Network system for implementing a cloud platform

• US 9,571,564 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2013
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Balacheff, Boris, Penkler, David, Bouat, Sebastien, Cooper, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N
• Application Number:
  US14/424,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 717/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5045 Making service definitions prior to deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A network system for implementing a cloud platform within a network to which at least one device defining a computing environment for a user has access comprises an application management module, a community management module, and a user enrollment portal. The application management module enables access to an abstract application, wherein the abstract application is associated with a concrete application defining an implementation of the abstract application for the computing environment. The community management module manages a community, wherein the community comprised of at least a user credential and the abstract application, wherein the community defines at least one of said following: a policy, a management process, and a service, under which the abstract application can be accessed by the user. The user enrollment portal supports an enrollment of the user in the community from the device, and to orchestrate a policy management mechanism to support an enforcement of the policy under which the user has access to the concrete application from the device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request, by a system including a processor, across a network from a client device for access to a particular community of a plurality of communities, the particular community including an abstract application and a policy corresponding to the abstract application, the abstract application implemented by each of multiple concrete applications, and the policy specifying which concrete application for the abstract application is to be provided to the client device;

identifying, by the system, a computing environment of the client device;

based on the identified computing environment, selecting, by the system, a concrete application of the multiple concrete applications associated with the abstract application; and

allowing, by the system, access to the selected concrete application by the client device in accordance with the policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the computing environment of the client device comprises identifying which of a plurality of different computing environments is in use at the client device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

selecting, by the system, different policies to use for the different computing environments of the client device, wherein the different policies specify different conditions under which the client device has access to the abstract application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting, by the system, at the client device a list of the plurality of communities for selection; and

receiving, by the system from the client device, user selection of the particular community from among the plurality of communities.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each community of the plurality of communities is defined by a respective set of one or multiple abstract applications, and a set of user credentials.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing the access of the selected concrete application comprises downloading the selected concrete application to the client device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

downloading, by the system to the client device, another concrete application associated with a different abstract application of a different community based on a different policy associated with the different community, the downloading of concrete applications associated with different abstract applications providing the client device with a plurality of concrete applications associated with different communities in accordance with different policies.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is part of a cloud platform that includes entities to control access to abstract applications in respective communities.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enrolling, by the system, the client device in parallel in multiple communities of the plurality of communities.

10. A client device comprising:

a communication interface to communicate over a network with a network system; and

at least one processor to;

execute a particular computing environment of a plurality of computing environments in the client device;

connect, to the network system, using the particular computing environment;

send, to the network system, a request over the network for access to a particular community of a plurality of communities, the particular community including an abstract application and a policy corresponding to the abstract application, the abstract application implemented by each of multiple concrete applications, and the policy specifying which concrete application for the abstract application is to be provided to the client device; and

download, from the network system, a concrete application of the multiple concrete applications, the downloaded concrete application identified by the network system for the particular computing environment based on selection from among the multiple concrete applications according to the policy of the particular community that specifies that different concrete applications of the multiple concrete applications are downloaded for different computing environments.

11. The client device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is to:

present, based on interaction with the network system, a list of the plurality of communities for selection; and

send, to the network system, user selection of the particular community from among the plurality of communities.

12. The client device of claim 10 wherein each community of the plurality of communities is defined by a respective set of one or multiple abstract applications, and a set of user credentials.

13. The client device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is to further:

download, from the network system, another concrete application associated with a different abstract application of a different community based on a different policy associated with the different community, the downloading of concrete applications associated with different abstract applications providing the client device with a plurality of concrete applications associated with different communities in accordance with different policies.

14. A network system comprising:

a communication interface to communicate over a network with a client device; and

at least one processor to;

receive a request, over the network from the client device, for access to a particular community of a plurality of communities, the particular community including an abstract application and a policy corresponding to the abstract application, the abstract application implemented by each of multiple concrete applications, and the policy specifying which concrete application for the abstract application is to be provided to the client device;

identify a computing environment of the client device;

based on the identified computing environment, select a concrete application of the multiple concrete applications associated with the abstract application; and

allow access to the selected concrete application by the client device in accordance with the policy.

15. The network system of claim 14, wherein the identifying of the computing environment of the client device comprises identifying which of a plurality of different computing environments is in use at the client device.

16. The network system of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is to further:

select different policies to use for the different computing environments of the client device, wherein the different policies specify different conditions under which the client device has access to the abstract application.

17. The network system of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is to further:

present at the client device a list of the plurality of communities for selection; and

receive, from the client device, user selection of the particular community from among the plurality of communities.

18. The network system of claim 14, wherein each community of the plurality of communities is defined by a respective set of one or multiple abstract applications, and a set of user credentials.

19. The network system of claim 14, wherein the allowing of the access to the selected concrete application comprises downloading the selected concrete application to the client device.

20. The network system of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is to further:

download, to the client device, another concrete application associated with a different abstract application of a different community based on a different policy associated with the different community, the downloading of concrete applications associated with different abstract applications providing the client device with a plurality of concrete applications associated with different communities in accordance with different policies.