METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DYNAMICALLY BUILDING A SOFTWARE APPLIANCE

• US 20090222805A1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Faus, Norman Lee, Huff, David P., Kearney, Bryan M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,458,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

An application support module can be configured to dynamically build software appliances for users. The application support module can be configured to build the software appliances based on a request by a user. The request can include a desired pre-built appliance or available applications to be included in a custom appliance. Once the requested appliance is built, the application support module can be configured determine operating requirements for the complete software appliance. The operating requirements can include the minimum necessary computing requirements to utilize the software appliance, such as required storage space, required processing power, required execution memory. The application support module can be configured to provide the software appliance to the user, if the user accepts the software appliance. Additionally, the application support module can be configured to repeat the building process if the user requests reconfiguration.

Claims

1. A method of providing software, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a software appliance, the request comprising functionality to be performed by the software appliance;

building the software appliance, the software appliance comprising at least one application capable of performing the functionality and portions of an operating system necessary to provide an execution platform for the at least one application;

determining operational requirements for the software appliance, the operational requirements comprising a minimum amount of computing resources to support the software appliance;

providing the operational requirements to an initiator of the request; and

receiving a response to the operations requirements, the response including at least one of a confirmation to provide the software appliance and a request to modify the software appliance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the software appliance to the initiator when the response includes the confirmation to provide the software appliance.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a modified request for a modified software appliance when the response includes the request to modify the software appliance, the request comprising modified functionality to be performed by the modified software appliance or modified portions of the operating system;

building the modified software appliance, the modified software appliance comprising;

at least one other application capable of performing the modified functionality and other portions of the operating system necessary to provide an execution platform for the at least one other application, or

the at least one application and the modified portions of the operating system;

determining modified operational requirements for the modified software appliance, the modified operational requirements comprising a second minimum amount of computing resources to support the modified software appliance;

providing the second operational requirements to the initiator of the request; and

receiving a second response to the second operations requirements, the response including at least one of a confirmation to provide the modified software appliance and a request to modify the modified software appliance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein building the software appliance comprises:

locating a recipe of a pre-built software appliance in a repository, the recipe comprising instructions for constructing the pre-built software appliance; and

appending an identifier to the pre-built software appliance.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the software appliance comprises:

locating at least one application capable of performing the functionality in a repository;

locating the portions of the operating system necessary to provide execution platform for the at least one application in the repository;

combining the located at least one application and the located portions of the operating system to from the software appliance; and

appending an identifier to the software appliance.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the software appliance is a binary image of data embodying the software appliance.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the software appliance comprises:

storing the binary image in a repository; and

providing a link to a location of the binary image in the repository.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the software appliance comprises:

transmitting the binary image to the initiator of the request.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the software appliance comprises:

storing the binary image on a computer readable medium.

10. An apparatus for providing a software, the apparatus comprising:

a program interface adapted to receive a request for a software appliance, the request comprising functionality to be performed by the software appliance;

a building module configured to build the software appliance, the software appliance comprising at least one application capable of performing the functionality and portions of an operating system necessary to provide an execution platform for the at least one application; and

a control module coupled to the program interface and the building module, the control module configured to determine operational requirements for the software appliance, the operational requirements comprising a minimum amount of computing resources to support the software appliance,

wherein the program interface is further adapted to provide the operational requirements to an initiator of the request and to receive a response to the operations requirements, the response including at least one of a confirmation to provide the software appliance and a request to modify the software appliance.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the program interface is further adapted to provide the software appliance to an initiator of the request when the response includes the confirmation.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the program interface is further adapted to receive a modified request for a modified software appliance when the response includes the request to modify the software appliance, the request comprising modified functionality to be performed by the modified software appliance or modified portions of the operating system;

wherein the building module is further configured to build the modified software appliance, the modified software appliance comprising;

at least one other application capable of performing the modified functionality and other portions of the operating system necessary to provide an execution platform for the at least one other application, or

the at least one application and the modified portions of the operating system; and

wherein the control module is further configured to determine modified operational requirements for the modified software appliance, the modified operational requirements comprising a second minimum amount of computing resources to support the modified software appliance, to provide the second operational requirements to the initiator of the request, and to receive a second response to the second operations requirements, the response including at least one of a confirmation to provide the modified software appliance and a request to modify the modified software appliance.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the building module is further configured to locate a recipe of the pre-built software appliance in a repository, the pre-built recipe comprising instructions for creating the pre-built software appliance and to append an identifier to the pre-built software appliance.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the building module is further configured to locate at least one application capable of performing the functionality in a repository, to locate the portions of the operating system necessary to provide execution platform for the at least one application in the repository, to combine the located at least one application and the located portions of the operating system to from the software appliance, and to append an identifier to the software appliance.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the program interface is further adapted to provide a link to a location of a binary image of data embodying the software appliance in a repository.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the program interface is further adapted to transmit a binary image of data embodying the software appliance to the initiator of the request.

17. A system for developing providing software, the system comprising:

a network configured to provide a communication channel for a plurality of users; and

a network portal coupled to the network and configured to provide products and services to the plurality of users, wherein the web-service portal further comprises;

a program interface adapted to receive a request for a software appliance, the request comprising functionality to be performed by the software appliance;

a building module configured to build the software appliance, the software appliance comprising at least one application capable of performing the functionality and portions of an operating system necessary to provide an execution platform for the at least one application; and

a control module coupled to the program interface and the building module, the control module configured to determine operational requirements for the software appliance, the operational requirements comprising a minimum amount of computing resources to support the software appliance;

wherein the program interface is further adapted to provide the operational requirements to an initiator of the request and to receive a response to the operations requirements, the response including at least one of a confirmation to provide the software appliance and a request to modify the software appliance.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the program interface is further adapted to provide the software appliance to an initiator of the request when the response includes the confirmation.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the program interface is further adapted to receive a modified request for a modified software appliance when the response includes the request to modify the software appliance, the request comprising modified functionality to be performed by the modified software appliance or modified portions of the operating system;

wherein the building module is farther configured to build the modified software appliance, the modified software appliance comprising;

at least one other application capable of performing the modified functionality and other portions of the operating system necessary to provide an execution platform for the at least one other application, or

the at least one application and the modified portions of the operating system; and

wherein the control module is further configured to determine modified operational requirements for the modified software appliance, the modified operational requirements comprising a second minimum amount of computing resources to support the modified software appliance, to provide the second operational requirements to the initiator of the request, and to receive a second response to the second operations requirements, the response including at least one of a confirmation to provide the modified software appliance and a request to modify the modified software appliance.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the control module is further configured to locate a pre-built recipe of a pre-built software appliance in a repository, the pre-built recipe comprising instruction for creating the pre-built appliance;

and

wherein the building module is further configured to append the identifying information of the initiator to the pre-built software appliance.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the building module is further configured to locate at least one application capable of performing the functionality in a repository, to locate the portions of the operating system necessary to provide execution platform for the at least one application in the repository, to combine the located at least one application and the located portions of the operating system to from the software appliance, and to append an identifier to the software appliance.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the program interface is further adapted to provide a link to a location of a binary image of data embodying the software appliance in a repository.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the program interface is further adapted to transmit a binary image of data embodying the software appliance to the initiator of the request.