U.S. patent application number 11/117171 was filed with the patent office on 2006-11-02 for method and apparatus for deploying and instantiating multiple instances of applications in automated data centers using application deployment template.
This patent application is currently assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Jingrong Gao, Andrei Oprea, C. Razvan Peteanu, Michael George Polan, Andrew Neil Trossman, Alex Kwok Kee Tsui.
Application Number | 20060245354 11/117171 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37234311 |
Filed Date | 2006-11-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060245354 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gao; Jingrong ; et
al. |
November 2, 2006 |
Method and apparatus for deploying and instantiating multiple
instances of applications in automated data centers using
application deployment template
Abstract
A method, apparatus, and computer instructions are provided for
deploying and instantiating multiple instances of applications in
automated data centers using an application deployment template. A
first mechanism is provided to deploy multiple instances of
applications using an application deployment plan template. The
first mechanism uses deployment parameter sets to generate
corresponding deployment plans based on the deployment template. A
second mechanism is provided to instantiate multiple instances of
applications using deployment plan templates. A service catalog
that is exposed to consumers for selection of catalog items is
built on top of the second mechanism. During the cataloging and
order fulfillment process, the second mechanism instantiates
multiple instances of applications using the generated deployment
plans and an application model to deploy multiple application
instances. An existing order may also be modified or terminated
responsive to a user request or service term expiration.
Inventors: |
Gao; Jingrong; (Richmond
Hill, CA) ; Oprea; Andrei; (Ajax, CA) ;
Peteanu; C. Razvan; (North York, CA) ; Polan; Michael
George; (Markham, CA) ; Trossman; Andrew Neil;
(North York, CA) ; Tsui; Alex Kwok Kee; (Markham,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
IBM CORP (YA);C/O YEE & ASSOCIATES PC
P.O. BOX 802333
DALLAS
TX
75380
US
|
Assignee: |
International Business Machines
Corporation
Armonk
NY
|
Family ID: |
37234311 |
Appl. No.: |
11/117171 |
Filed: |
April 28, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
370/230 ;
379/221.09 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 41/5096 20130101;
H04L 41/5048 20130101; G06F 8/61 20130101; H04L 41/5054 20130101;
H04L 41/0843 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
370/230 ;
379/221.09 |
International
Class: |
H04L 12/26 20060101
H04L012/26 |
Claims
1. A method in a data processing system for deploying and
instantiating multiple instances of an application in a data
center, the method comprising: creating a deployment plan template
for the application, wherein the deployment plan template includes
configuration settings of the application; defining a set of
deployment parameters for each instance of the application to be
deployed; associating the deployment plan template with the set of
deployment parameters for each instance of the application to be
deployed; generating a set of deployment plans, wherein each
deployment plan in the set of deployment plans corresponds to the
set of deployment parameters; and deploying multiple instances of
the application into the data center using the set of deployment
plans, wherein each instance of the application is unique.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: creating a service
catalog item by referring to the deployment plan template;
inheriting the set of deployment parameters as a set of service
parameters for the service catalog item; defining a set of service
parameters that is specific to the service catalog item; defining a
set of service parameters that persists across multiple application
instances; and placing the service catalog item in a service
catalog.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: responsive to an
order placed by a user for a service catalog item, processing the
order by resolving the set of service parameters; and responsive to
processing the order, fulfilling the order, wherein the fulfilling
step comprises: reserving resources of the data center; and
provisioning a service for the order.
4. The method of claim 2, further comprising: responsive to
receiving a modify order comprising a modified service catalog
item, modifying an existing service, wherein the modifying step
comprises: modifying an existing application instance using one of
a same and additional set of deployment parameters.
5. The method of claim 2, further comprising: responsive to one of
a user termination and a service term expiration, deprovisioning a
service, wherein the deprovisioning step comprises: undeploying an
existing application instance; and releasing resources occupied by
the existing application instance.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration settings
include at least one of: network configurations, operating systems
which the application runs on, and combinations of software stack
supporting the application.
