Managing Introspectable Objects in an Enterprise

• US 20080270592A1
• Filed: 07/07/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Choudhary, Samar, Muguda, Naveenkumar V.
• Granted Patent: US 7,650,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Managing object relationships in an enterprise is presented. A request manager receives a view request from a user. The request manager retrieves a management definition object (MDO) and a perspective that corresponds to the view request, which the request manager uses to generate a view that includes nodes corresponding to an enterprise'"'"'s objects. The user analyzes the generated view, and sends a command request to the request manager that corresponds to a plurality of the nodes. The request manager uses the retrieved perspective, the MDO, and also may access a backend in order to identify objects that correspond to the command request. Once the objects are identified, the command manager sends a command to the identified objects to the backend through plug-ins.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a command request, the command request corresponding to a plurality of nodes;

determining one or more role names that correspond to the plurality of nodes using a perspective that corresponds to the command request;

identifying one or more classes that correspond to the role names; and

sending the command request to a plurality of objects that correspond to the identified classes.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving one or more managed definition objects, the managed definition objects including a relationship between the identified classes and the plurality of objects; and

associating the identified classes to the plurality of objects using the managed definition objects.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving a view request;

selecting the perspective from a plurality of perspectives that corresponds to the view request, wherein each of the plurality of perspectives corresponds to a different view;

identifying a root node that is included in the selected perspective;

identifying one or more child nodes that correspond to the root node using one of the managed definition objects and the perspective; and

displaying the root node and the identified child nodes in a view.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the perspective includes a transparent node, the method further comprising:

detecting the transparent node; and

omitting objects that correspond to the transparent node from the view.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

receiving a subsequent view request, the subsequent view request corresponding to a subsequent perspective;

selecting the subsequent perspective from the plurality of perspectives; and

displaying a subsequent view that corresponds to the subsequent perspective, the subsequent view different than the view.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the view is a common aggregated depiction of an enterprise.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an event, the event corresponding to one of the identified classes;

identifying one or more actions corresponding to the event; and

performing the identified actions on the class that corresponds to the event.

8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the command request is sent to the plurality of objects using a plurality of plug-ins.

9. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by the processors;

one or more nonvolatile storage devices accessible by the processors; and

an object management tool for managing introspectable objects, the object management tool comprising software code effective to;

receive a command request over a computer network, the command request corresponding to a plurality of nodes;

retrieve a perspective from one of the nonvolatile storage devices that corresponds to the command request;

determine one or more role names that correspond to the plurality of nodes using the perspective;

identify one or more classes that correspond to the role names; and

send the command request over the computer network to a plurality of objects that correspond to the identified classes.

10. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the software code is further effective to:

retrieve one or more managed definition objects from one of the nonvolatile storage devices, the managed definition objects including a relationship between the identified classes and the plurality of objects; and

associate the identified classes to the plurality of objects using the managed definition objects.

11. The information handling system of claim 10 wherein the software code is further effective to:

receive a view request over the computer network;

select the perspective from a plurality of perspectives that corresponds to the view request, wherein each of the plurality of perspectives corresponds to a different view;

identify a root node that is included in the selected perspective;

identify one or more child nodes that correspond to the root node using one of the managed definition objects and the perspective; and

display the root node and the identified child nodes in a view on a display.

12. The information handling system of claim 11 wherein the perspective includes a transparent node, the software code further effective to:

detect the transparent node; and

omit objects that correspond to the transparent node from the view.

13. The information handling system of claim 11 wherein the software code is further effective to:

receive a subsequent view request over the computer network, the subsequent view request corresponding to a subsequent perspective;

select the subsequent perspective from the plurality of perspectives; and

display a subsequent view that corresponds to the subsequent perspective, the subsequent view different than the view.

14. The information handling system of claim 11 wherein the view is a common aggregated depiction of an enterprise.

15. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the software code is further effective to:

receive an event over the computer network, the event corresponding to one of the identified classes;

identify one or more actions corresponding to the event; and

perform the identified actions on the class that corresponds to the event.

16. The information handling system as described in claim 9 wherein the command request is sent to the plurality of objects using a plurality of plug-ins.

17. A program product comprising:

computer operable medium having computer program code, the computer program code being effective to;

receive a command request, the command request corresponding to a plurality of nodes;

retrieve a perspective that corresponds to the command request;

determine one or more role names that correspond to the plurality of nodes using the perspective;

identify one or more classes that correspond to the role names; and

send the command request to a plurality of objects that correspond to the identified classes.

