Technical component provisioning using metadata structural hierarchy

• US 9,749,195 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Cimprich, Patrick Francis, DeLuca, Michael Gerald, Cantwell, Jack Q. W., Peterson, Sean David, Wells, Marshall J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N
• Application Number:
  US14/832,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20160164743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709217, 709218, 709219, 709220, 709221, 709222, 709223, 709224, 709226, 709228, 709232, 709238, 718 1, 718102, 370235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/14 Network analysis or design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5048 Automatic or semi-automatic definitions, e.g. definition templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/40 Wormhole routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/27 Evaluation or update of window size, e.g. using information derived from acknowledged [ACK] packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

Determining placement options for technical components of a specified service is a difficult technical challenge. A metadata architecture addresses, in part, the technical challenge by defining a complex metadata collection and attachment mechanism. In one implementation, the metadata architecture defines metadata domains and obtains descriptive metadata for those domains, e.g., metadata for the technical components from multiple disparate sources and across multiple different characteristics of the technical components. The metadata architecture is linked to the technical components and the metadata architecture injects specific metadata subsets into, e.g., a placement pipeline that determines where the technical components may be placed in the extensive provider/platform/service space.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a communication interface configured to;

receive, from a service provider, service provider metadata that characterizes a virtualized hosting region controlled by the service provider;

receive, from a resource requester, resource requester metadata that characterizes a technical service request for virtualized hosting;

a memory system configured to store;

a container hierarchy comprising a multiple level technical container structure, including a first container level and a second container level that inherits properties from the first container level; and

container metadata that characterizes the first container level and the second container level; and

a technical service template corresponding to the technical service request;

placement decision circuitry in communication with the communication interface and the memory system, the placement decision circuitry configured to;

receive the service provider metadata;

receive the resource requester metadata;

receive the container metadata;

receive the technical service template; and

initiate execution of a placement analysis pipeline on the technical service template, with the service provider metadata, container metadata, and resource requester metadata as inputs, to determine feasible placement options for implementing the technical service request;

wherein the technical service request comprises a technical component type for implementing the technical service request; and

the placement analysis pipeline comprises a technical component type stage configured to determine, in view of the component type.

2. The system of claim 1, where:

technical component type stage is configured to request a type-to-type analysis on the technical component type to ascertain whether an equivalent type to the technical component type is available from a different service provider.

3. The system of claim 1, where:

the technical service request comprises a technical component asset for implementing the technical component type; and

the placement analysis pipeline comprises;

an asset analysis stage configured to determine, in view of the service provider metadata, whether the virtualized hosting region supports the technical component asset.

4. The system of claim 3, where:

the asset analysis stage is configured to request an equivalency analysis on the technical component asset to ascertain whether an equivalent asset to the technical component asset is available from a different service provider.

5. The system of claim 1, where:

the technical service request comprises a communication network identifier of a communication network for providing communication services to the technical component type; and

the placement analysis pipeline comprises;

a network analysis stage configured to determine, in view of the service provider metadata, whether the virtualized hosting region supports the communication network.

6. The system of claim 5, where:

the network analysis stage is configured to request a network analysis on the network identifier to ascertain whether an equivalent network to the communication network is available.

7. The system of claim 1, where:

the placement analysis pipeline comprises a resource requester metadata analysis stage configured to;

execute a resource requester placement rule on the resource requester metadata to eliminate candidate placement options.

8. The system of claim 7, where:

the resource requester placement rule comprises;

a data security placement rule configured to eliminate those candidate placement options that do not meet a data security requirement defined in the resource requester metadata.

9. The system of claim 7, where:

the resource requester placement rule comprises;

an environment rule configured to eliminate those candidate placement options that do not provide an execution environment suitable for the technical service request.

10. The system of claim 9, where:

the environment rule is configured to distinguish between a production environment and a test environment.

11. The system of claim 9, where:

the environment rule is configured to distinguish between a production environment and a development environment.

12. A method comprising:

receiving service provider metadata that characterizes a virtualized hosting region of a service provider;

receiving resource requester metadata that characterizes a technical service request for virtualized hosting on behalf of a resource requester;

receiving the technical service request from the resource requester;

in response to receiving the technical service request, retrieving a technical service template that defines a baseline implementation of the technical service request;

providing the technical service template, service provider metadata, and resource requester metadata as inputs to a placement analysis pipeline configured to determine, from among candidate placement options, feasible placement options for implementing the technical service request;

storing, in a memory system;

a container hierarchy comprising a multiple level technical container structure, including a first container level and a second container level that inherits properties from the first container level; and

container metadata that characterizes the first container level and the second container level; and

providing the container metadata as a further input to the placement analysis pipeline;

wherein the technical service request comprises a technical component type for implementing the technical service request; and

the placement analysis pipeline comprises a technical component type stage configured to determine, in view of the service provider metadata, whether the virtualized hosting region supports the technical component type.

13. The method of claim 12, where:

the first container level or the second container level comprises a resource requester services level.

14. The method of claim 13, where:

the first container level or the second container level comprises a resource requester environment level.

15. The method of claim 12, where:

the resource requester metadata comprises a data security requirement.

16. A system comprising:

a communication interface configured to;

receive, from a service provider, service provider metadata that characterizes a virtualized hosting region controlled by the service provider;

receive, from a resource requester, resource requester metadata that characterizes a technical service request for virtualized hosting;

a memory system configured to store;

a container hierarchy comprising;

a resource requester container representing the resource requester itself;

a service container under the resource requester container; and

an environment container under the service container;

service container metadata that characterizes the service container;

environment container metadata that characterizes the environment container;

a technical service template specifying;

technical components for implementing the technical service request; and

technical component parameter fields for the technical components; and

processing circuitry in communication with the communication interface and the memory system, the processing circuitry configured to;

derive a technical component value from at least a portion of the resource requester metadata;

store the technical component value in at least one of the technical component parameter fields in the technical service template;

receive the service provider metadata; and

provide the service provider metadata;

service container metadata, environment container metadata, and resource requester metadata as inputs to a placement analysis pipeline configured to determine feasible placement options for implementing the technical service request;

wherein the technical service request comprises a technical component type for implementing the technical service request; and

the placement analysis pipeline comprises a technical component type stage configured to determine, in view of the service provider metadata, whether the virtualized hosting region supports the technical component type.

17. The system of claim 16, where:

the resource requester metadata specifies a data security requirement;

the service provider metadata specifies technical component types and assets provided by the service provider;

the service container metadata specifies a service criticality; and

the environment container metadata distinguishes between a production environment, an test environment, and a development environment.