ENFORCING SOFTWARE COMPLIANCE

• US 20160139938A1
• Filed: 06/12/2014
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: GEORGALAS, Nektarios, PAWAR, Pramod, VAFIADIS, George, DIMITRAKOS, Theo, EL-MOUSSA, Fadi
• Granted Patent: US 9,841,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

An apparatus for enforcing a compliance requirement for a software application in execution in a virtualised computing environment, the apparatus comprising: an identifier component operable to identify a resource instantiated for execution of the application; a retriever component operable to retrieve a compliance characteristic for the application, the compliance characteristic being retrieved based on the identified resource and having associated a compliance criterion based on a formal parameter, the compliance criterion defining a set of compliant resource states; a first selector component operable to select a software component for providing an actual parameter corresponding to the formal parameter, the actual parameter being based on data concerning the resource; an evaluator component operable to evaluate the compliance criterion using the actual parameter; an application modifier component operable to, in response to a determination that the resource is outside the set of compliant resource states, the determination being based on the evaluation of the compliance criterion, modify the software application to a modified software application having associated a resource with a state belonging to the set of compliant resource states; and a detector component operable to detect a change to one or more of the resources, wherein the identifier component, selector component and evaluator component are operable in response to a determination by the detector component that one or more resources is changed, and wherein the selector selects the software component based on an identification of one or more data items that the software component is operable to provide.

Claims

1. An apparatus for enforcing a compliance requirement for a software application in execution in a virtualised computing environment, the apparatus comprising:

an identifier adapted to identify a resource instantiated for execution of the application;

a retriever adapted to retrieve a compliance characteristic for the application, the compliance characteristic being retrieved based on the identified resource and having associated a compliance criterion based on a formal parameter, the compliance criterion defining a set of compliant resource states;

a first selector adapted to select a software component for providing an actual parameter corresponding to the formal parameter, the actual parameter being based on data concerning the resource;

an evaluator adapted to evaluate the compliance criterion using the actual parameter;

an application modifier adapted to, in response to a determination that the resource is outside the set of compliant resource states, the determination being based on the evaluation of the compliance criterion, modify the software application to a modified software application having associated a resource with a state belonging to the set of compliant resource states; and

a detector adapted to detect a change to one or more of the resources,

wherein the identifier, selector and evaluator are operable in response to a determination by the detector that one or more resources is changed, and

wherein the selector selects the software component based on an identification of one or more data items that the software component is operable to provide.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the application modifier is further operable to instantiate one or more additional resources from a pool of resources for the software application.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the application modifier is further adapted to replace the resource with a new resource.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the application modifier is further adapted to wherein modify a configuration of the resource.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the identifier is a first identifier and the identified resource is a first resource instantiated for execution of the application, the apparatus further comprising a second identifier adapted to identify a second resource instantiated for execution of the application, wherein the modifier is adapted to modify the software application by modifying the second resource.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the software component is a first software component and the application modifier is further adapted, in response to the determination, to select a second software component, wherein the second software component is operable to undertake the modifying step.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the compliance criterion is a first criterion in a set of multiple compliance criteria for the compliance characteristic, each of the multiple compliance criteria being based on a formal parameter,

wherein the selector is further adapted to select one or more additional software components for providing an actual parameter corresponding to a formal parameter for each other criterion in the set of multiple compliance criteria, and

wherein the evaluator is further adapted to evaluate each of the compliance criteria using a corresponding actual parameter to determine the level of compliance.

8. A method for enforcing a compliance requirement for a software application in execution in a virtualised computing environment, the method comprising:

identifying a resource instantiated for execution of the application;

retrieving a compliance characteristic for the application, the compliance characteristic being retrieved based on the identified resource and having associated a compliance criterion based on a formal parameter, the compliance criterion defining a set of compliant resource states;

selecting a software component for providing an actual parameter corresponding to the formal parameter, the actual parameter being based on data concerning the resource;

evaluating the compliance criterion using the actual parameter;

in response to a first determination that the resource is changed, repeating the identifying, retrieving, selecting and evaluating steps; and

in response to a second determination that the resource is outside the set of compliant resource states, the second determination being based on the evaluation of the compliance criterion, modifying the software application to a modified software application having associated a resource with a state belonging to the set of compliant resource states,

wherein the selection of the software component is based on an identification of one or more data items that the software component is operable to provide.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying the software application includes instantiating one or more additional resources from a pool of resources for the software application.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying the software application includes replacing the resource with a new resource.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying the software application includes modifying a configuration of the resource.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the identified resource is a first resource instantiated for execution of the application, the method further comprising identifying a second resource instantiated for execution of the application, wherein modifying the software application includes modifying the second resource.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the software component is a first software component and in further response to the second determination selecting a second software component, wherein the second software component is operable to undertake the modifying step.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the compliance criterion is a first criterion in a set of multiple compliance criteria for the compliance characteristic, each of the multiple compliance criteria being based on a formal parameter,

wherein the selecting step further comprises selecting one or more additional software components for providing an actual parameter corresponding to a formal parameter for each other criterion in the set of multiple compliance criteria, and

wherein the evaluating step further comprises evaluating each of the compliance criteria using a corresponding actual parameter to determine the level of compliance.

15. A computer program element comprising computer program code to, when loaded into a computer system and executed thereon, cause the computer to perform the steps of a method as claimed in claim 8.