Auto discovery of configuration items

• US 9,515,883 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Inventors: Polinati, Chinna, Varghese, Jake, Chandrashekar, Sridhar
• Primary Examiner(s): BOUTAH, ALINA A
• Application Number:
  US14/976,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/223, 709/220, 709/221, 707/E17.005, 707/E17.014, 707/769, 707/E17.044, 707/609, 707/802, 707/736, 707/E17.045, 707/706, 707/713, 707/999.2, 707/E17.01, 707/E17.032, 707/E17.048, 707/E17.108, 717/121, 717/104, 717/120, 715/735, 713/1, 719/316
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/083 for increasing network speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1061 using node-based peer discovery mechanisms static access to replicated servers H04L67/1006; service discovery H04L67/51

Abstract

Implementations of a system, method and apparatus described herein execute a discovery process to identify a plurality of computing devices within a computer network and a respective configuration associated with each of the plurality of computing devices. Upon discovery of a first computing device configured by an agent, configuration management of the computer network is searched for a definition used by the agent to configure the first computing device, and the discovery process for the first computing device is modified based on the definition to identify a first plurality of configuration items associated with a current configuration of the first computing device. Finally, a service model database is updated with the first plurality of configuration items.

Claims

1. An apparatus for discovering nodes in a computer network of a distributed computing system, comprising:

a physical network interface that connects the apparatus to a computer network, and

a processor configured to execute instructions stored in a memory, the instructions comprising;

a discovery process module that comprises;

an identification module that identifies a plurality of computing devices within the computer network by a signal input received at the physical network interface, the signals being related to the computing devices communicated over the computer network, and

a configuration input module that inputs a respective configuration stored in a memory device, the respective configuration being associated with at least some of the plurality of computing devices,

a discovery module that comprises;

a configuration management search module, and

a service model database update module,

wherein the discovery module, upon discovery of a first computing device not configured by an agent;

performs a first discovery process for the first computing device to identify configuration items associated with a current configuration of the first computing device, and

utilizes the service model database update module to update a service module database with the identified configuration items,

wherein the discovery module, upon discovery of a first computing device configured by an agent;

utilizes the configuration management search module to search configuration management data of the computer network for a definition used by the agent to previously configure the first computing device,

performs a second discovery process, different from the first discovery process, for the first computing device based on the definition to identify a first plurality of configuration items associated with a current configuration of the first computing device, and

utilizes the service model database update module to update the service model database with at least some of the first plurality of configuration items, wherein the updated service model database is utilized in a subsequent discovery process to enhance a speed of the discovery process in the computer network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the definition used by the agent comprises a previously discovered set of configuration items for the first computing device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the discovery module is configured to discover the first computing device by finding one of:

an identifier stored with the first computing device that identifies the agent, or

an identifier stored within the service model database in association with a configuration item representing the first computing device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the discovery process is configured to perform the second discovery process for the first computing device by searching only for a set of configuration items for the first computing device, the set of configuration items being identified by the definition.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein one of the first plurality of configuration items is the same as the set of configuration items or the first plurality of configuration items is fewer than the set of configuration items.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the current configuration of the first computing device has at least one configuration item different from those comprising the first plurality of configuration items.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the configuration management data contains a plurality of agents used to configure a least some of the plurality of computing devices and the service model stores an output of the discovery process.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to:

periodically execute the discovery process for the first computing device and retain the existing discovery process.

2. An apparatus for discovering nodes in a computer network of a distributed computing system, comprising:

a physical network interface that connects the apparatus to a computer network, and

a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory, the instructions comprising;

a discovery process module executed by the processor, comprising;

an identification module that identifies a plurality of computing devices within the computer network by a signal input received at the physical network interface, the signals being related to the computing devices communicated over the computer network, and

a configuration input module that inputs a respective configuration stored in a memory device, the configuration being associated with each of the plurality of computing devices,

a discovery module that comprises;

a configuration management search module,

a discovery process modification module,

a service model database update module,

wherein the discovery module, upon discovery of a first computing device configured by an agent;

utilizes the configuration management search module to search configuration management data of the computer network for a definition used by the agent to previously configure the first computing device,

utilizes the discovery process modification module to modify a discovery process for the first computing device based on the definition to identify a first plurality of configuration items associated with a current configuration of the first computing device, and

utilizes the service model database update module to update a service model database with the first plurality of configuration items, wherein the updated service model database is utilized in a subsequent discovery process to enhance a speed of the discovery process in the network,

wherein the first plurality of configuration items includes a customer instance, a database server instance, an application server instance, or a web server instance, or any combination thereof.

10. A method for discovering nodes in a computer network of a distributed computing system, comprising:

executing, using a processor, a discovery process to identify a plurality of computing devices within a computer network and a respective configuration associated with at least some of the plurality of computing devices, the discovery process comprising;

inputting, at a physical network interface, signals obtained from the computer network related to the computing devices communicated over the computer network;

upon discovery of a first computing device not configured by an agent;

performing, using the processor, the discovery process for the first computing device to identify all configuration items associated with a current configuration of the first computing device; and

updating, using the processor, a service model database with identified configuration items;

upon discovery of a first computing device configured by an agent;

searching, using the processor, configuration management data of the computer network that is stored in a physical memory for a definition used by the agent to configure the first computing device;

performing, using the processor, the discovery process for the first computing device based on the definition to identify a first plurality of configuration items associated with a current configuration of the first computing device; and

updating, using the processor, the service model database with at least some of the first plurality of configuration items, wherein the updated service model database is utilized, using the processor, in a subsequent discovery process to enhance a speed of the discovery process in the computer network.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first computing device stores an identifier for the agent.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

configuring the first computing device using the definition of the agent to assign a previously discovered set of configuration items to the first computing device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein performing the discovery process for the first computing device comprises:

performing the discovery process by searching only for the previously discovered set of configuration items for the first computing device.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the first plurality of configuration items is the same as the previously discovered set of configuration items.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the first plurality of configuration items is fewer than the previously discovered set of configuration items.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the current configuration of the first computing device has at least one configuration item different from those comprising the first plurality of configuration items.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

comparing each identity of the plurality of computing devices to a plurality of identifiers within the service model database to discover the first computing device, each of the plurality of identifiers associated with at least one agent and at least one computing device.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the discovery process further comprises receiving at a network interface an input signal communicated over the computer network that enables an identification of a plurality of computing devices within the computer network.

19. An apparatus for discovering nodes in a computer network of a distributed computing system, comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions stored in a physical memory to;

execute a discovery process to identify a plurality of computing devices within a computer network and a respective configuration associated with at least some of the plurality of computing devices; and

upon discovery of a first computing device not configured by an agent;

perform the discovery process for the first computing device to identify configurations items associated with a current configuration of the first computing device; and

update a service model database with the identified configuration items;

upon discovery of a first computing device configured by an agent;

search configuration management data of the computer network that is stored in a memory for a definition used by the agent to configure the first computing device;

perform the discovery process for the first computing device based on the definition to identify a first plurality of configuration items associated with a current configuration of the first computing device; and

update the service model database with at least some of the first plurality of configuration items.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the configuration comprises configuration data for at least some of the computing devices to facilitate operation of the platform.