7. The method of claim 3, wherein the reserving step comprises:
creating an application model for a service of the service catalog
item; generating a deployment plan from the deployment plan
template for the application, wherein the deployment plan is
generated using resolved service parameters and order parameters;
and saving the deployment plan along with the application
model.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the provisioning step comprises:
generating an application instance based on information obtained
from the created application model and the generated deployment
plan; and deploying the application instance into the data
center.
9. A data processing system comprising: a bus; a memory connected
to the bus, wherein a set of instructions are located in the
memory; and a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the
processing unit executes the set of instructions to create a
deployment plan template for the application, wherein the
deployment plan template includes configuration settings of the
application; define a set of deployment parameters for each
instance of the application to be deployed; associate the
deployment plan template with the set of deployment parameters for
each instance of the application to be deployed; and generate a set
of deployment plans, wherein each deployment plan in the set of
deployment plans corresponds to the set of deployment parameters;
and deploy multiple instances of the application into the data
center using the set of deployment plans, wherein each instance of
the application is unique.
10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the processing
unit further executes the set of instructions to create a service
catalog item by referring to the deployment plan template; inherit
the set of deployment parameters as a set of service parameters for
the service catalog item; define a set of service parameters that
is specific to the service catalog item; define a set of service
parameters that persists across multiple application instances; and
place the service catalog item in a service catalog.
11. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the processing
unit further executes the set of instructions to process the order
by resolving the set of service parameters responsive to an order
placed by a user for a service catalog item; and fulfill the order
responsive to processing the order, wherein the processing unit in
executing the set of instructions to fulfill the order, reserves
resources of the data center, and provisions a service for the
order.
12. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the processing
unit further executes the set of instructions to modify an existing
service responsive to receiving a modify order comprising a
modified service catalog item, wherein the processing unit, in
executing the set of instructions to modify the existing service,
modifies an existing application instance using one of a same and
an additional set of deployment parameters.
13. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the processing
unit further executes the set of instructions to deprovision a
service responsive to one of a user termination and a service term
expiration, wherein the processing unit, in executing the set of
instructions to deprovision a service, undeploys an existing
application instance, and releases resources occupied by the
existing application instance.
14. A computer program product embodied in a computer usable medium
for deploying and instantiating multiple instances of an
application in a data center, the computer program product
comprising: first instructions for creating a deployment plan
template for the application, wherein the deployment plan template
includes configuration settings of the application; second
instructions for defining a set of deployment parameters for each
instance of the application to be deployed; third instructions for
associating the deployment plan template with the set of deployment
parameters for each instance of the application to be deployed;
fourth instructions for generating a set of deployment plans,
wherein each deployment plan in the set of deployment plans
corresponds to the set of deployment parameters; and fifth
instructions for deploying multiple instances of the application
into the data center using the set of deployment plans, wherein
each instance of the application is unique.
15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:
sixth instructions for creating a service catalog item by referring
to the deployment plan template; seventh instructions for
inheriting the set of deployment parameters as a set of service
parameters for the service catalog item; eighth instructions for
defining a set of service parameters that is specific to the
service catalog item; ninth instructions for defining a set of
service parameters that persist across multiple application
instances; and tenth instructions for placing the service catalog
item in a service catalog.
16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:
eleventh instructions for processing the order by resolving the set
of service parameters responsive to an order placed by a user for a
service catalog item responsive to an order placed by a user for a
service catalog item; and twelfth instructions for fulfilling the
order responsive to processing the order, wherein the twelfth
instructions comprise: first sub-instructions for reserving
resources of the data center; and second sub-instructions for
provisioning a service for the order.
17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:
eleventh instructions for modifying an existing service responsive
to receiving a modify order comprising a modified service catalog
item, wherein the eleventh instructions comprise: sub-instructions
for modifying an existing application instance using one of a same
and an additional sets of deployment parameters.
