Allocation of network resources

• US 20060059565A1
• Filed: 08/26/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Green, Tammy Anita, Carter, Stephen R., Burch, Lloyd Leon, Earl, Douglas G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,681,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

Techniques are provided for allocating resources over a network. A resource consumer requests access to a resource over a network. As part of that request, the resource consumer acquires information that permits it to securely communicate with a resource provider. The resource provider controls the resource and once satisfied with the security of a request from a resource consumer allocates the resource for access by the resource consumer.

Claims

1. A method for allocating a resource, comprising:

receiving a request to allocate at least a portion of a resource;

dynamically establishing a trust relationship between the resource and a requestor that issues the request; and

allocating at least the portion of the resource to the requester, if the trust relationship was successfully established.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, acquiring one or more policies that drive the consumption of the resource by the requestor.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, communicating secure information between the requestor and the resource, while at least the portion of the resource is allocated to the requestor.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, registering at least the portion of the resource with an identity service before receiving the request, wherein the registration is acquired by the requester through the identity service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically establishing further includes dynamically interacting with an identity service to establish the trust relationship after the request is received.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating further includes communicating a specification to the requestor for consuming at least the portion of the resource, wherein the requestor'"'"'s consumption is circumscribed by tenets of the specification.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein communicating further includes communicating the specification from an identity service to the requester.

8. A method for facilitating the allocation of resources, comprising:

receiving registrations from resource providers, wherein the registrations identify resources that may be accessed over a network by resource consumers;

receiving requests from the resource consumers for desired consumption of the resources; and

facilitating allocation of the resources to the resource consumers by providing the resource consumers with authentication information and mechanisms for acquiring specific ones of the resources from the resource providers.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the requests further includes receiving the requests as generic requests from the resource consumers not directed to any specific resource provider.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising, managing the assignment of a number of the resources to the generic requests based on existing usage patterns or policies associated with the resource providers.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the requests further includes receiving the requests from the resources consumers, wherein the requests are directed to specific ones of the resources.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein facilitating further includes providing a number of the resource consumers with consumption specifications which dictate the conditions under which access to a number of the resources is to conform when communicating with a number of the resource providers.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising, identifying at least one resource provider as one of the resource consumers.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising, periodically receiving, from the resource providers, utilization metrics for registered resources.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising, determining which of the resources to identify to the resource consumers based on thresholds associated with the utilization metrics.

16. A method for acquiring allocation of a resource, comprising:

querying a service for available resources;

receiving at least one resource identifier a specific resource;

receiving a trust certificate from the service for a resource provider of the specific resource; and

initiating communication with the resource provider by supplying the trust certificate, wherein the communication results in the specific resource being allocated for use.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein querying further includes issuing a search request to the service, wherein the search request includes desired characteristics of potential resources desired.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising, accessing the specific resource over the network, wherein the resource is used for at least one of storage, memory, processing, and bandwidth access.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein querying further includes inspecting a list acquired from the service which presents the available resources for selection.

20. A network resource allocation system, comprising:

a resource located on a resource provider; and

an identity service, wherein the resource provider registers the resource with the identity service, the identity service identifies the resource to a resource consumer, which is located remotely on a network from the resource provider, and the identity service provides to the resource consumer authentication information and authentication mechanisms for authenticating to the resource provider and acquiring allocation to the resource.

21. The network resource allocation system of claim 20, wherein the identity service manages a consumption specification for the resource, wherein the consumption specification defines the conditions of consumption for the resource consumer, and wherein the consumption specification is provided by the resource provider.

22. The network resource allocation system of claim 20, wherein the identity service manages policies associated with identifying the resource to the resource consumer.

23. The network resource allocation system of claim 20, wherein the identity service periodically acquires utilization metrics from the resource provider and uses a policy associated with the resource or resource provider to determine when it is appropriate to identify the resource to the resource consumer.

24. The network resource allocation system of claim 20, wherein the resource provider registers additional resources with the identity service which may be identified to the resource consumer or other resource consumers, wherein the resource provider provides priorities for the resource and the additional resources, and wherein the identity service in response to the priorities makes decisions about which of the resource or the additional resources to identify to which of the resource consumer or the other resource consumers.

25. The network resource allocation system of claim 20 further comprising, additional resources which are registered with the identity service by other resource providers.

26. The network resource allocation system of claim 20, wherein the identity service provides the resource consumer with a public certificate, public key, or trust certificate of the resource provider as part of the authentication information.

27. A network resource allocation system, comprising:

a resource provider; and

a resource consumer, wherein the resource provider identifies one or more resources which are available to be allocated to the resource consumer, the resource consumer acquires the identity of the resource and authentication information for interacting with the resource provider in order to acquire allocation to at least a portion of the one or more resources.

28. The network resource allocation system of claim 27 further comprising, an identity service that identifies the one or more resources and dynamically provides the authentication information to the resource consumer.

29. The network resource allocation system of claim 27, wherein the resource consumer contacts a registration service to at least acquire the identity of the one or more resources and the authentication information.

30. The network resource allocation system of claim 27, wherein the resource consumer acquires a consumption specification that dictates the conditions under which at least a portion of the one or more resources may be accessed by the resource consumer.

31. The network resource allocation system of claim 27, wherein the resource consumer and the resource provider are in a trusted relationship when the resource consumer accesses at least a portion of the one or more resources on the resource provider.

32. The network resource allocation system of claim 27, wherein information exchanged between the resource provider and resource consumer during access of the at least a portion of the one or more resources is communicated in a secure manner.

33. The network resource allocation system of claim 27, wherein the resource is at least one of storage, a processor, memory, and bandwidth, which is under the control of the resource provider.

34. The network resource allocation system of claim 27, wherein an identity of the resource consumer is concealed or held anonymous from the resource provider and/or wherein an identity of the resource provider is concealed or held anonymous from the resource consumer during the interactions