System and method for scripting tool for server configuration

• US 8,180,864 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2004
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Ghattu, Satya
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Application Number:
  US10/939,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20060036715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,804 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221, 709/222
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

The present invention provides a scripting tool through which a user can interact with and execute scripting instructions of a scripting language on a server to perform administrative tasks. It interprets scripting instructions either interactively, supplied one-at-a-time from a command prompt on a scripting interface, or in batches via a script file, and it can be used either online or offline. The scripting tool enables a user to interact with the server in a session-like manner by establishing a persistent connection with the server. Once the connection is established, each instruction that the user enters to configure the server may use the same connection that has already been established. Such “session-permanent-connection” approach eliminates the need for the user to establish and re-authenticate a connection for each instruction. The scripting tool is also capable of converting an existing configuration file into a reusable script that can be used to create duplicate configurations. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Claims

1. A system to provide a scripting framework for server configuration, comprising:

a server associated with an existing configuration file that contains configuration data of the server, wherein the server is capable of maintaining a plurality of configuration management objects organized in a traversable hierarchy, wherein each of the plurality of configuration management objects is capable of maintaining a portion of the configuration data of the server; and

a scripting tool, running on one or more processors, operable to

convert the existing configuration file into an executable script file with a plurality of scripting instructions in a scripting language;

interpret the plurality of scripting instructions from the executable script file;

establish a connection to the server;

perform a plurality of operations on the server using the plurality of scripting instructions via said connection;

maintain the connection until all of the plurality of operations are completed;

wherein the scripting tool is further operable to receive scripting instructions directly from a user, display results of the scripting instructions to the user, and record the scripting instructions received from the user into a script file which can be later executed by the scripting tool; and

wherein the scripting tool enables the user to navigate, interrogate, and/or update the configuration data of the server by invoking methods on the plurality of configuration management objects once the scripting tool is connected to the server when the server is running.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the server can be one of a web server, an application server, a database server, and an administrative server.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the traversable hierarchy can be a tree.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of configuration management objects can be a managed bean (MBean) in a Java programming environment.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

an operation in the plurality of operations can be one of;

starting and/or shutting down the server;

deploying and/or undeploying an application on the server;

navigating and/or updating the one or more configurations management objects; and

recording and saving the one or more scripting instructions into the script file.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the scripting language can be based on Jython syntax.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the scripting language is capable of defining a plurality of variables and/or a plurality of categories of scripting instructions.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein:

each category in the plurality of categories can be one of control, browse, edit, deploy, lifecycle, and information.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the scripting tool includes

a scripting interface capable of accepting the one or more scripting instructions interactively and interacting with the server.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein:

the scripting tool is operable in interactive or script mode.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the configuration file can be in XML format.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein:

the scripting interface can be one of a command-line scripting shell, a graphical user interface, and a browser.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the scripting tool supports offline configuration of the server using one or more configuration management objects that allows a user to create a new domain or update an existing domain on the server.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the server is also capable of maintaining one or more runtime management objects organized in a separate traversable hierarchy, wherein each of the one or more runtime management objects is capable of maintaining a portion of runtime data of the server.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the user obtain an exclusive configuration lock on the one or more configuration management objects before making any changes, and releases the lock after successfully completing the changes.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the user introspect one or more metadata that defines the one or more configuration management objects before making any changes.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one operation of the plurality of operations can be performed both in a automatically commit mode and in a patch operation mode.

18. A method to provide a scripting framework for server configuration, comprising:

associating an existing configuration file with a server, wherein the existing configuration file contains configuration data of the server;

maintaining on the server a plurality of configuration management objects organized in a traversable hierarchy, wherein each of the plurality of configuration management objects is capable of maintaining a portion of the configuration data of the server;

converting, by a scripting tool, the existing configuration file into an executable script file with a plurality of scripting instructions in a scripting language;

interpreting the plurality of scripting instructions from the executable script file;

establishing a connection to the server;

enabling a user to navigate, interrogate, and/or update the configuration data of the server by invoking methods on the plurality of configuration management objects once the scripting tool is connected to the server when the server is running;

performing a plurality of operations on the server using the plurality of scripting instructions via said connection;

maintaining the connection until all of the one or more operations are performed,

receiving scripting instructions directly from a user;

displaying results of the scripting instructions to the user; and

recording the scripting instructions received from the user into a script file which can be later executed by the scripting tool.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein:

the traversable hierarchy can be a tree.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein:

an operation in the plurality of operations can be one of;

starting and/or shutting down the server;

deploying and/or undeploying an application on the server;

navigating and/or updating the plurality of configurations management objects; and

recording and saving the plurality of scripting instructions into the script file.

21. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

defining a plurality of variables and/or a plurality of categories of scripting instructions via the scripting language.

22. The method according to claim 18, further comprising at least one of:

accepting, via a scripting interface, the plurality of scripting instructions interactively and interacting with the server;

interpreting the plurality of scripting instructions from the scripting interface; and

executing the plurality of scripting instructions against the server.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

operating in interactive or script mode.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the script file can be in XML format.

25. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed cause a system to:

associate an existing configuration file with a server, wherein the existing configuration file contains configuration data of the server;

maintain on the server a plurality of configuration management objects organized in a traversable hierarchy, wherein each of the plurality of configuration management objects is capable of maintaining a portion of the configuration data of the server;

convert, by a scripting tool, the existing configuration file into an executable script file with a plurality of scripting instructions in a scripting language;

interpret the plurality of scripting instructions from the executable script file;

establish a connection to the server;

enable a user to navigate, interrogate, and/or update the configuration data of the server by invoking methods on the plurality of configuration management objects once the scripting tool is connected to the server when the server is running;

perform a plurality of operations on the server using the plurality of scripting instructions of a scripting language via said connection;

maintain the connection until all of the plurality of operations are performed;

receive scripting instructions directly from a user;

display results of the scripting instructions to the user; and

record the scripting instructions received from the user into a script file which can be later executed by the scripting tool.

26. The machine readable medium according to claim 25, wherein:

the traversable hierarchy can be a tree.

27. The machine readable medium according to claim 25, wherein:

an operation in the plurality of operations can be one of;

starting and/or shutting down the server;

deploying and/or undeploying an application on the server;

navigating and/or updating the one or more configurations management objects; and

recording and saving the one or more scripting instructions into the script file.

28. The machine readable medium of claim 25, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

define a plurality of variables and/or a plurality of categories of scripting instructions via the scripting language.

29. The machine readable medium of claim 25, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to perform at least one of:

accepting, via a scripting interface, the one or more scripting instructions interactively and interacting with the server;

interpreting the plurality of scripting instructions from the scripting interface; and

executing the plurality of scripting instructions against the server.

30. The machine readable medium of claim 29, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

operate in interactive or script mode.

31. The machine readable medium of claim 29, wherein the script file can be in XML format.