18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:
eleventh instructions for deprovisioning a service responsive to
one of a user termination and a service term expiration, wherein
the eleventh instructions comprise: first sub-instructions for
undeploying an existing application instance; and second
sub-instructions for releasing resources occupied by the existing
application instance.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present invention is related to the following
applications entitled Method and System for Managing Application
Deployment, Ser. No. 10/870,228, attorney docket no.
CA9-2004-0055US1 filed on Jun. 17, 2004; Method and System for
Establishing a Deployment Plan for an Application, Ser. No.
10/870,227, attorney docket no. CA9-2004-0055US1 filed on Jun. 17,
2004. All of the above related applications are assigned to the
same assignee, and incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates to an improved data processing
system. In particular, the present invention relates to deployment
of applications in automated data centers. Still more particularly,
the present invention relates to deploying and instantiating
multiple instances of applications in automated data centers using
an application deployment template.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] In a data center, resources and deployment of a distributed
application or available service may be represented using a
deployment plan. Deployment plans may be translated into operations
needed to automatically provision or deploy the defined application
or service within the data center. As described in the related
patent application entitled "Method and System for Managing
Application Deployment", which is incorporated by reference above,
a deployment plan may be developed containing an outline of
resources and configurations used for deployment based on resource
dependency characterization of application to enable deployment,
logical characterization, and network characterization of desired
deployment.
[0006] In particular, as described in the related patent
application entitled "Method and System for Establishing a
Deployment Plan for an Application", which is incorporated by
reference above, a deployment plan describes dependencies between
an application's elements and physical and networking components of
a deployment. The deployment plan also provides a framework of
steps for realizing application deployment within a system for
managing deployment of an application. The deployment plan may be
established by a user provided logical application structure for an
application to be deployed and a chosen application deployment
template comprising a logical deployment template and a network
topology template. The logical deployment template defines nodes
for supporting deployment and the network topology template defines
configuration elements for resolving dependencies between
nodes.
[0007] In existing data center management systems, a deployment
plan is used mostly to deploy a single instance of a defined
application or service. No existing mechanism is present that
deploys multiple instances of an application or a service using the
deployment plan.
[0008] In addition, no existing mechanism is present that exposes
the deployment of applications or services as a catalog item in a
service catalog. A service catalog is a collection of services that
users may select for deployment. With only the capability of
selecting a single application deployment, it is difficult for the
user to instantiate more than one application instance.
[0009] Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved
method that deploys multiple instances of applications using an
application deployment template and exploits the template to
instantiate multiple service instances in automated data
centers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Embodiments of the present invention provide a first
mechanism to deploy multiple instances of an application in a data
center. The mechanism first creates a deployment plan template for
the application, defines a set of deployment parameters for each
instance of the application to be deployed, and associates the
deployment plan template with the set of deployment parameters for
each instance of the application to be deployed. After association,
the mechanism generates a set of deployment plans corresponding to
the set of deployment parameters, and deploys multiple instances of
the application into the data center.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The novel features believed characteristic of embodiments of
the invention are set forth in the appended claims. Embodiments of
the invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use,
further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood
by reference to the following detailed description of an
illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 depicts a pictorial representation of a network of
data processing systems in which the present invention may be
implemented;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a data processing system that
may be implemented as a server, in accordance with an illustrative
embodiment of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a data processing system in
which an illustrative embodiment of the present invention may be
implemented;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary data center,
in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present
invention;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating deployment of multiple
instances of applications using an application deployment plan
template in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the
present invention;
[0017] FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary deployment
plan template in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the
present invention;
[0018] FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating an exemplary deployment
plan template in continuation of FIG. 6A in accordance with an
illustrative embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating instantiating multiple
instances of applications using an application deployment template
in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0020] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for deploying
and instantiating multiple instances of applications using a
deployment plan template in accordance with an illustrative
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0021] With reference now to the figures, FIG. 1 depicts a
pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in
which the present invention may be implemented. Network data
processing system 100 is a network of computers in which the
present invention may be implemented. Network data processing
system 100 contains network 102, which is the medium used to
provide communications links between various devices and computers
connected together within network data processing system 100.
