Policy based application elasticity across heterogeneous computing infrastructure

• US 9,729,465 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2013
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Labocki, James Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garcia-Ching, Karina J
• Application Number:
  US13/875,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20140330974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 709226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1004 Server selection for load balancing

Abstract

A system and method for provisioning resources in a cloud environment are provided. An example system includes a communication module that receives from a requestor running in a cloud environment a request for one or more cloud resources. The example system also includes an identification module that identifies a set of provision policies for the requestor. The example system further includes a resource manager that determines, based on the set of provision policies, whether to approve the request for one or more cloud resources, and that when the request is determined to be approved, determines, based on the set of provision policies, whether to provision one or more physical computing machines and one or more virtual machines for the requestor. The one or more cloud resources is at least one of one or more physical computing machines and one or more virtual machines.

Claims

1. A system for provisioning resources in a cloud environment, the system comprising:

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving from an application platform running in a cloud environment a request for one or more cloud resources, wherein the request does not specify whether to provision physical computing machines or virtual machines for the application platform;

identifying a set of provision policies for provisioning cloud resources, the set of provision policies specific to the application platform;

determining whether to approve the request for one or more cloud resources, the one or more cloud resources being at least one of one or more physical computing machines or one or more virtual machines; and

in response to a determination that the request has been approved, determining, based on the set of provision policies specific to the application platform, whether to provision a first set of physical computing machines or a second set of virtual machines for the application platform;

sending a first communication to a metal-as-a-service (MAAS) provider to cause the MAAS provider to provision the first set of physical computing machines for the application platform;

receiving first information identifying the first set of physical computing machines from the MAAS provider;

sending a second communication to a cloud broker to cause the cloud broker to provision the second set of virtual machines for the application platform;

receiving second information identifying the second set of virtual machines from the cloud broker; and

in response to the request, sending the first and second information to the application platform, whereby the application platform uses the first information to access the first set of physical computing machines and uses the second information to access the second set of virtual machines.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the cloud broker communicates with a set of service providers to launch the second set of virtual machines.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first communication to the MAAS provider causes the MAAS provider to:

(i) configure the first set of physical computing machines for the application platform, and (ii) transmit the first information identifying the first set of configured physical computing machines, and

wherein the application platform uses the first information to consume the first set of configured physical computing machines.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first identifying information includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a configured physical computing machine of the first set of configured physical computing machines.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first communication to the MAAS provider further causes the MAAS provider to load an operating system onto a physical computing machine of the first set of physical computing machines.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the second communication to the cloud broker causes the cloud broker to:

(i) identify, based on the set of provision policies, a first service provider to launch at least one virtual machine of the second set of virtual machines, and (ii) transmit the second information identifying the at least one virtual machine of the second set of virtual machines, and

wherein the application platform uses the second information to consume the at least one virtual machine of the second set of virtual machines.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory further cause the system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a certificate that identifies the application platform;

searching a registry to determine whether the application platform identified in the certificate is a valid requester, the registry including a list of valid requestors,

in response to a determination that the application platform is not a valid requestor, rejecting the request; and

in response to a determination that the application platform is a valid requestor, authenticating the request, and

wherein the set of provision policies is identified after the request is authenticated.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein a first policy of the set of provision policies specific to the application platform specifies the provisioning of the first set of physical computing machines for the application platform if a first condition is satisfied, and a second policy of the set of provision policies specific to the application platform specifies the provisioning of the second set of virtual machines for the application platform if a second condition is satisfied.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the first information includes an internet protocol (IP) address of a physical computing machine of the first set of physical computing machines.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the second information includes an IP address of a virtual machine of the second set of virtual machines.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory further cause the system to perform operations comprising:

inserting a private key into a virtual machine of the second set of virtual machines, wherein sending the second information includes sending a public key to the application platform.

8. A method of provisioning resources in a cloud environment, the method comprising:

receiving from an application platform running in a cloud environment a request for one or more cloud resources, wherein the request does not specify whether to provision physical computing machines or virtual machines for the application platform;

identifying, by one or more processors, a set of provision policies for provisioning cloud resources, the set of provision policies specific to the application platform;

determining whether to approve the request for one or more cloud resources, the one or more cloud resources being at least one of one or more physical computing machines or one or more virtual machines; and

in response to a determination that the request has been approved, determining, based on the set of provision policies specific to the application platform, to provision a first set of physical computing machines and a second set of virtual machines for the application platform;

sending a first communication to a metal-as-a-service (MAAS) provider to cause the MAAS provider to provision the first set of physical computing machines for the application platform;

receiving first information identifying the first set of physical computing machines from the MAAS provider;

sending a second communication to a cloud broker to cause the cloud broker to provision the second set of virtual machines for the application platform;

receiving second information identifying the second set of virtual machines from the cloud broker; and

in response to the request, sending the first and second information to the application platform, whereby the application platform uses the first information to access the first set of physical computing machines and uses the second information to access the second set of virtual machines.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein the cloud broker communicates with a set of service providers to launch the set of virtual machines.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first communication to the MAAS provider causes the MAAS provider to:

(i) configure the first set of physical computing machines for the application platform, and (ii) transmit the first information identifying the first set of configured physical computing machines, and

wherein the application platform uses the first information to consume the first set of configured physical computing machines.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first communication to the MAAS provider further causes the MAAS provider to load an operating system onto a physical computing machine of the first set of physical computing machines.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second communication to the cloud broker causes the cloud broker to:

(i) identify, based on the set of provision policies, a first service provider to launch at least one virtual machine of the second set of virtual machines, and (ii) transmit the second information identifying the at least one virtual machine of the second set of virtual machines, and

wherein the application platform uses the second information to consume the at least one virtual machine of the second set of virtual machines.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the application platform is a platform-as-a-service.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a first plurality of machine-readable instructions that when executed by one or more processors is adapted to cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

receiving from an application platform running in a cloud environment a request for one or more cloud resources, wherein the request does not specify whether to provision physical computing machines or virtual machines for the application platform;

identifying a set of provision policies for provisioning cloud resources, the set of provision policies specific to the application platform;

determining whether to approve the request for one or more cloud resources, the one or more cloud resources being at least one of one or more physical computing machines or one or more virtual machines; and

in response to a determination that the request has been approved, determining, based on the set of provision policies specific to the application platform, to provision a first set of physical computing machines and a second set of virtual machines for the application platform;

sending a first communication to a metal-as-a-service (MAAS) provider to cause the MAAS provider to provision the first set of physical computing machines for the application platform;

receiving first information identifying the first set of physical computing machines from the MAAS provider;

sending a second communication to a cloud broker to cause the cloud broker to provision the second set of virtual machines for the application platform;

receiving second information identifying the second set of virtual machines from the cloud broker; and

in response to the request, sending the first and second information to the application platform, whereby the application platform uses the first information to access the first set of physical computing machines and uses the second information to access the second set of virtual machines.