Scaleable and extensible system management architecture with dataless endpoints

• US 6,662,205 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1996
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bereiter, Thomas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US08/724,663
• Time in Patent Office: 2,625 Days
• Field of Search: 395/825, 395/180, 395/200.11, 395/575, 395/51, 395/161, 370/17, 370/397, 380/24, 709/201, 709/104, 709/227, 709/200, 709/226, 709/223, 709/220, 709/203, 709/224, 709/229, 709/238, 714/45, 707/103, 707/2, 707/10, 713/324, 705/39, 705/34, 703/26, 345/716, 436/43
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network

Abstract

A large distributed enterprise includes computing resources that are organized into one or more managed regions, each region being managed by a server machine servicing one or more gateway machines, with each gateway machine servicing a plurality of endpoint machines. A distributed system management framework is supported on the gateway machines and the one or more endpoint machines to carry out system management tasks. To enhance scalability, the endpoint machines support a low cost, low maintenance client component of the system management framework, and a corresponding server component is supported on each of the gateway machines. On an as-needed basis, appropriate executable code and system management data is delivered from a gateway to one or more endpoint machines to facilitate execution of a system management task for the managed region. Typically, the system management data is not stored in the endpoint, and this “dataless” approach reduces the complexity and maintenance costs associated with distributing the functionality of the system management framework. The endpoints are easily extensible to include new application functionality without requiring the overall framework to be rebuilt or reinstalled.

Claims

1. A method of managing computing resources in a large distributed enterprise, comprising the steps of:

organizing the computing resources into one or more managed regions, each region being managed by a server machine servicing one or more gateway machines, each gateway machine servicing a plurality of endpoint machines, wherein each of the endpoint machines runs a client component of a system management framework and wherein the gateway machine that services the endpoint machines runs a server component of the system management framework, and wherein the client component of the system management framework has an operating state that is normally idle; and

delivering, on an as-needed basis, executable code and system management data from a gateway to one or more endpoint machines serviced by the gateway to facilitate execution of at least one system management task affecting the managed region in the one or more endpoint machines.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein data is used by the one or more endpoint machines to facilitate execution of the system management task and is not stored for subsequent use.

3. The method as described in claim 1 further including the step of caching the executable code for subsequent use.

4. The method as described in claim 1 further including the step of maintaining the computing resources by backing up system management data only from the server and the one or more gateway machines.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein at least some of the endpoint machines are personal computers.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the server component of the system management framework executes in a multi-threaded fashion.

7. A method of managing computing resources in a large distributed enterprise, comprising the steps of:

organizing the computing resources into one or more managed regions, each region being managed by a server machine servicing one or more gateway machines, each gateway machine servicing a plurality of endpoint machines; and

supporting a client component of a system management framework on each of the endpoint machines, wherein a gateway machine that services endpoint machines runs a server component of the system management framework, and wherein the client component of the system management framework has an operating state that is normally idle; and

delivering, on an as-needed basis, executable code and system management data from a gateway to one or more endpoint machines serviced by the gateway to facilitate execution of system management tasks affecting the managed region using the system management framework.

8. The method as described in claim 7 wherein the data is used by the one or more endpoint machines to facilitate execution of the system management tasks and is not stored for subsequent use.

9. The method as described in claim 8 further including the step of maintaining the computing resources by backing up system management data from the server and the one or more gateway machines.

10. The method as described in claim 7 wherein at least some of the endpoint machines are personal computers.

11. The method as described in claim 7 wherein the server component of the system management framework is a multi-threaded process.

12. The method as described in claim 7 further including the step of adding new application functionality to the client component of the system management framework.

13. In a large distributed enterprise wherein computing resources are organized into one or more managed regions, each region being managed by a server machine servicing one or more gateway machines, each gateway machine servicing a plurality of endpoint machines, a method of executing a system management task affecting a managed region, comprising the steps of:

delivering executable code and system management data required for the system management task from a gateway machine to one or more endpoint machines serviced by the gateway, wherein each of the endpoint machines runs a client component of a system management framework, wherein the gateway machine that services the endpoint machines runs a server component of the system management framework, and wherein the client component of the system management framework has an operating state that is normally idle; and

using a distributed system management framework supported on the gateway machine and the one or more endpoint machines to carry out the system management task using the executable code and system management data.

14. A computer connectable into a large distributed enterprise having a server machine servicing a set of gateway machines, each of which services a set of endpoint machines, comprising:

a processor;

an operating system; and

a client component of a system management framework, the client component having an associated server component supported on a gateway machine, wherein the client component of the system management framework has an operating state that is normally idle, wherein the client component of the system management framework includes;

means for receiving executables and system management data from the gateway machine; and

means for facilitating execution of a system management task affecting the managed region into which the computer is connected.

15. The computer as described in claim 14 wherein the means includes a daemon and an application runtime library.

16. The computer as described in claim 15 wherein the daemon is responsible for endpoint login to a gateway machine and for spawning an executable downloaded from the gateway machine.

17. A computer connectable into a large distributed enterprise having a server machine servicing a set of gateway machines, each of which services a set of endpoint machines, comprising:

a processor;

a multi-threaded operating system; and

a server component of a system management framework, the server component having an associated client component supported on one or more endpoint machines, wherein the client component of the system management framework has an operating state that is normally idle, wherein the server component of the system management framework includes means responsive to a method invocation for providing executables and system management data to one or more endpoint machines to facilitate execution of a system management task affecting the managed region into which the computer is connected.

18. A computer system, comprising:

a set of endpoint machines, each of which includes a processor, an operating system, and a client component of a system management framework, the client component being dataless and having an associated server component, and wherein the client component of the system management framework has an operating state that is normally idle;

at least one gateway machine including a processor, a multi-threaded operating system and the associated server component of the system management framework;

wherein the client component of the system management framework includes means for receiving executables and system management data from the server component of the system management framework to facilitate execution of a system management task.