Network 102 may include connections, such as wire, wireless
communication links, or fiber optic cables.
[0022] In the depicted example, server 104 is connected to network
102 along with storage unit 106. In addition, clients 108, 110, and
112 are connected to network 102. Clients 108, 110, and 112 may be,
for example, personal computers or network computers. In the
depicted example, server 104 provides data, such as boot files,
operating system images, and applications to clients 108-112.
Clients 108, 110, and 112 are clients to server 104. Network data
processing system 100 may include additional servers, clients, and
other devices not shown. In the depicted example, network data
processing system 100 is the Internet with network 102 representing
a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of
protocols to communicate with one another. At the heart of the
Internet is a backbone of high-speed data communication lines
between major nodes or host computers, consisting of thousands of
commercial, government, educational, and other computer systems
that route data and messages. Of course, network data processing
system 100 also may be implemented as a number of different types
of networks, such as for example, an intranet, a local area network
(LAN), or a wide area network (WAN). FIG. 1 is intended as an
example, and not as an architectural limitation for the present
invention.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a data processing
system that may be implemented as a server, such as server 104 in
FIG. 1, is depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention. Data processing system 200 may be a symmetric
multiprocessor (SMP) system including a plurality of processors 202
and 204 connected to system bus 206. Alternatively, a single
processor system may be employed. Also connected to system bus 206
is memory controller/cache 208, which provides an interface to
local memory 209. I/O Bus Bridge 210 is connected to system bus 206
and provides an interface to I/O bus 212. Memory controller/cache
208 and I/O Bus Bridge 210 may be integrated as depicted.
[0024] Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge 214
connected to I/O bus 212 provides an interface to PCI local bus
216. A number of modems may be connected to PCI local bus 216.
Typical PCI bus implementations will support four PCI expansion
slots or add-in connectors. Communications links to clients 108-112
in FIG. 1 may be provided through modem 218 and network adapter 220
connected to PCI local bus 216 through add-in connectors.
[0025] Additional PCI bus bridges 222 and 224 provide interfaces
for additional PCI local buses 226 and 228, from which additional
modems or network adapters may be supported. In this manner, data
processing system 200 allows connections to multiple network
computers. Memory-mapped graphics adapter 230 and hard disk 232 may
also be connected to I/O bus 212 as depicted, either directly or
indirectly.
[0026] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the
hardware depicted in FIG. 2 may vary. For example, other peripheral
devices, such as optical disk drives and the like, also may be used
in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted. The depicted
example is not meant to imply architectural limitations with
respect to the present invention.
[0027] The data processing system depicted in FIG. 2 may be, for
example, an IBM.RTM. eServer pSeries.RTM. system, a product of
International Business Machines Corporation in Armonk, N.Y. running
the Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX) operating system or the
LINUX operating system.
[0028] With reference now to FIG. 3, a block diagram illustrating a
data processing system is depicted in which an illustrative
embodiment of the present invention may be implemented. Data
processing system 300 is an example of a client computer. Data
processing system 300 employs a peripheral component interconnect
(PCI) local bus architecture. Although the depicted example employs
a PCI bus, other bus architectures such as Accelerated Graphics
Port (AGP) and Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) may be used.
Processor 302 and main memory 304 are connected to PCI local bus
306 through PCI Bridge 308. PCI Bridge 308 also may include an
integrated memory controller and cache memory for processor 302.
Additional connections to PCI local bus 306 may be made through
direct component interconnection or through add-in boards. In the
depicted example, local area network (LAN) adapter 310, small
computer system interface (SCSI) host bus adapter 312, and
expansion bus interface 314 are connected to PCI local bus 306 by
direct component connection. In contrast, audio adapter 316,
graphics adapter 318, and audio/video adapter 319 are connected to
PCI local bus 306 by add-in boards inserted into expansion slots.
Expansion bus interface 314 provides a connection for keyboard and
mouse adapter 320, modem 322, and memory 324. SCSI host bus adapter
312 provides a connection for hard disk drive 326, tape drive 328,
and CD-ROM drive 330. Typical PCI local bus implementations will
support three or four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors.