18. The program product of claim 17 wherein the computer program code is further effective to:

retrieve one or more managed definition objects, the managed definition objects including a relationship between the identified classes and the plurality of objects; and

associate the identified classes to the plurality of objects using the managed definition objects.

19. The program product of claim 18 wherein the computer program code is further effective to:

receive a view request;

select the perspective from a plurality of perspectives that corresponds to the view request, wherein each of the plurality of perspectives corresponds to a different view;

identify a root node that is included in the selected perspective;

identify one or more child nodes that correspond to the root node using one of the managed definition objects and the perspective; and

display the root node and the identified child nodes in a view.

20. The program product of claim 19 wherein the perspective includes a transparent node, the computer program code further effective to:

detect the transparent node; and

omit objects that correspond to the transparent node from the view.

21. The program product of claim 19 wherein the computer program code is further effective to:

receive a subsequent view request, the subsequent view request corresponding to a subsequent perspective;

select the subsequent perspective from the plurality of perspectives; and

display a subsequent view that corresponds to the subsequent perspective, the subsequent view different than the view.

22. The program product of claim 19 wherein the view is a common aggregated depiction of an enterprise.

23. The program product of claim 17 wherein the computer program code is further effective to:

receive an event, the event corresponding to one of the identified classes;

identify one or more actions corresponding to the event; and

perform the identified actions on the class that corresponds to the event.

24. The program product as described in claim 17 wherein the command request is sent to the plurality of objects using a plurality of plug-ins.

25. A method comprising:

receiving a view request;

selecting a perspective from a plurality of perspectives that corresponds to the view request, wherein each of the plurality of perspectives corresponds to a different view;

identifying a root node that is included in the selected perspective;

identifying one or more child nodes that correspond to the root node using one of the managed definition objects and the perspective;

displaying the root node and the identified child nodes in a view;

receiving a command request, the command request corresponding to a plurality of nodes included in the view;

determining one or more role names that correspond to the plurality of nodes using the perspective;

identifying one or more classes that correspond to the role names; and

sending the command request to a plurality of objects that correspond to the identified classes.

26. A method comprising:

receiving a command request, the command request corresponding to a plurality of nodes;

determining one or more role names that correspond to the plurality of nodes using a perspective that corresponds to the command request;

identifying one or more classes that correspond to the role names;

retrieving one or more managed definition objects, the managed definition objects including a relationship between the identified classes and a plurality of objects;

associating the identified classes to the plurality of objects using the managed definition objects; and

sending the command request to the plurality of objects that correspond to the identified classes.

27. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by the processors;

one or more nonvolatile storage devices accessible by the processors; and

an object management tool for managing introspectable objects, the object management tool comprising software code effective to;

receive a command request over a computer network, the command request corresponding to a plurality of nodes;

determine one or more role names that correspond to the plurality of nodes using a perspective that corresponds to the command request, the perspective located in one of the nonvolatile storage devices;

identify one or more classes that correspond to the role names;

retrieve one or more managed definition objects from one of the nonvolatile storage devices, the managed definition objects including a relationship between the identified classes and a plurality of objects;

associate the identified classes to the plurality of objects using the managed definition objects; and

send the command request to the plurality of objects over the computer network that corresponds to the identified classes.

28. A program product comprising:

computer operable medium having computer program code, the computer program code being effective to;

receive a view request;

select a perspective from a plurality of perspectives that corresponds to the view request, wherein each of the plurality of perspectives corresponds to a different view;

identify a root node that is included in the selected perspective;

identify one or more child nodes that correspond to the root node using one of the managed definition objects and the perspective;

display the root node and the identified child nodes in a view;

receive a command request, the command request corresponding to a plurality of nodes included in the view;

determine one or more role names that correspond to the plurality of nodes using the perspective;

identify one or more classes that correspond to the role names; and

send the command request to a plurality of objects that correspond to the identified classes.

29. A program product comprising:

computer operable medium having computer program code, the computer program code being effective to;

receive a command request, the command request corresponding to a plurality of nodes;

determine one or more role names that correspond to the plurality of nodes using a perspective that corresponds to the command request;

identify one or more classes that correspond to the role names;

retrieve one or more managed definition objects, the managed definition objects including a relationship between the identified classes and a plurality of objects;

associate the identified classes to the plurality of objects using the managed definition objects; and

send the command request to the plurality of objects that correspond to the identified classes.