U.S. patent application number 14/847109 was filed with the patent office on 2017-03-09 for pattern design for heterogeneous environments.
The applicant listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Rahul Ghosh, Hugh E. Hockett, Aaron J. Quirk, Lin Sun.
Application Number | 20170068556 14/847109 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57964861 |
Filed Date | 2017-03-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170068556 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ghosh; Rahul ; et
al. |
March 9, 2017 |
PATTERN DESIGN FOR HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENTS
Abstract
A method is provided for designing and optimizing a pattern by
considering heterogeneous cloud environments. Building blocks
within the pattern can be deployed into different cloud
environments and different cloud providers, depending on where the
pattern fits users need best. Further, building block configuration
within the pattern can be optimized by target environments, along
with runtime bursting among multiple environments.
Inventors: |
Ghosh; Rahul; (Bangalore,
IN) ; Hockett; Hugh E.; (Raleigh, NC) ; Quirk;
Aaron J.; (Cary, NC) ; Sun; Lin; (Cary,
NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57964861 |
Appl. No.: |
14/847109 |
Filed: |
September 8, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 2009/45562
20130101; G06F 9/45558 20130101; G06F 8/60 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 9/455 20060101
G06F009/455 |
Claims
1. A method for pattern design for heterogeneous target
environments, the method comprising: defining a pattern, the
pattern being a model of a topology and application environment;
receiving a list of target devices for use as a potential
deployment target for a set of components of the pattern;
identifying a type of hypervisor and/or hardware that is available
on each of the list of target devices; and generating a list of
recommended target environments to accommodate a deployment of the
pattern or a deployment of a portion of the pattern based, at least
in part, on the pattern and the type of hypervisor and/or
hardware.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: selecting one or more
target environments from the list of recommended target
environments; and generating a set of configuration recommendations
based on the selected one or more target environments.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: modifying the pattern
in response to the set of configuration recommendations.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein modifying the pattern includes:
provisioning a plurality of virtual machines on respectively
corresponding target environments of the list of recommended target
environments.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein modifying the pattern includes:
provisioning a plurality of virtual machines on respectively
corresponding target devices of the list of target devices.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the set of
configuration recommendations is based on one or more of the
following: resources utilized by virtual machines according to the
pattern, quality of a communication link between virtual machines
for a specified configuration of the set of configurations, an
effect on performance of a specified target device of the set of
target devices, security requirements of specified components of
the pattern, and availability of resources on each target device of
the list of target devices.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of target devices
includes one or more of the following: an on-premise system, an
off-premise system, a public cloud provider, a server platform, a
laptop, and a mobile device.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein an IP address of each target
device of the list of target devices is retrieved from one or more
databases.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of hypervisor includes a
resource-rich hypervisor.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of hypervisor includes
a resource-poor hypervisor.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of recommended target
environments includes, for each target environment, one or more of
the following: type of platform, type of hypervisor, and
availability of resources.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern addresses
installation of middleware and application, configuration of
middleware and applications, and management of middleware and
applications.
13. A computer program product for pattern design for heterogeneous
target environments, the computer program product comprising a
computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a set of
instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the process
of pattern design for heterogeneous target environments by:
defining a pattern, the pattern being a model of a topology and
application environment; receiving a list of target devices for use
as a potential deployment target for a set of components of the
pattern; identifying a type of hypervisor and/or hardware that is
available on each of the list of target devices; and generating a
list of recommended target environments to accommodate a deployment
of the pattern or a deployment of a portion of the pattern based,
at least in part, on the pattern and the type of hypervisor and/or
hardware.
14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:
selecting one or more target environments from the list of
recommended target environments; and generating a set of
configuration recommendations based on the selected one or more
target environments.
15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:
modifying the pattern in response to the set of configuration
recommendations.
16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein modifying the
pattern includes: provisioning a plurality of virtual machines on
respectively corresponding target environments of the list of
recommended target environments.
17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein modifying the
pattern includes: provisioning a plurality of virtual machines on
respectively corresponding target devices of the list of target
devices.