[0029] An operating system runs on processor 302 and is used to
coordinate and provide control of various components within data
processing system 300 in FIG. 3. The operating system may be a
commercially available operating system, such as Windows XP, which
is available from Microsoft Corporation. An object-oriented
programming system, such as Java, may run in conjunction with the
operating system and provide calls to the operating system from
Java programs or applications executing on data processing system
300. "Java" is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Instructions
for the operating system, the object-oriented programming system,
and applications or programs are located on storage devices, such
as hard disk drive 326 and may be loaded into main memory 304 for
execution by processor 302.
[0030] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the
hardware in FIG. 3 may vary depending on the implementation. Other
internal hardware or peripheral devices, such as flash read-only
memory (ROM), equivalent non-volatile memory, or optical disk
drives and the like, may be used in addition to or in place of the
hardware depicted in FIG. 3. Also, the processes of the present
invention may be applied to a multiprocessor data processing
system.
[0031] As another example, data processing system 300 may be a
stand-alone system configured to be bootable without relying on
some type of network communication interfaces. As a further
example, data processing system 300 may be a personal digital
assistant (PDA) device, which is configured with ROM and/or flash
ROM in order to provide non-volatile memory for storing operating
system files and/or user-generated data.
[0032] The depicted example in FIG. 3 and above-described examples
are not meant to imply architectural limitations. For example, data
processing system 300 also may be a notebook computer or hand-held
computer in addition to taking the form of a PDA. Data processing
system 300 also may be a kiosk or a Web appliance.
[0033] Turning now to FIG. 4, a diagram illustrating an exemplary
data center is depicted, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, in this illustrative
example, data center 400 includes resources, such as, customer 402,
server 404, Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) 406, subnet 408,
router 410, switch 412, software products 416, load balancer 418,
and data container 420.
[0034] Customer 402 may be, for example, a client or an
administrator who uses a data processing system, such as data
processing system 300 in FIG. 3. Server 404 may be implemented as a
data processing system, such as data processing system 200 in FIG.
2. Server 404 may also be implemented as an application server,
which hosts Web services or other types of servers. Router 410 and
switch 412 facilitate communications between different devices.
VLAN 406 is a network of computers that behave as if they are
connected to the same wire even though they may actually be
physically located on different segments of a local area network.
Subnet 408 is a portion of a network, which may be a physically
independent network segment and shares a network address with other
portions of the network.
[0035] Software products 416 are applications that may be deployed
to a client or a server. Load balancer 418 spreads traffic among
multiple systems such that no single system is overwhelmed. Load
balancer 418 is normally implemented as software running on a data
processing system. Data container 420 may be a database, such as
DB2 Universal Database, a product available from International
Business Machines Corporation.
[0036] Data center 400, as depicted in FIG. 4, is presented for
purposes of illustrating the present invention. Other resources,
such as, for example, a cluster of servers and switch ports, also
may be included in data center 400. The mechanism of the present
invention deploys and exploits multiple instances of applications,
such as software products 416, using an application deployment
template in automated data centers, such as data center 400. The
processes of the present invention may be performed by a processing
unit, comprising one or more processors, such as processor 302 in
FIG. 3, using computer implemented instructions, which may be
located in a memory such as, for example, main memory 304, memory
324, or in one or more peripheral devices 326 and 330.
[0037] In an illustrative embodiment, the present invention
provides a first mechanism that generates and deploys multiple
instances of an application using a deployment plan template. For
each instance of the application, there are variations in
configurations of the application. Examples of application
configurations include network configurations, operating systems on
which the application runs, and different combinations of software
stack that supports the application.
[0038] In order to accommodate these variations, a deployment plan
template may be used to generate multiple deployment plans based on
the different deployment parameters. The deployment plan template
is a parameterized deployment plan that has variables corresponding
to parameters defined in deployment parameter sets. Some examples
of deployment parameters include IP address information, router
information, and cluster information.
