Importing parameters from nested information-technology blueprints

• US 10,200,246 B1
• Filed: 08/20/2016
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rachamadugu, Raghavendra
• Primary Examiner(s): Boutah, Alina A
• Application Number:
  US15/242,503
• Time in Patent Office: 899 Days
• 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 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5048 Automatic or semi-automatic definitions, e.g. definition templates

Abstract

A blueprint is a program/document that describes a real object and includes the expertise to create and operate that object. Example objects include machines (e.g., computer or server), and systems, such as an e-commerce site, in which computers are nodes or elements. A “parent” blueprint can include, e.g., by reference, a “child” blueprint. Customizable parameters of the child blueprint are imported and instantiated into the parent blueprint so that a developer of the parent blueprint can edit the values of the customizable parameters through an application program interface (API) of the parent blueprint without affecting the child blueprint. When the parent blueprint is deployed, the provisioning of the child blueprint follows the customized parameter values rather than the original values for those parameters. The ability to modify instantiated parameters greatly simplifies the development of complex blueprints.

Claims

1. A process comprising:

creating a parent blueprint that includes a child blueprint and has instantiated within parameters and associated parameter values imported from the child blueprint, the parent blueprint having a parent Application Program Interface (API), the child blueprint having a child API;

modifying the values of the parameters imported from the child blueprint without modifying the corresponding parameter values in the child blueprint, the modifying being performed via the parent API; and

configuring a computer system by deploying the parent blueprint so as to apply the modified values rather than the values as imported from the child blueprint.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the modifying is customizing.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the child blueprint indicates that some of its parameters are modifiable and some of its parameters are not modifiable, the imported parameters being the parameters indicated as modifiable.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein the imported parameters do not include parameters that are indicated to be non-modifiable.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the modifying is not performed through an API of the child blueprint and the modifying does not modify the child blueprint.

6. The process of claim 1 further comprising creating the child blueprint such that it indicates which of its parameters are to be modifiable when the child blueprint is included in a parent blueprint.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the creating of the parent blueprint includes indicating which of its parameters are to be modifiable, the modifiable parameters of the parent blueprint including at least one parameter imported from the child blueprint.

8. The process of claim 7 further comprising:

creating a grandparent blueprint that includes the parent blueprint so that modifiable parameters of the parent blueprint are imported and instantiated into the grandparent blueprint so that at least one parameter imported from the child blueprint into the parent blueprint is imported into the grandparent blueprint; and

modifying the parameter imported from the child blueprint via an API of the grandparent.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the parameter imported from the child blueprint was modified via the API of the parent blueprint before it was modified via the API of the grandparent blueprint.

10. A system comprising non-transitory media encoded with code that, when executed using hardware, implements a process including:

creating a parent blueprint that includes a child blueprint and has instantiated within parameters and associated parameter values imported from the child blueprint, the parent blueprint having a parent Application Program Interface (API), the child blueprint having a child API;

modifying the values of the parameters imported from the child blueprint without modifying the corresponding parameter values in the child blueprint, the modifying being performed via the parent API; and

configuring a computer system by deploying the parent blueprint so as to apply the modified values rather than the values as imported from the child blueprint.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the modifying is customizing.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the child blueprint indicates that some of its parameters are modifiable and some of its parameters are not modifiable, the imported parameters being the parameters indicated as modifiable.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the imported parameters do not include parameters that are indicated to be non-modifiable.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the modifying is not performed through an API of the child blueprint and the modifying does not modify the child blueprint.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the process includes creating the child blueprint such that it indicates which of its parameters are to be modifiable when the child blueprint is included in a parent blueprint.

16. The process of claim 10 wherein the creating of the parent blueprint includes indicating which of its parameters are to be modifiable, the modifiable parameters of the parent blueprint including at least one parameter imported from the child blueprint.

17. The process of claim 16 further comprising:

creating a grandparent blueprint that includes the parent blueprint so that modifiable parameters of the parent blueprint are imported and instantiated into the grandparent blueprint so that at least one parameter imported from the child blueprint into the parent blueprint is imported into the grandparent blueprint; and

modifying the parameter imported from the child blueprint via an API of the grandparent blueprint.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein the parameter imported from the child blueprint was modified via the API of the parent blueprint before it was modified via the API of the grandparent blueprint.