18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein generating
the set of configuration recommendations is based on one or more of
the following: resources utilized by virtual machines according to
the pattern, quality of a communication link between virtual
machines for a specified configuration of the set of
configurations, an effect on performance of a specified target
device of the set of target devices, security requirements of
specified components of the pattern, and availability of resources
on each target device of the list of target devices.
19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the list of
target devices includes one or more of the following: an on-premise
system, an off-premise system, a public cloud provider, a server
platform, a laptop, and a mobile device.
20. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein an IP address
of each target device of the list of target devices is retrieved
from one or more databases.
21. A computer system for pattern design for heterogeneous target
environments, the computer system comprising: a processor(s) set;
and a computer readable storage medium; wherein: the processor set
is structured, located, connected and/or programmed to run program
instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium; and
the program instructions include: defining a pattern, the pattern
being a model of a topology and application environment; receiving
a list of target devices for use as a potential deployment target
for a set of components of the pattern; identifying a type of
hypervisor and/or hardware that is available on each of the list of
target devices; and generating a list of recommended target
environments to accommodate a deployment of the pattern or a
deployment of a portion of the pattern based, at least in part, on
the pattern and the type of hypervisor and/or hardware.
22. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the type of hypervisor
includes a resource-rich hypervisor.
23. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the type of hypervisor
includes a resource-poor hypervisor.
24. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the list of
recommended target environments includes, for each target
environment, one or more of the following: type of platform, type
of hypervisor, and availability of resources.
25. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the pattern addresses
installation of middleware and application, configuration of
middleware and applications, and management of middleware and
applications.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of
cloud computing and service, and more particularly to virtual
machine pattern design.
[0002] Cloud computing, often referred to as simply "the cloud," is
the delivery of on-demand computing resources--everything from
applications to data centers--over the Internet on a pay-for-use
basis. The cloud may include a public cloud, a private cloud,
and/or a hybrid cloud. A public cloud is owned and operated by
companies that offer rapid access over a public network to
affordable computing resources. A private cloud is infrastructure
operated solely for a single organization, whether managed
internally or by a third party, and hosted either internally or
externally. A hybrid cloud uses a private cloud foundation combined
with the strategic integration and use of public cloud
services.
[0003] In the cloud computing, a pattern is used to describe cloud
service models and cloud deployment types in an abstract form to
categorize the offerings of cloud providers. A pattern can be
thought of as a recipe that combines all of the knowledge an
organization acquired during years of complex infrastructure
management tasks for optimizing and automating software deployment.
A pattern describes, in a logical way, a repeatable solution that
is based on specific sets of virtual images, middleware,
applications, and runtime configurations. The result of deploying a
pattern is a configured, tuned, and optimized application
environment.
SUMMARY
[0004] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is a
method, computer program product and/or system for pattern design
for heterogeneous target environments, the method comprising:
defining a pattern, the pattern being a model of a topology and
application environment; receiving a list of target devices for use
as a potential deployment target for a set of components of the
pattern; identifying a type of hypervisor and/or hardware that is
available on each of the list of target devices; and generating a
list of recommended target environments to accommodate a deployment
of the pattern or a deployment of a portion of the pattern based,
at least in part, on the pattern and the type of hypervisor and/or
hardware.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing node used in a first
embodiment of a system according to the present invention;
[0006] FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of a cloud computing
environment (also called the "first embodiment system") according
to the present invention;
[0007] FIG. 3 depicts abstraction model layers used in the first
embodiment system;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a first embodiment method
performed, at least in part, by the first embodiment system;
and
[0009] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a machine logic (for
example, software) portion of the first embodiment system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] Pattern design that takes into account additional
information of heterogeneous pattern deployment targets.
Heterogeneous targets for which virtual machine patterns may be
designed for deployment include, but are not limited to: on-premise
systems, public cloud providers, personal devices, and/or mobile
devices. This Detailed Description section is divided into the
following sub-sections: (i) The Hardware and Software Environment;
(ii) Example Embodiment; (iii) Further Comments and/or Embodiments;
and (iv) Definitions.