[0039] When binding with different deployment parameter sets, the
deployment plan template may be used to generate corresponding
deployment plans. With the generated deployment plans, multiple
application instances may then be deployed into the data center
with the help of a data center automation system. Turning now to
FIG. 5, a diagram illustrating deployment of multiple instances of
applications using an application deployment plan template is
depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the
present invention.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 5, deployment plan template 500 is created
by the mechanism of the present invention for each application that
requires multiple instances. Deployment plan template 500 describes
what data center resources are needed and configured, as well as,
software modules that need to be installed on the servers. Within
deployment plan template 500, variables with unknown values ("?")
are present for configurations or resource selections that have to
be resolved at runtime. More details regarding deployment plan
template 500 are discussed in FIGS. 6A and 6B.
[0041] At runtime, deployment parameter set 502 is exposed to the
user via a user interface. The user is prompted for resolution of
the parameter values in deployment parameter set 502. After the
user enters the parameter values, corresponding deployment plan 504
is generated by the mechanism of the present invention based on the
parameter set 502. In addition, logical application model 506 is
also generated by the mechanism of the present invention to store
deployment plan 504.
[0042] When the scheduled deployment time arrives, data center
automation system 508 retrieves deployment plan 504 that is
sufficient to deploy application instance of logical application
model 506 to the data center. For each deployment plan, data center
automation system 508 creates corresponding application instance
510.
[0043] One example of data center automation system 508 is Tivoli
Provisioning Management (TPM) System available from International
Business Machines Corporation. TPM uses deployment workflows that
understand data structures of deployment plan 504 and extract
information regarding network configuration, hierarchy, and
configuration settings of software modules to be installed on the
servers.
[0044] With different values for deployment parameters, different
sets of application instances may be deployed to the same data
center without interfering with each other. Thus, different
application instances may be deployed to a different VLAN such that
different user groups may have their own instances without
accessing other user groups' instances.
[0045] Turning now to FIG. 6A, a diagram illustrating an exemplary
deployment plan template is depicted in accordance with an
illustrative embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG.
6A, deployment plan template 600 represents a typical server
cluster set up for a Java application running on top of a Linux
operating system. In this example implementation, deployment plan
template 600 includes configuration settings for routers 602.
Within each router in routers 602, route-info-set name 604
parameter value is unknown, represented by "?-?". In addition,
deployment plan template includes configuration settings for
subnets 606. For each subnet in subnets 606, dcm-subnet-netaddress
608 and dcm-subnet-netmask 610 parameter values are also unknown,
represented by "?".
[0046] Turning now to FIG. 6B, a diagram illustrating an exemplary
deployment plan template in continuation of FIG. 6A is depicted in
accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present
invention. As shown in FIG. 6B, deployment plan template 600 also
includes configuration settings for clusters 620. For each logical
cluster in clusters 620, vip subnet-ip 622 and vip subnet-mask 624
parameter values are unknown. In addition, for each nic in
configured-nics 626, dcm-nic-id 628 and network-interface ip 630
parameter values are also unknown. Finally, in hosting-stack 632,
software-name 634 for module name "Sun JDK1.3 for Linux" is also
unknown.
[0047] The unknown values illustrated above are resolved when the
final deployment plan is generated. Thus, IP addresses for subnets,
configuration of network interface cards for the servers all have
to be specified before they can be deployed to the data center.
[0048] As described above, in addition to providing a mechanism for
deploying multiple instances of applications using a deployment
plan template, the present invention provides a second mechanism
for instantiating multiple instances of applications. A service
catalog that is exposed to consumers for selection of catalog items
is built on top of the second mechanism. In particular, the second
mechanism of the present invention creates a service catalog entry
that represents deployment of multiple instances of a defined
service. Thus, each new order received by the order fulfillment
system results in the use of the application deployment template to
create a unique, separate instance to satisfy the particular
subscription.
