CLOUD-MASTERED SETTINGS

• US 20160323142A1
• Filed: 09/15/2015
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mola, Omid, Huang, Dongping (Donna), Mani, Seshadri, Hawking, Robert G.
• Granted Patent: US 10,728,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/173 Customisation support for file systems, e.g. localisation, multi-language support, personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata

Abstract

A settings management system in a remote server environment generates user interface displays with settings management user input mechanisms, and detects actuation of those user input mechanisms. Settings configuration metadata is generated, for a given setting, based upon the detected actuation. The settings metadata is output for access by a plurality of different, heterogeneous, computing environments, and the settings metadata is consistent across all of those environments.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising:

a user interface component;

a master settings configuration component that controls the user interface component to surface a settings configuration user input mechanism and to detect actuation of the settings configuration user input mechanism, which is indicative of a settings configuration input configuring a setting for a tenant that uses a plurality of different premises;

a metadata generation component that generates a set of premise-independent settings metadata, independent of the plurality of different premises on which the configured setting is to be deployed, based on the settings configuration input, and indicative of the configured setting; and

a settings output component that outputs the set of premise-independent settings metadata for access by each of the plurality of different premises.

2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of different premises each include a corresponding server cluster that uses settings implementation functionality to implement the setting based on the set of premise-independent settings metadata, and wherein the metadata generation component is configured to generate the set of premise-independent settings metadata independent of the settings implementation functionality used by the server clusters.

3. The computing system of claim 2 wherein the metadata generation component is configured to generate the set of premise-independent settings metadata to identify the setting and a setting value indicative of whether the setting is to be applied to the premise, the settings implementation functionality implementing application of the setting.

4. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of different premises each include a corresponding server cluster that implements application functionality on the corresponding premise, and wherein the metadata generation component is configured to generate the set of premise-independent settings metadata independent of the application functionality implemented by the server clusters.

5. The computing system of claim 2 wherein the settings output component is configured to service setting retrieval requests from the server clusters corresponding to the different premises.

6. The computing system of claim 5 wherein the settings output component is configured to service setting retrieval requests from a first premise and a second premise, wherein the first and second premises each comprise at least one of a local, on-premise computing system, a private cloud-based premise, or a public cloud-based premise.

7. The computing system of claim 2 wherein the settings output component is configured to send the set of premise-independent settings metadata to the plurality of different premises for the tenant.

8. The computing system of claim 3 wherein the settings output component is configured to receive an implementation status indication from each of the plurality of different premises that indicate that the setting has been implemented and to generate a status output indicative of the implementation status indication received from each of the plurality of different premises.

9. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the master settings configuration component controls the user interface component to surface the settings configuration user input mechanism to be actuated to create a new setting, modify the setting, apply an existing setting, or remove the setting.

10. A computing system, comprising:

a user interface component;

a cloud-based settings management system that controls the user interface component to surface a settings management user input mechanism and to detect actuation of the settings management user input mechanism, which is indicative of a settings management input performing a management step on a setting for a tenant that uses a plurality of different premises;

a cloud-based settings store that stores a set of cloud-mastered settings for the plurality of different premises, the cloud mastered settings being stored in a premise-independent form that is independent of the plurality of different premises in which the settings are applied for the tenant; and

a settings output component that outputs the set of premise-independent settings metadata for access by each of the plurality of different premises.

11. The computing system of claim 10 wherein the cloud-based settings management system comprises:

a master settings configuration component that controls the user interface component to surface a settings configuration user input mechanism and to detect actuation of the settings configuration user input mechanism, which is indicative of a settings configuration input configuring the setting for the tenant that uses the plurality of different premises.

12. The computing system of claim 11 wherein the cloud-based settings management system comprises:

a metadata generation component that generates a set of premise-independent settings metadata, independent of the plurality of different premises on which the configured setting is to be deployed, based on the settings configuration input, and indicative of the configured setting.

13. A computer implemented method, comprising:

controlling a user interface component to surface a settings management user input mechanism;

detecting actuation of the settings management user input mechanism, which is indicative of a settings management input performing a management step on a setting for a tenant that uses a plurality of different premises;

storing a set of cloud-mastered settings for the plurality of different premises on a cloud-based data store, the cloud mastered settings being stored in a premise-independent form that is independent of the plurality of different premises in which the settings are applied for the tenant; and

servicing settings retrieval requests, for the set of premise-independent settings metadata, by each of the plurality of different premises.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 13 wherein controlling the user interface component comprises controlling the user interface component to surface a settings configuration user input mechanism, and wherein detecting actuation comprises:

detecting actuation of the settings configuration user input mechanism, which is indicative of a settings configuration input; and

configuring the setting for the tenant that uses the plurality of different premises based on the settings configuration input.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 14 wherein configuring the setting comprises:

generating a set of premise-independent settings metadata, independent of the plurality of different premises on which the configured setting is to be deployed, based on the settings configuration input, and indicative of the configured setting.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of different premises each include a corresponding server cluster that uses settings implementation functionality to implement the setting based on the set of premise-independent settings metadata, and wherein generating the set of premise-independent settings metadata comprises:

generating the set of premise-independent settings metadata independent of the settings implementation functionality used by the server clusters.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 15 wherein generating the set of premise-independent settings metadata comprises:

generating the set of premise-independent settings metadata to identify the setting and a setting value indicative of whether the setting is to be applied to the premise, the settings implementation functionality implementing application of the setting.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of different premises each include a corresponding server cluster that implements application functionality on the corresponding premise, and wherein generating the set of premise-independent metadata comprises:

generating the set of premise-independent settings metadata independent of the application functionality implemented by the server clusters.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 18 wherein servicing settings retrieval requests comprises:

servicing settings retrieval requests from a first premise and a second premise, wherein the first and second premises each comprise at least one of a local, on-premise computing system, a private cloud-based premise, or a public cloud-based premise.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 19 and further comprising:

receiving an implementation status indication from each of the plurality of different premises that indicate that the setting has been implemented;

generating a status output indicative of the implementation status indication received from each of the plurality of different premises; and

controlling the user interface component to display a status indicator based on the status output.