Systems and methods for installing, managing, and provisioning applications

• US 9,235,491 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Kimmet, Tim G., Sivasubramanian, Ramana Venkatesh, Hansen, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): JAHNIGE, CAROLINE H
• Application Number:
  US13/631,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20140095694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3003 Monitoring arrangements specially adapted to the computing system or computing system component being monitored
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/34 Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical evaluation of user activity, e.g. usability assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3433 for load management allocation of a server based on load conditions G06F9/505; load rebalancing G06F9/5083; redistributing the load in a network by a load balancer H04L67/1029
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• 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 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/55 Testing of service level quality, e.g. simulating service usage

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for provisioning resources for an application according to an application manifest. The resources may include database, network, and processing resources. The application manifest may be organized as a manifest tree with provisioned resources having their own application manifests for provisioning sub-resources. The application manifest may also define provisioning and de-provisioning of the application in response to loading of the application. Root cause analysis may be performed in accordance with the manifest tree. Also disclosed are systems and methods for rolling out an upgrade across a node cluster. Systems and methods are disclosed for routing traffic to different workflow paths in order to implement an overloaded path and evaluate performance of the overloaded path.

Claims

1. A method for system diagnosis, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, incoming traffic for a system defining a plurality of workflow paths;

selecting, by the computer system, a first portion of the incoming traffic and directing the first portion of the incoming traffic to an overload path of the plurality of workflow paths;

directing, by the computer system, a remaining portion of the incoming traffic to remaining workflow paths of the plurality of workflow paths according to a load balancing scheme, the first portion of the incoming traffic being of an amount effective to load the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths to a greater extent than loading of each of the remaining workflow paths of the plurality of workflow paths according to the load balancing scheme and effective to cause overloading of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths and such that an amount of overloading increases until the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths fails;

processing, by the computer system, the first portion of the incoming traffic in the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths;

processing, by the computer system, the remaining portion of the incoming traffic in the remaining workflow paths of the plurality of workflow paths;

monitoring, by the computer system, the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths, by monitoring;

a processor usage;

a memory usage;

a number of objects instantiated; and

a number of database calls made;

detecting, by the computer system, operation at or above a predefined level of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths based at least in part on the monitoring of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths; and

reporting, by the computer system, data reflecting the operation at or above the predefined level of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the operation of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths comprises failure in the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of workflow paths are provisioned according to a first application manifest defining a plurality of resources.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

automatically adjusting allocations of resources in the first application manifest based at least in part on the monitoring of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths to generate a second application manifest.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising rolling out the second application manifest incrementally across the plurality of workflow paths.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising progressively performing, for each workflow path of the plurality of workflow paths:

upgrading the workflow path according to the second application manifest as automatically adjusted;

evaluating a performance of the workflow path; and

if the performance of the workflow path is found to improve, retaining the workflow path according to the second application manifest, otherwise restoring the workflow path in accordance with the first application manifest.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein:

detecting the operation at or above the predefined level of the overload path comprises;

detecting a failure in the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths;

evaluating data logs documenting the failure;

evaluating the first application manifest to identify a failed resource of the plurality of resources that is a cause of the failure based at least in part on the evaluation of the data logs; and

reporting the failed resource.

8. A system for system diagnosis, the system comprising:

one or more processors and one or more memory devices operably coupled to the one or more processors, the memory devices storing executable and operational data effective to cause the one or more processors to;

receive incoming traffic for a system defining a plurality of workflow paths;

select a first portion of the incoming traffic and directing the first portion of the incoming traffic to an overload path of the plurality of workflow paths;

direct a remaining portion of the incoming traffic to remaining workflow paths of the plurality of workflow paths according to a load balancing scheme, the first portion of the incoming traffic being of an amount effective to load the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths to a greater extent than loading of each of the remaining workflow paths of the plurality of workflow paths according to the load balancing scheme and effective to overload the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths, such that an amount of overloading of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths increases until failure of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths occurs;

process the first portion of the incoming traffic in the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths;

process the remaining portion of the incoming traffic in the remaining workflow paths of the plurality of workflow paths;

monitor the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths by monitoring;

a processor usage;

a memory usage;

a number of objects instantiated; and

a number of database calls made;

detect operation at or above a predefined lever of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths based at least in part on the monitoring of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths; and

report data reflecting the operation at or above the predefined level of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the operation of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths comprises failure in the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the plurality of workflow paths are provisioned according to a first application manifest defining a plurality of resources.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to automatically adjust allocations of resources in the first application manifest based at least in part on the monitoring of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths to generate a second application manifest.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to roll out the second application manifest incrementally across the plurality of workflow paths.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to progressively perform, for each workflow path of the plurality of workflow paths:

upgrading the workflow path according to the second application manifest as automatically adjusted;

evaluating a performance of the workflow path; and

if the performance of the workflow path is found to improve, retaining the workflow path according to the second application manifest, otherwise restoring the workflow path in accordance with the first application manifest.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein:

detecting the operation at or above the predefined level of the overload path comprises;

detecting a failure in the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths;

evaluating data logs documenting the failure;

evaluating the first application manifest to identify a failed resource of the plurality of resources that is a cause of the failure based at least in part on the evaluation of the data logs; and

reporting the failed resource.

15. A computer program product for system diagnosis, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving incoming traffic for a system defining a plurality of workflow paths;

selecting a first portion of the incoming traffic and directing the first portion of the incoming traffic to an overload path of the plurality of workflow paths;

directing a remaining portion of the incoming traffic to remaining workflow paths of the plurality of workflow paths according to a load balancing scheme, the first portion of the incoming traffic being of an amount effective to load the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths to a greater extent than loading of each of the remaining workflow paths of the plurality of workflow paths according to the load balancing scheme and effective to overload the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths and such that an amount of overloading of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths increases until failure occurs;

processing the first portion of the incoming traffic in the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths;

processing the remaining portion in the remaining workflow paths of the plurality of workflow paths;

monitoring the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths by monitoring;

a processor usage;

a memory usage;

a number of objects instantiated; and

a number of database calls made;

detecting operation at or above a predefined level of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths based at least in part on the monitoring of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths; and

report data reflecting the operation at or above the predefined level of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

the operation of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths includes failure in the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

the plurality of workflow paths are provisioned according to a first application manifest defining a plurality of resources.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer instructions for automatically adjusting allocations of resources in the first application manifest based at least in part on the monitoring of the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths to generate a second application manifest.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising computer instructions for rolling out the second application manifest incrementally across the plurality of workflow paths.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising computer instructions for progressively performing, for each workflow path of the plurality of workflow paths:

upgrading the workflow path according to the second application manifest as automatically adjusted;

evaluating a performance of the workflow path; and

if the performance of the workflow path is found to improve, retaining the workflow path according to the second application manifest, otherwise restoring the workflow path in accordance with the first application manifest.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein:

detecting the operation at or above the predefined level of the overload path comprises;

detecting a failure in the overload path of the plurality of workflow paths;

evaluating data logs documenting the failure;

evaluating the first application manifest to identify a failed resource of the plurality of resources that is a cause of the failure based at least in part on the evaluation of the data logs; and

reporting the failed resource.