment configuration management database;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage device, for updating the management server controlling a deployment process for deployment of the operating environments with the designated operating environment identifier of the assignment; and

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage device, for generating, by the management server, bootstrap code corresponding to the assignment.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the provisioning event is at least one of acceptance of a new operating environment, an addition of the provisionable server to a data center, and request for reassigning the provisionable server.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage device, for assigning a new designated operating environment identifier to a new operating environment in response to detecting the provisioning event comprising an acceptance of the new operating environment;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage device, for storing, in a software server, software for the new operating environment; and

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage device, for updating the operating environment configuration management database with the new designated operating environment identifier and a locator for locating the software in the software server.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage device, for registering a media access control address of the provisionable server in a provisionable server configuration management database in response to detecting the provisioning event comprising an addition of the provisionable server to a data center.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the provisionable server comprises a set of servers configured to host a set of operating environments;

and

a set of software servers stores software required for provisioning operating environments onto the provisionable server.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage device, for generating bootstrap code corresponding to the assignment usable by the provisionable server to initiate the provisioning of the operating environment onto the provisionable server, wherein the bootstrap code includes the designated operating environment identifier.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the management server transmits the designated operating environment identifier along with a bootstrap code to the provisionable server, wherein the bootstrap code is executed on the provisionable server to identify a local operating environment on the provisionable server, and further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage device, for comparing the identified local operating environment to the designated operating environment identifier, wherein the bootstrap code includes the designated operating environment identifier; and

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage device, for initiating a final boot sequence of the provisionable server based on a comparison of the identified local operating environment and the designated operating environment identifier.

15. An apparatus for deploying an operating environment onto a provisionable server, the apparatus comprising:

a bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to assign, by a management server using a provisionable server identifier, a designated operating environment identifier to the provisionable server from an operating environment configuration management database of a configuration management database server, the configuration management database server further comprising a provisionable server configuration management database and a deployment configuration management database, wherein details of an assignment are embodied in an assignment record comprising information relating to the assignment of the operating environment from a software server to the provisionable server, and wherein the designated operating environment identifier is an identifier that identifies a unique operating environment and discloses a location of the unique operating environment within the software server, and wherein the unique operating environment is a set of software components comprising an operating system, middleware, and one or more software applications selected to satisfy processing requirements of one or more tenants, and wherein each operating environment has a unique name reflecting a type of the operating environment and a version, of the operating environment, representing different versions of a set of software applications that form the operating environment, in response to detecting a provisioning event;

store only the assignment record in the deployment configuration management database used in managing an assignment of operating environments;

update the management server controlling a deployment process for deployment of the operating environment with the designated operating environment identifier of the assignment; and

generate, by the management server, bootstrap code corresponding to the assignment.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the provisioning event is at least one of acceptance of a new operating environment, an addition of the provisionable server to a data center, and request for reassigning the provisionable server.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to detect the provisioning event comprising an acceptance of a new operating environment, assigning a new designated operating environment identifier to the new operating environment;

store, in a software server, software for the new operating environment; and

update the operating environment configuration management database with the new designated operating environment identifier and a locator for locating the software in the software server.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to reboot the provisionable server using a local operating environment stored on a local storage device in response to detecting a match between the designated operating environment identifier and an identity of the local operating environment;

and reboot the provisionable server using a designated operating environment, corresponding to the designated operating environment identifier, stored in the local storage device in response to detecting a difference between the designated operating environment identifier and the local operating environment, wherein the processing unit further configures the designated operating environment using run-once scripts.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to register a media access control address of the provisionable server in a provisionable server configuration management database in response to detecting the provisioning event comprising an addition of the provisionable server to a data center.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the management server transmits the designated operating environment identifier along with a bootstrap code to the provisionable server, and wherein the bootstrap code is executed on the provisionable server to identify a local operating environment on the provisionable server, and wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to compare the identified local operating environment to the designated operating environment identifier, and wherein the bootstrap code includes the designated operating environment identifier;

and initiates a final boot sequence of the provisionable server based on a comparison of the identified local operating environment and the designated operating environment identifier.