NON-DISRUPTIVELY CHANGING A COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20090171732A1
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wrp IP Management, LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McCONNELL, Tim A., BOBAK, Mythili K., SWANSON, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,868,441 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1402 Saving, restoring, recovering or retrying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA

Abstract

A change to a goal specified for an IT environment is to be made. Responsive to the changed goal, the IT environment is changed. This change is performed non-disruptively. Further, during the change, management to the existing goal is continued.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing changes within an Information Technology (IT) environment, said method comprising:

determining one or more changes to be made to the IT environment, in response to a change in goal associated with a business application of the IT environment; and

non-disruptively effecting the one or more changes to be made to the IT environment, wherein the non-disruptively effecting comprises continuing to manage to an existing goal of the business application.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the business application is represented by a Recovery Segment, and wherein the goal is associated with the Recovery Segment and is used in managing the business application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising defining a new goal to be associated with the business application, the new goal being the change in goal.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising evaluating achievability of the new goal absent an impact to current management of the IT environment.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determining the one or more changes to be made to the IT environment comprises generating a process that reflects one or more changes to one or more resources of the business application to be performed to achieve the changed goal.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the process comprises a difference between a process created for the existing goal and a process created for the changed goal.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the non-disruptively effecting the change comprises:

executing the process to prepare the IT environment for the one or more changes; and

non-disruptively switching to the changed goal.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising monitoring the process for completion.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the managing to the existing goal includes monitoring one or more resources of the business application.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the managing to the existing goal includes invoking one or more operations to prepare the IT environment, to recover the IT environment or to return the IT environment to a previous state.

11. A system of managing changes within an Information Technology (IT) environment, said system comprising:

at least one processor to determine one or more changes to be made to the IT environment, in response to a change in goal associated with a business application of the IT environment; and

at least one processor to non-disruptively effect the one or more changes to be made to the IT environment, wherein the non-disruptively effecting comprises continuing to manage to an existing goal of the business application.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising at least one processor to define a new goal to be associated with the business application, the new goal being the change in goal, and further comprising at least one processor to evaluate achievability of the new goal absent an impact to current management of the IT environment.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the determining the one or more changes to be made to the IT environment comprises generating a process that reflects one or more changes to one or more resources of the business application to be performed to achieve the changed goal, wherein the process comprises a difference between a process created for the existing goal and a process created for the changed goal.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the non-disruptively effecting the change comprises:

executing the process to prepare the IT environment for the one or more changes; and

non-disruptively switching to the changed goal.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the managing to the existing goal includes at least one of monitoring one or more resources of the business application, or invoking one or more operations to prepare the IT environment, to recover the IT environment or to return the IT environment to a previous state.

16. An article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer usable medium having computer readable program code logic to facilitate managing changes within an Information Technology (IT) environment, said computer readable program code logic when executing performing the following;

determining one or more changes to be made to the IT environment, in response to a change in goal associated with a business application of the IT environment; and

non-disruptively effecting the one or more changes to be made to the IT environment, wherein the non-disruptively effecting comprises continuing to manage to an existing goal of the business application.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, further comprising:

defining a new goal to be associated with the business application, the new goal being the change in goal; and

evaluating achievability of the new goal absent an impact to current management of the IT environment.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the determining the one or more changes to be made to the IT environment comprises generating a process that reflects one or more changes to one or more resources of the business application to be performed to achieve the changed goal, wherein the process comprises a difference between a process created for the existing goal and a process created for the changed goal.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the non-disruptively effecting the change comprises:

executing the process to prepare the IT environment for the one or more changes; and

non-disruptively switching to the changed goal.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the managing to the existing goal includes at least one of monitoring one or more resources of the business application, or invoking one or more operations to prepare the IT environment, to recover the IT environment or to return the IT environment to a previous state.