System and method for application process automation over a computer network

• US 8,898,620 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2008
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nolio Ltd. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nolio Ltd. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eizenman, Alon, Sher, Eran, Rozanov, Mirron, Gehasie, Eyal
• Primary Examiner(s): Teixeira Moffat, Jonathan C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh, Lynda
• Application Number:
  US12/668,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20100281456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,330 Days
• Field of Search: 717/104, 717/178, 717/172, 709/202, 709/203
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3838 Dependency mechanisms, e.g. register scoreboarding
• 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: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities

Abstract

A system and a method for automated process management of software in a computer network having a plurality of computers, including for deployment. The automated process management optionally and preferably includes modeling the software application according to one or more requirements of the computer network. The modeling also preferably includes operational modeling. This modeling bridges the gap between development and operation teams. The automated process management is preferably controlled at a management server via a console, such that one or more users may more preferably adjust the process management or at least optionally view progress of any actions within the automated process performance. Such management server preferably enables the software product to be deployed, managed, verified, monitored and tracked from a single location. More preferably, the system and method provide management reports, for generating deployment and/or other automated process management reports for the technical (software professional and/or deployment professional) and management level.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

automatically constructing a process for execution for a plurality of interdependent components in a computer network having a plurality of computers for process automation, wherein the plurality of computers is organized in a multi-tier hierarchy for a software application; and

modeling the software application for said process automation, wherein said modeling comprises;

selecting a software architecture at least partially according at least a parameter or a requirement of the computer network;

operational modeling of the software application based on the software architecture;

defining a plurality of constraints that are associated with elements in the computer network, the plurality of constraints comprising hard constraints, which must be fulfilled, and soft constraints, which are desired to be fulfilled;

allocating the elements in the computer network based on the plurality of constraints responsive to fulfillment of the hard constraints;

providing an agent at each computer in the computer network;

providing a management server for controlling said agents, wherein said process automation is controlled at said management server; and

constructing a model through interactions of said agents with said management wherein one of the hard constraints comprises a plurality of the soft constraints grouped together.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said process automation comprises maintaining the application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said process automation comprises deploying the software application across the plurality of computers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said deploying the software application comprises a complete application deployment.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said deploying the software application comprises deploying an update to a previously deployed application.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

executing said automated process for the software application through said agents, under the control of said management server.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein at least one agent communicates with at least other agent during execution of said automated process.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a user adjusts of said automated process through said management server via a console.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein executing the automated process further comprises requesting at least one parameter of said user by at least one agent through said management server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the software application features a plurality of components on the plurality of computers in the computer network having inter-connected functionality.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said inter-connected functionality requires adjustment according to at least one of the automation order or operation of the software after said process automation is performed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one aspect of the automation is constrained according to said inter-connected functionality.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the process automation or maintenance is performed according to an automation plan.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said automation plan or maintenance plan is modeled by said management server and wherein at least a portion of said deployment plan is distributed to each of said plurality of agents through execution servers.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising automatically distributing files containing components of the software application to each of said plurality of agents through the execution servers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said computer network includes user access and control permissions for controlling one or more user interactions with the software application.

17. A method, comprising:

defining a plurality of constraints that are associated with elements in a computer network, the plurality of constraints comprising hard constraints, which must be fulfilled, and soft constraints, which are desired to be fulfilled;

allocating the elements in the computer network based on the plurality of constraints responsive to fulfillment of the hard constraints;

providing an agent on each of the plurality of computers;

providing a management server for managing said agents;

automatically constructing a process for execution for a plurality of interdependent components in the computer network having a plurality of computers for process automation, wherein the plurality of computers is organized in a multi-tier hierarchy for a software application;

selecting a software architecture at least partially according at least parameter or requirement of the computer network;

performing operational modeling of the software application based on the software architecture;

distributing one or more instructions to each agent by said management server according to said operational modeling of the software application; and

executing said one or more instructions according to one or more interdependencies between the interdependent components;

wherein one of the hard constraints comprises a plurality of the soft constraints grouped together.

18. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and comprising computer readable code thereon that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

automatically constructing a process for execution for a plurality of interdependent components in a computer network having a plurality of computers for process automation, wherein the plurality of computers is organized in a multi-tier hierarchy for a software application; and

modeling the software application for said process automation, wherein said modeling comprises;

selecting a software architecture at least partially according at least a parameter or a requirement of the computer network;

operational modeling of the software application based on the software architecture;

defining a plurality of constraints that are associated with elements in the computer network the plurality of constraints comprising hard constraints, which must be fulfilled, and soft constraints, which are desired to be fulfilled;

allocating the elements in the computer network based on the plurality of constraints responsive to fulfillment of the hard constraints;

providing an agent at each computer in the computer network;

providing a management server for controlling said agents, wherein said process automation is controlled at said management server; and

constructing said model through interactions of said agents with said management server;

wherein one of the hard constraints comprises a plurality of the soft constraints grouped together.

19. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and comprising computer readable code thereon that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

defining a plurality of constraints that are associated with elements in a computer network, the plurality of constraints comprising hard constraints, which must be fulfilled, and soft constraints, which are desired to be fulfilled;

allocating the elements in the computer network based on the plurality of constraints responsive to fulfillment of the hard constraints;

providing an agent on each of the plurality of computers;

providing a management server for managing said agents;

automatically constructing a process for execution for a plurality of interdependent components in the computer network having a plurality of computers for process automation, wherein the plurality of computers is organized in a multi-tier hierarchy for software application;

selecting a software architecture at least partially according at least parameter or requirement of the computer network;

performing operational modeling of the software application based on the software architecture;

distributing one or more instructions to each agent by said management server according to said operational modeling of the software application; and

executing said one or more instructions according to one or more interdependencies between the interdependent components;

wherein one of the hard constraints comprises a plurality of the soft constraints grouped together.