Multi-tenant SaaS platform and method for automated deployment of connector application, and tenant and service provider using virtual machine

• US 9,880,882 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2014
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDS (China) Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDS (China) Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Jik Soo, Kim, Nam Kyung, Choi, Hyung Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US14/522,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20150120818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications

Abstract

A multi-tenant software as a service (SaaS) platform for automatic deployment of a connector application, and a method for automatic deployment of a connector application in a multi-tenant software as a service (SaaS) platform, the method including: deploying a tenant service connector package to a tenant among a plurality of tenants, the tenant service connector package being a package configured to cause a tenant virtual machine to be created in order to provide a service to at least one tenant of the plurality of tenants in a virtual machine form; activating the tenant virtual machine through execution of the tenant service connector package in the tenant that receives the tenant service connector package; forming a connection channel between a virtual machine of the SaaS platform and the tenant virtual machine; and providing the service between the SaaS platform and the at least one tenant through the formed connection channel.

Claims

1. A multi-tenant software as a service (SaaS) platform for automatic deployment of a connector application, the platform comprising:

a multi-tenant connector manager comprising a hardware processor configured to automatically deploy a tenant service connector package to a tenant among a plurality of tenants and a SaaS platform service connector package to a connector server for activating a virtual machine of the SaaS platform to provide a service, the tenant service connector package being a package configured to cause a tenant virtual machine to be created and activated in order to provide the service to at least one tenant among the plurality of tenants in a virtual machine form; and

a connector server comprising a hardware processor configured to form a connection channel between the activated tenant virtual machine and the activated virtual machine of the SaaS platform when the tenant virtual machine is activated as a result of the tenant service connector package being executed in the tenant among the plurality of tenants,

wherein the service is provided between the SaaS platform and the at least one tenant through the formed connection channel.

2. The platform of claim 1, wherein the connector server comprises:

a hypervisor machine configured to operate the virtual machine of the SaaS platform.

3. The platform of claim 1, wherein the multi-tenant connector manager comprises:

a virtual machine instance manager configured to create the tenant service connector package by combining a virtual machine image for the service and set-up files for executing the virtual machine image; and

a deployment unit configured to deploy the created tenant service connector package to the tenant.

4. The platform of claim 3, wherein the multi-tenant connector manager further comprises:

a virtual machine image manager configured to read a first program from among the set-up files, for loading the virtual machine image, and the virtual machine image from a storage medium, and to transfer the first program and virtual machine image to the virtual machine instance manager, according to a request by the virtual machine instance manager; and

an application manager configured to read a second program from among the set-up files for loading an application associated with the service from the storage medium, and to transfer the second program to the virtual machine instance manager, according to the request by the virtual machine instance manager.

5. The platform of claim 3, wherein the tenant comprises:

a hardware processor;

the tenant virtual machine configured to be activated by the set-up files in the tenant service connector package received from the multi-tenant connector manager by the hardware processor, the set-up files corresponding to the virtual machine image; and

a hypervisor machine configured to operate the tenant virtual machine by the hardware processor.

6. The platform of claim 5, wherein in the tenant, a first program from among the set-up files for loading the virtual machine image is executed, and as a result, the tenant virtual machine is activated and a second program from among the set-up files for loading the application associated with the service is executed, and as a result, the connection channel is formed.

7. The platform of claim 1, wherein the multi-tenant connector manager is configured to deploy a plurality of tenant service connector packages to the tenant to facilitate high availability of the service.

8. The platform of claim 1, wherein the multi-tenant connector manager is configured to automatically deploy a service provider service connector package to a service provider among a plurality of service providers, the service provider service connector package being a package configured to cause a service provider virtual machine to be created in order to provide a service to at least one service provider among the plurality of service providers in the virtual machine form, and

when the service provider service connector package is deployed to the service provider, the connector server is configured to serve as a hub that transfers the service from the service provider to the at least one tenant.

9. A method for automatic deployment of a connector application in a multi-tenant software as a service (SaaS) platform, the method comprising:

deploying a tenant service connector package to a tenant among a plurality of tenants and a SaaS platform service connector package to a connector server for activating a virtual machine of the SaaS platform to provide a service, the tenant service connector package being a package configured to cause a tenant virtual machine to be created and activated in order to provide the service to at least one tenant of the plurality of tenants in a virtual machine form;

activating the tenant virtual machine through execution of the tenant service connector package in the tenant that receives the tenant service connector package;

forming a connection channel between the activated virtual machine of the SaaS platform and the activated tenant virtual machine; and

providing the service between the SaaS platform and the at least one tenant through the formed connection channel.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

creating the SaaS platform service connector package, the SaaS platform service connector package comprising set-up files for creating the virtual machine of the SaaS platform for being connected with the tenant virtual machine and for executing a virtual machine image of the SaaS platform, and a virtual machine image of the SaaS platform for the service, and

activating the virtual machine of the SaaS platform through execution of the created SaaS platform service connector package.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

creating the tenant service connector package by using the virtual machine image for the service and the set-up files for executing the virtual machine image when an automatic deployment command of the tenant service connector package is inputted via the SaaS platform.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein in activating the tenant virtual machine, the set-up files are configured to be executed and the tenant virtual machine corresponding to the virtual machine image is configured to be activated in the tenant that receives the tenant service connector package.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein in activating the tenant virtual machine, a first program from among the set-up files for loading the virtual machine image is configured to be executed, and as a result, the tenant virtual machine is configured to be activated in the tenant, and

in forming a connection channel, a second program from among the set-up files for loading an application associated with the service is configured to be executed, and as a result, the connection channel is formed.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein in deploying a tenant service connector package, a plurality of tenant service connector packages are deployed to the tenant to facilitate high availability of the service.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

creating a service provider service connector package, the service provider service connector package being a package configured to cause a service provider virtual machine to be created in order to provide a service to at least one service provider among a plurality of service providers in the virtual machine form, and

automatically deploying the created service provider service connector package to the at least one service provider,

wherein when the service provider service connector package is deployed to the service provider, the connector server is configured to serve as a hub that transfers the service from the service provider to at least one tenant.