PACKAGING TOOL FOR FIRST AND THIRD PARTY COMPONENT DEPLOYMENT

• US 20170171033A1
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lucas, Shawn M., Gibson, Robert S.T., Wei, Cheng, Maknojia, Rahim, Bordovskiy, Vitaly
• Granted Patent: US 10,250,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network

Abstract

A cloud declarative language is used to configure and reconfigure cloud computing environments. The language includes physical and logical topology declarations as well as cloud operations commands, and allows users to declare commands at multiple topology hierarchies. The language may be used to create scripts and sets of scripts that are used to configure cloud stacks and other operational parameters. Scripts may be created through direct editing by cloud designers or with the aid of graphical user interfaces. Scripts may be automatically generated using templates of configurations and requirements and use for rapid prototyping and testing of cloud environments. Scripts may also be used to monitor conformance with specified configurations, and to facilitate deployment of incremental modifications to configurations.

Claims

1. A computing system for managing a cloud design, comprising:

a processor and a memory storing thereon computer-executable instructions, the computing system communicatively coupled to a storage device storing a database of available cloud design components, where the available cloud design components comprise one or more of user resources, database resources, and feature resources, where the available cloud design components have a standard interface, and where the available cloud design components are congruent with a descriptor language including standardized parameters for the available cloud design components,

the computing system being configured such that, when executed by the processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the computing system to;

instantiate a graphical user interface configured to render a listing of the available cloud design components;

receive, via the graphical user interface, a selection of the rendered available cloud design components for the cloud design; and

adjust performance of one or more the selected components using the descriptor language to specify component parameters.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the database comprises plural resource options for each of data storage management, domain management, software applications, and network management.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the database comprises options for at least one of:

access control, configuration management, configuration deployment, operational integrity assurance, credentials management, and web services.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the listing of available cloud design components comprises nested hierarchies of component groupings, where component parameters are maintained separately for each instance of a component in the hierarchy.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user may manipulate the listing of available cloud design components where one or more elements of the listing are represented as graphic icons.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the database comprises a library of custom modules.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a configuration exporter configured to export the cloud design in a form comprising terms of the descriptor language.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a packager configured to build a cloud deployment package on demand according to the components selected and the specified component parameters.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a configuration compliance tool configured to compare a cloud deployment to the cloud design and report a number of discrepancies between the cloud design and the cloud deployment.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the configuration compliance tool is further configured to apply changes to the cloud deployment to address at least one of the discrepancies.

11. A method for managing a cloud design, comprising

storing a database of available cloud design components, where the available cloud design components comprise one or more of user resources, database resources, and feature resources, where the available cloud design components have a standard interface, and where the available cloud design components are congruent with a descriptor language including standardized parameters for the available cloud design components;

instantiating a graphical user interface configured to render a listing of available cloud design components,

receiving, via the graphical user interface, a selection of the rendered available cloud design components for the cloud design; and

adjusting performance of the selected components using the descriptor language to specify component parameters.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the database comprises plural resource options for each of data storage management, domain management, software applications, and network management.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the database comprises options for at least one of:

access control, configuration management, configuration deployment, operational integrity assurance, credentials management, and web services.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the listing of available cloud design components comprises nested hierarchies of component groupings, where component parameters are maintained separately for each instance of a component in the hierarchy.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the graphical user interface comprises the listing of available cloud design components where one or more elements of the listing are represented as graphic icons.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the database comprises a library of custom modules.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising exporting the cloud design in a form comprising terms of the descriptor language.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising building cloud deployment package on demand according to the components selected and the specified component parameters.

19. A method for monitoring cloud design compliance, comprising

storing a database of available cloud design components, where the available cloud design components comprise one or more of user resources, database resources, and feature resources, where the available cloud design components have a standard interface, and where the available cloud design components are congruent with a descriptor language including standardized parameters for the available cloud design components;

storing a cloud design in the form of a listing of selected available cloud design components in conjunction with parameters for the selected components, where the parameters are expressed in terms of the descriptor language;

comparing a cloud deployment to the cloud design; and

reporting a number of discrepancies between the cloud design and the cloud deployment

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising applying changes to the cloud deployment to address at least one of the discrepancies.