Service management system for configuration information

• US 7,032,014 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2002
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Ranganathan, Aravindan, Thiyagarajan, Pirasenna Velandi, Mahendraker, Deepa, Uchil, Mrudil P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taylor, Nicholas R.
• Application Number:
  US10/053,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20030200288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5093 wherein the managed service relates to messaging or chat services

Abstract

A method for system management of configuration data used by server or groups of servers. In one embodiment, the present invention is comprised of providing information relative to components of the system being managed. A common language is utilized to express the information. An interface is provided to enable inputting of said information. The interface also enables management of the inputted information. In one embodiment, the information is validated during inputting. The validation of inputted information ensures that the information inputted is compliant with a schema of the information. In one embodiment, the information is comprised of defined tasks that are performed by the components of the system. The information is further comprised of specified configurations relative to the defined tasks. The information further comprises a declared schema for representing the information.

Claims

1. A method of system management comprising:

providing configuration information relative to components of said system, wherein said components are multiple computers in a network environment, and wherein one of said components is a server computer;

utilizing a common language to provide said configuration information;

providing an interface configured to enable inputting of said configuration information to obtain inputted configuration information and configured to enable the managing of said configuration information;

validating said configuration information while inputting said configuration information into said interface, so as to ensure said configuration information is compliant with a schema of said configuration information; and

notifying said components of said management system based on a notification request associated with said components,

wherein the notification request is registered by said components, and

wherein a listener of said management system provides notification of modification to said components affected by a change of said inputted configuration information if said notification request is registered by said components.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said providing configuration information further comprises defining a task performed during said system management.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said providing configuration information further comprises specifying a configuration for said task, said configuration comprising a parameter relative to said task.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said providing configuration information further comprises declaring said schema for representation of said configuration.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said common language is extensible markup language.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said interface is dependent upon said configuration information being inputted and upon an entity inputting said configuration information.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprises switching from a previously operational component which has become a non-operational component to an alternative operational component, said alternative operational component providing information analogous to said previously operational component, and wherein said switching is performed dynamically when said previously operational component becomes non-operational.

8. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein derivates of said extensible markup language can be used as said common language.

9. In a network environment, a method of system management comprising:

defining tasks performed by a management system of said network environment during system management;

specifying configurations information for said tasks, said configurations information comprising parameters relative to said tasks;

declaring schemas for representation of said configurations information, wherein a common language is used for defining said tasks and specifying said configurations information and declaring said schemas;

using an interface configured to enable the inputting and managing of said configuration information in said system;

validating said configuration information while inputting said configuration information into said interface, so as to ensure that said configuration information is compliant with said schema; and

notifying a component of said management system based on a notification request associated with said component, wherein the notification request is registered by said component, and wherein a listener of said management system provides notification of modification to said component affected by a change of said configuration information if said notification request is registered by said component.

10. The network environment of claim 9 wherein said common language is extensible markup language.

11. The network environment of claim 9 wherein said interface is a graphical user interface that is dependent upon said information being inputted and upon an entity inputting said information.

12. The network environment of claim 9 wherein said interface is a command line interface that is dependent upon said information being inputted and upon an entity inputting said information.

13. The network environment of claim 9 wherein said method of server system information management further comprises switching from a previously operational component which has become a non-operational component to an alternative operational component, such that said alternative operational component provides information analogous to said previously operational component, and wherein said switching is performed dynamically when said previously operational component becomes non-operational.

14. The network environment of claim 10 wherein derivates of said extensible markup language can be used as said common language.

15. A computer system in a computer system network, said computer system comprising:

a bus;

a display device coupled to said bus;

a memory unit coupled to said bus; and

a processor coupled to said bus, said processor for performing a method of system management comprising;

providing configuration information relative to components of a management system, wherein said components are multiple computers in a network environment. and wherein one of said components is a server computer in said computer system network;

utilizing a common language to provide said configuration information;

using an interface configured to enable the inputting of said configuration information to obtain inputted configuration information and configured to manage said configuration information, wherein said providing configuration information further comprises specifying a configuration for a task, said configuration comprising a parameter relative to said task;

validating said configuration information while inputting said configuration information into said interface, so as to ensure said configuration information is compliant with a schema of said configuration information; and

notifying said components of said management system based on a notification request associated with said components,

wherein the notification request is registered by said components, and

wherein a listener of said management system provides notification of modification to said components affected by a change of said inputted configuration information if said notification request is registered by said components.

16. The computer system of claim 15 wherein said providing configuration information further comprises defining said task performed by said computer system during said system management.

17. The computer system of claim 15 wherein said providing configuration information further comprises declaring said schema for representation of said configuration.

18. The computer system of claim 15 wherein said common language is extensible markup language.

19. The computer system of claim 15 wherein said interface is dependent upon said configuration information being inputted and upon an entity inputting said configuration information.

20. The computer system of claim 15 wherein said method further comprises switching from a previously operational computer system which has become a non-operational computer system to an alternative computer system within said computer system network, such that said alternative operational computer system provides information analogous to said previously operational computer system, and wherein said switching is performed dynamically when said previously operational system becomes non-operational.

21. The computer system of claim 15 wherein derivates of said extensible markup language can be used as said common language.

22. A computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system in a computer system network to perform a method of system management comprising:

providing configuration information relative to components of a management system, wherein said components are multiple computers in a network environment, and wherein one of said components is a server computer in said computer system network;

utilizing a common language to provide said configuration information;

using an interface configured to enable the inputting of said configuration information to obtain inputted configuration information and configured to manage said configuration information;

validating said configuration information while inputting said configuration information into said interface, so as to ensure said configuration information is compliant with a schema of said configuration information; and

notifying said components of said management system based on a notification request associated with said components,

wherein the notification request is registered by said components, and

wherein a listener of said management system provides notification of modification to said components affected by a change of said inputted configuration information if said notification request is registered by said components.

23. The computer-usable medium of claim 22 wherein said providing configuration information further comprises defining a task performed by said computer system during said system management.

24. The computer-usable medium of claim 22 wherein said providing configuration information further comprises specifying a configuration for said task, said configuration comprising a parameter relative to said task.

25. The computer-usable medium of claim 22 wherein said providing configuration information further comprises declaring said schema for representing said configuration.

26. The computer-usable medium of claim 22 wherein said common language is extensible markup language.

27. The computer-usable medium in claim 22 wherein said interface is dependent upon said configuration information being inputted and upon the entity inputting said configuration information.

28. The computer-usable medium of claim 26 wherein derivatives of said extensible markup language can be used as said common language.

29. The computer-usable medium of claim 22 wherein said method further comprises switching from a previously operational computer system which has become a non-operational computer system to an alternative computer system within said computer system network, such that said alternative operational computer system provides information analogous to said previously operational computer system, and wherein said switching is performed dynamically when said previously operational computer system becomes non-operational.