[0049] In the context of the present invention, a service is
created to represent an instance of an application based on a
deployment plan generated from a deployment plan template. The
deployment plan includes information for deploying and undeploying
the application. A service catalog is a collection of services with
each catalog item defining a service. A user may select a catalog
item from the catalog that best suits the user's needs. Once the
user selects the catalog item, it becomes an order and the order
fulfillment system schedules the application deployment using
information from the order by creating a subscription. In an
illustrative embodiment, part of the subscription process involves
deploying the application instance using the deployment plan
generated from the application deployment plan template.
[0050] Turning now to FIG. 7, a diagram illustrating instantiating
multiple instances of applications using an application deployment
template is depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment
of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, a catalog entry may
be ordered by multiple customers who demand their own instance of
the server. To support multiple service instances, deployment plan
template 700 is defined for an application.
[0051] As discussed previously, using deployment plan template 700,
multiple application instances may be deployed. For each instance,
deployment parameters 702 associated with deployment plan template
700 is defined. Deployment plan template 700 defines what resources
an application requires. These resources include software
resources, such as databases, products, middleware, and hardware
resources, such as network configurations, servers, and routers,
etc. Deployment plan template 700 does not contain complete
configuration information. Therefore, deployment parameters 702 are
defined to fill in customized values, for example, a specific IP
address for the subnet, and a specific software name for a module,
etc.
[0052] As the catalog and ordering process continues, deployment
parameters 702 are resolved and used for deploying corresponding
application instances. In service catalog 704, each catalog item is
created by referring to deployment plan template 700. Deployment
parameters 702 are inherited as service parameters 706 for the
catalog item. In addition, other service parameters may be defined
for the purpose of the service, for example, accounting information
parameters, rating information parameters, and user information
parameters, etc. During the catalog creation process, catalog
designer determines some of the parameters that persist across
multiple instances of the application. Examples of these parameters
include IP addresses, and amount of storage space, etc. Thus,
deployment parameters 702 are passed down to service parameters 706
for catalog designers to add more information. The catalog order is
then ready for ordering.
[0053] When an order is placed for a service catalog item, the
value of each of the parameters in service parameters 706 are
resolved by the user during order processing 708 to form resolved
service parameters 710. A service catalog item represents a item in
the service catalog that can be selected by a user. The user
completes the order by including user specific information to
resolved service parameters 710. After the service parameters are
resolved, resolved service parameters 710 are saved along with the
order, and based on the selection of deployment parameters 702, an
application instance can be distinguished from other instances
deployed using the deployment plan template 700.
[0054] After the order is processed, it is sent to a service
provisioning system for order fulfillment 712. Order fulfillment
712 fulfills the order by reserving data center resources and
provisions the service for a new service instance. In order to
reserve services 716, order fulfillment 712 creates application
model 718 for the service. Application model 718 is a placeholder
to hold the actual application to be deployed. By using resolved
service parameters 710 saved along with the order as order
parameters 714, deployment plan 720 can be generated from
deployment plan template 700 for the application. Deployment plan
720 includes values from deployment plan template 700 and order
parameters 714 and deployment plan 720 is saved along with
application model 718.
[0055] When order fulfillment 712 provisions the service 722, the
service provisioning system schedules the service as a task to
deploy the application at the time specified in the order. When the
time arrives, data center automation system deploys a concrete
application instance 724, which is generated using information
obtained from application model 718 and generated deployment plan
720. Since all deployment parameters 702 in deployment plan 720 are
already resolved, data center automation system has sufficient
information to successfully deploy application instance 724.
[0056] In addition to reserving and provisioning services, order
fulfillment 712 allows user to modify service 726 or to enhance
currently ordered service. In order to modify the service, another
catalog item is created referring to the same service. The user may
select additional deployment parameters or use the same deployment
parameters with the original order for the new catalog item. Order
fulfillment 712 then passes the modified order to the service
provisioning system to modify existing application instance 724
using resolved order parameters 714 passed from the modified
order.
