Techniques for dynamic cloud-based edge service computing

• US 9,898,342 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Carter, Stephen R
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELCHER, HERMAN A
• Application Number:
  US12/780,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20110282975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,839 Days
• Field of Search: 709220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• 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 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

Techniques for dynamic cloud-based edge service computing are provided. A principal requests a service and a policy is evaluated to select a cloud processing environment capable of supplying the service from an optimal network location as defined by the policy. The selected cloud processing environment is configured to supply the requested service and to monitor and control access of the principal to the requested service from the selected cloud processing environment.

Claims

1. A method implemented and residing within a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that is executed by one or more processors of a network to perform the method, comprising:

evaluating a policy that defines how to select a particular processing environment, the particular processing environment is to provide a particular service requested by a principal that is operating a portable processing device and traveling with the portable processing device, wherein a principal processing environment of the principal is different from the particular processing environment, and wherein at least one aspect of the policy includes geographical closeness between the particular processing environment and the principal; and

wherein evaluating further includes dynamically excluding from selection consideration at least one other processing environment that is geographically closer to the principal than the particular processing environment by disassociating that processing environment from consideration based on measurements of usage at that processing environment and based on a length of time that suboptimal access has been present the at least one other processing environment and a length of time that more optimal access has been present at the particular processing environment, and wherein evaluating further includes determining the particular processing environment based on a number of other principals whom are users that could benefit from having the particular service delivered from the particular processing environment;

ensuring the particular processing environment can instantiate the particular service initiated in the particular processing environment and acquiring, configuring, and executing the particular service within the particular processing environment; and

making the particular service available for access to the principal by forwarding control directives to a specific process, the specific process controlling the particular processing environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating further includes augmenting how the particular processing environment is selected based on evaluation of the policy with additional evaluation of one or more of the following:

processing environment metrics for the particular processing environment and other available processing environments, configuration settings, and current dynamic readings and metrics associated with the particular processing environment, the other available processing environments, and the particular service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating further includes evaluating the policy to select the particular processing environment based on a condition for selecting the particular processing environment that accounts for a geographic proximity of the particular processing environment relative to a principal processing device for the principal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein ensuring further includes configuring the particular service based on another policy to control the access of the principal in the particular processing environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein ensuring further includes providing authentication and terminating conditions for the particular service and the principal in the particular processing environment.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising, acquiring a list of processing environments to evaluate from a processing prospecting service.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising, dynamically changing the particular processing environment being used by the principal for the access to the particular service to another processing environment having another instance of the particular service in response to dynamically changing events while the principal is accessing the particular service from the particular processing environment.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising, gathering processing metrics from the particular service and the particular processing environment while the principal accesses the particular service.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising, dynamically supplying the processing metrics for dynamic reporting.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising, dynamically supplying the processing metrics back to a decision service to re-evaluate the usage of the particular processing environment for supplying the particular service to the principal.

11. A method implemented and residing within a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that is executed by one or more processors of a network to perform the method, comprising:

inspecting network connections between a principal processing environment for a principal and multiple cloud processing environments capable of supplying a requested service to the principal, wherein the principal processing environment is different from each of the multiple cloud processing environments, wherein inspecting further includes identifying the principal processing environment as being within a portable processing device operated by the principal and traveling with the principal;

selecting one of the cloud processing environments based on evaluation of a policy, wherein at least one aspect of the policy includes geographical closeness between the principal processing environment and each of the multiple cloud processing environments; and

wherein selecting further includes dynamically excluding from selection consideration at least one cloud processing environment that is geographically closer to the principal than the selected cloud processing environment by disassociating that cloud processing environment from consideration based on measurements of usage at that cloud processing environment and based on a length of time that suboptimal access has been present the at least one other processing environment and a length of time that more optimal access has been present at the selected processing environment, and wherein selecting further includes determining that the selected cloud processing environment based on a number of other principals whom are users that could benefit from having the requested service delivered from the selected cloud processing environment; and

supplying the requested service to the principal from the selected cloud processing environment and providing proper assertions and credentials for the principal to gain authenticated access to the selected cloud processing environment and the requested service, wherein supplying further includes supplying the requested service by forwarding control directives to a specific process, the specific process controlling the selected cloud processing environment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein inspecting further includes gathering metrics from each of the cloud processing environments and using the metrics in the evaluation of the policy.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein inspecting further includes identifying the multiple cloud processing environments from a list and using an identity for each of the multiple cloud processing environments to identify the network connections.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein selecting further includes determining the selected cloud processing environment lacks the requested service and acquiring and initiating the requested service within the selected cloud processing environment.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein selecting further includes determining the selected cloud processing environment based on a geographic proximity of the principal processing environment relative to the selected cloud processing environment, the geographic proximity defined in the policy.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein selecting further includes configuring the selected cloud processing environment and the requested service to conform to access restrictions for the principal.

17. A multiprocessor-implemented system, comprising:

an cloud edge policy evaluator implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and to execute on one or more processors of a network; and

a cloud controller implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and to execute on one or more processors of the network;

the cloud edge policy evaluator is configured to select a cloud processing environment based at least in part on geographical closeness between the cloud processing environment and a principal processing environment of a principal that operates a portable processing device that is traveling with the principal, and wherein the cloud edge policy evaluator is configured to exclude from selection consideration at least one other cloud processing environment geographically closer to the principal than the selected cloud processing environment by disassociating that cloud processing environment from consideration based on measurements of usage at that cloud processing environment and based on a length of time that suboptimal access has been present the at least one other processing environment and a length of time that more optimal access has been present at the selected processing environment, and the cloud edge policy evaluator further configured to supply to a requested service of the principal based on evaluation of a policy, and wherein the requested service is acquired, configured, and executed within the cloud processing environment is identified based at least in part on a number of other principals whom are users that could benefit from the requested service being delivered from the cloud processing environment, the cloud controller is configured to send configuration and controlling directives to a specific process of the cloud processing environment, and wherein the specific process is configured to;

control the cloud processing environment and control access of the principal to the requested service within the cloud processing environment, and wherein the cloud processing environment is different from the principal processing environment.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the cloud edge policy evaluator is further configured to use metrics acquired from the cloud processing environment and a geographical location of the cloud processing environment relative to another geographical location of a principal processing environment for the principal when evaluating the policy.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the cloud controller is configured to direct the cloud processing environment to gather processing metrics for the requested service and report the processing metrics.

20. The system of claim 17 further comprising a prospector implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium to execute on one or more processors of the network, the prospector configured to locate the cloud processing environment and a variety of additional cloud processing environments that is used by the cloud edge policy evaluator when selecting the cloud processing environment.