Device and a method for managing access to a pool of computer and network resources made available to an entity by a cloud computing system

• US 9,736,029 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2013
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Lebourgeois, Jacques, Terrier, Julien, He, Ruan
• Primary Examiner(s): Donabed, Ninos
• Application Number:
  US14/431,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20150263902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources

Abstract

Disclosed is a method comprising updating a first model describing a pool of computer and network resources and a second multi-level hierarchical model describing an entity, each level having at least one element containing one or more users of the entity and associated with an algorithm for allocating at least a portion of the pool, the union of the elements at any level containing all of the users, such that the first and second models represent a current state of the pool of resources and a current state of the entity.

Upon request from a user to access a resource specified in the request, resources may be identified by applying the algorithms of the second model to the current state of the pool represented by the first model, verifying compatibility between the identified resources and the resource specified in the request, and rejecting the request in the event of incompatibility.

Claims

1. A method of managing access to a pool of computer and network resources made available by a cloud computing system to an entity having a plurality of users, the method comprising:

an updating process;

of updating a first model describing the pool of computer and network resources; and

of updating a second model describing the entity, the second model being hierarchical and having a plurality of levels, each level of the second model having at least one element containing one or more users of the entity, each element of a said hierarchical level being associated with an algorithm for allocating at least a portion of the pool of resources, the union of the elements of a hierarchical level containing all of the users of the entity, wherein at least one algorithm for allocating at least a portion of the pool of resources associated with an element of a hierarchical level of the second model is an algorithm that allocates a fixed portion of the resources to said element, with the resources that are not allocated to said element being shared among the other elements of the hierarchical level;

said updating process being performed in such a manner that the first model and the second model represent a current state of the pool of resources and a current state of the entity;

on receiving a request from at least one user of the entity to access at least one resource of the pool of resources as specified in the request;

an identification process of identifying resources for said at least one user from within the pool of resources, by applying resource allocation algorithms associated with the elements of the second model kept up to date with the current state of the pool of resources represented by the first model;

a verification process of verifying compatibility between the resources identified for said at least one user and said at least one resource specified in the request; and

a rejection process of rejecting the request in the event of incompatibility.

2. A method according to claim 1, further including a process of verifying the right of said at least one user to access said at least one resource specified in the request, the request being rejected if said at least one user does not have the right to access said resource.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the process of verifying access rights is performed with the help of an organization-based access control type mechanism.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein, in the second hierarchical model, each element of at least one hierarchical level of the access rights is also associated with the resources of the pool of resources, with the process of verifying access rights being performed on the basis of the updated hierarchical second model.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein, for at least one hierarchical level of the second model, a role is associated with each element at that level.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first model describing the pool of computer and network resources is a hierarchical model having a plurality of levels.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein, in the first model:

one hierarchical level describes virtual computer and network resources of the pool of resources; and

one hierarchical level describes physical computer and network resources of the pool of resources associated with the virtual resources.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein another algorithm for allocating computer and network resources that is associated with an element of a hierarchical level of the second model is an algorithm for equitable sharing of resources between the elements of the hierarchical level.

9. A computer comprising a processor and a memory, the computer having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform a method of managing access to a pool of computer and network resources made available by a cloud computing system to an entity having a plurality of users, the method comprising:

an updating process;

of updating a first model describing the pool of computer and network resources; and

of updating a second model describing the entity, the second model being hierarchical and having a plurality of levels, each level of the second model having at least one element containing one or more users of the entity, each element of a said hierarchical level being associated with an algorithm for allocating at least a portion of the pool of resources, the union of the elements of a hierarchical level containing all of the users of the entity, wherein at least one algorithm for allocating at least a portion of the pool of resources associated with an element of a hierarchical level of the second model is an algorithm that allocates a fixed portion of the resources to said element, with the resources that are not allocated to said element being shared among the other elements of the hierarchical level;

said updating process being performed in such a manner that the first model and the second model represent a current state of the pool of resources and a current state of the entity;

on receiving a request from at least one user of the entity to access at least one resource of the pool of resources as specified in the request;

an identification process of identifying resources for said at least one user from within the pool of resources, by applying resource allocation algorithms associated with the elements of the second model kept up to date with the current state of the pool of resources represented by the first model;

a verification process of verifying compatibility between the resources identified for said at least one user and said at least one resource specified in the request; and

a rejection process of rejecting the request in the event of incompatibility.

10. A non-transitory computer readable data medium having stored thereon instructions for executing a method of managing access to a pool of computer and network resources made available by a cloud computing system to an entity having a plurality of users, the method comprising:

an updating process;

of updating a first model describing the pool of computer and network resources; and

of updating a second model describing the entity, the second model being hierarchical and having a plurality of levels, each level of the second model having at least one element containing one or more users of the entity, each element of a said hierarchical level being associated with an algorithm for allocating at least a portion of the pool of resources, the union of the elements of a hierarchical level containing all of the users of the entity, wherein at least one algorithm for allocating at least a portion of the pool of resources associated with an element of a hierarchical level of the second model is an algorithm that allocates a fixed portion of the resources to said element, with the resources that are not allocated to said element being shared among the other elements of the hierarchical level;

said updating process being performed in such a manner that the first model and the second model represent a current state of the pool of resources and a current state of the entity;

on receiving a request from at least one user of the entity to access at least one resource of the pool of resources as specified in the request;

an identification process of identifying resources for said at least one user from within the pool of resources, by applying resource allocation algorithms associated with the elements of the second model kept up to date with the current state of the pool of resources represented by the first model;

a verification process of verifying compatibility between the resources identified for said at least one user and said at least one resource specified in the request; and

a rejection process of rejecting the request in the event of incompatibility.

11. A device for managing access to a pool of computer and network resources made available by a cloud computing system to an entity having a plurality of users, said device comprising a processor and a memory, the processor configured to:

update a first model describing the pool of computer and network resources; and

update a second model describing the entity, the second model being hierarchical and having a plurality of levels, each level of the second model having at least one element containing one or more users of the entity, each element of a said hierarchical level being associated with an algorithm for allocating at least a portion of the pool of computer and network resources, the union of the elements of a hierarchical level containing all of the users of the entity, said device being configured so that the first model and the second model represent a current state of said pool of computer and network resources and a current state of the entity, wherein at least one algorithm for allocating at least a portion of the pool of resources associated with an element of a hierarchical level of the second model is an algorithm that allocates a fixed portion of the resources to said element, with the resources that are not allocated to said element being shared among the other elements of the hierarchical level; and

on receiving a request from at least one user of the entity to access at least one resource of the pool of computer and network resources as specified in the request;

identify resources for said at least one user from within the pool of resources, the device configured to apply allocation algorithms associated with the elements of the second model kept up to date with the current state of the pool of resources represented by the first model;

verify compatibility between the resources identified for said at least one user and said at least one resource specified in the request; and

in the event of incompatibility, reject said activated request.

12. A cloud computing system making available a pool of computer and network resources to an entity having a plurality of users, the system including a device according to claim 11 for managing access to said pool of resources.