[0057] Furthermore, order fulfillment 712 also deprovisions service
728 by placing an order to the service provisioning system. The
order may be manually initiated by a user to terminate the service
prematurely or automatically initiated at service end time. In
turn, the service provision system invokes data center automation
system to undeploy application instance 724 and releases all
resources occupied by application instance 724 and restores the
resources to the pool. In order to release resources, deployment
plan 720 and application model 718 are used by the data center
automation system.
[0058] Thus, by using deployment plan template 700 and resolved
service parameters 710, multiple instances of a service for an
application may be provisioned, deprovisioned, and modified. These
functionalities are provided via service catalog 704, order
processing 708, and order fulfillment 712. In this way, multiple
application instances 724 corresponding to multiple deployment
plans 720 may be deployed and undeployed in the data center.
[0059] Turning now to FIG. 8, a flowchart of an exemplary process
for deploying and instantiating multiple instances of applications
using a deployment plan template is depicted in accordance with an
illustrative embodiment of the present invention. As depicted in
FIG. 8, the process begins when a deployment plan template is
defined (step 800). Next, sets of deployment parameters are also
defined (step 802). The deployment parameter sets are then
associated with the deployment plan template (step 804).
[0060] The mechanism of the present invention then creates a
service catalog item by referring to the deployment plan template
(step 806) and the deployment parameter sets are inherited as
service parameters and other service parameters specific for the
service are defined at this time (step 808). Service designers may
determine service parameters that persist across multiple instances
of the application (step 810) and generates an order based on the
service parameters. In an illustrative embodiment, the order is
generated when service designers elect to resolve service
parameters and publish the catalog after resolution (step 812).
Service consumers then browse the catalog and select catalog items
to place an order (step 814).
[0061] During order processing, a user of the service catalog, who
may be placing the order, resolves the service parameters and sends
the order to order fulfillment system (step 816). Next, the
mechanism of the present invention makes a determination as to
whether the order is to be provisioned, modified, or deprovisioned
based on an order type that is defined in the catalog by the
catalog designer (step 818). If the order is to be provisioned, the
mechanism of the present inventions first reserves resources by
creating an application model and generating a corresponding
deployment plan from the deployment plan template (step 820).
Service provisioning system then provisions the service by
generating and deploying the application instance using information
obtained from the deployment plan and the application model (step
822). Thus, the process terminates thereafter.
[0062] Turning back to step 818, if the order is to be modified,
the mechanism of the present invention receives a modify order
initiated from a modified catalog item created by the catalog
designer (step 824) and sends the modify order to the service
provisioning system using the same or additional deployment
parameters with the original order (step 826). For example, a
catalog item of email account service may be modified with a
catalog item that adds additional storage space to the email
account. After the modify order is initiated, the service
provisioning system then modifies the existing application instance
using the modify order parameters (step 828). Thus, the process
terminates thereafter.
[0063] Turning back to step 818, if the order is to be
deprovisioned, the mechanism of the present invention invokes the
data center automation system or the data center automation system
is automatically invoked upon service term expiration to generate a
cancellation order to deprovision the service at the service end
time (step 830). The data center automation system undeploys the
application instance (step 832) and releases the resources using
the application model and the deployment plan (step 834). Thus, the
process terminates thereafter.
[0064] Thus, with the application deployment template, multiple
instances of applications may be deployed and instantiated for
different configurations. In this way, different organizations with
different domains may be accommodated.
[0065] It is important to note that while the present invention has
been described in the context of a fully functioning data
processing system, those of ordinary skill in the art will
appreciate that the processes of the present invention are capable
of being distributed in the form of a computer usable medium of
instructions and a variety of forms and that the present invention
applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal-bearing
media actually used to carry out the distribution. Examples of
computer usable media include recordable-type media such as a
floppy disc, a hard disk drive, a RAM, and CD-ROMs and
transmission-type media such as digital and analog communications
links.
[0066] The description of embodiments of the present invention have
been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but
are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to embodiments of the
invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations
will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The
embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the
principles of embodiments of the invention, the practical
application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to
understand the invention for various embodiments with various
modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
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