I. THE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENT
[0011] The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a
computer program product. The computer program product may include
a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer
readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to
carry out aspects of the present invention.
[0012] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible
device that can retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium
may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0013] Computer readable program instructions described herein can
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0014] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out
operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object
code written in any combination of one or more programming
languages, including an object oriented programming language such
as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural
programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or
similar programming languages. The computer readable program
instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on
the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on
the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on
the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote
computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area
network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external
computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet
Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry
including, for example, programmable logic circuitry,
field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays
(PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by
utilizing state information of the computer readable program
instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to
perform aspects of the present invention.
[0015] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
[0016] These computer readable program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0017] The computer readable program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps
to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or
other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that
the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable
apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0018] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in
the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0019] It is understood in advance that although this disclosure
includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation
of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud
computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention
are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type
of computing environment now known or later developed.
[0020] Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling
convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth,
servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual
machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and
released with minimal management effort or interaction with a
provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five
characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four
deployment models.
[0021] Characteristics are as follows:
[0022] On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally
provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network
storage, as needed automatically without requiring human
interaction with the service's provider.
[0023] Broad network access: capabilities are available over a
network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use
by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile
phones, laptops, and PDAs).
[0024] Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are
pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with
different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and
reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location
independence in that the consumer generally has no control or
knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may
be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g.,
country, state, or datacenter).
[0025] Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and
elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly
scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the
consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear
to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any
time.
[0026] Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and
optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some
level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g.,
storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource
usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing
transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized
service.
[0027] Service Models are as follows:
[0028] Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud
infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client
devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser
(e.g., web-based email). The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers,
operating systems, storage, or even individual application
capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific
application configuration settings.
[0029] Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure
consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming
languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does
not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including
networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control
over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting
environment configurations.
[0030] Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided
to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and
other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to
deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating
systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating
systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited
control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
[0031] Deployment Models are as follows:
[0032] Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely
for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a
third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0033] Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by
several organizations and supports a specific community that has
shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and
compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations
or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0034] Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to
the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an
organization selling cloud services.
[0035] Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of
two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain
unique entities but are bound together by standardized or
proprietary technology that enables data and application
portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between
clouds).
[0036] A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a
focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic
interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an
infrastructure comprising a network of interconnected nodes.
[0037] Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a
cloud computing node is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one
example of a suitable cloud computing node and is not intended to
suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of
embodiments of the invention described herein. Regardless, cloud
computing node 10 is capable of being implemented and/or performing
any of the functionality set forth hereinabove.
[0038] In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server
12, which is operational with numerous other general purpose or
special purpose computing system environments or configurations.
Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or
configurations that may be suitable for use with computer
system/server 12 include, but are not limited to, personal computer
systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients,
handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer
electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframe computer
systems, and distributed cloud computing environments that include
any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
[0039] Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general
context of computer system executable instructions, such as program
modules, being executed by a computer system. Generally, program
modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic,
data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or
implement particular abstract data types. Computer system/server 12
may be practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where
tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked
through a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing
environment, program modules may be located in both local and
remote computer system storage media including memory storage
devices.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud
computing node 10 is shown in the form of a general-purpose
computing device. The components of computer system/server 12 may
include, but are not limited to, one or more processors or
processing units 16, a system memory 28, and a bus 18 that couples
various system components including system memory 28 to processor
16.
[0041] Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus
structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a
peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or
local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of
example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry
Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA)
bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards
Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) bus.
[0042] Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of
computer system readable media. Such media may be any available
media that is accessible by computer system/server 12, and it
includes both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and
non-removable media.
[0043] System memory 28 can include computer system readable media
in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM)
30 and/or cache memory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further
include other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile
computer system storage media. By way of example only, storage
system 34 can be provided for reading from and writing to a
non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (not shown and typically
called a "hard drive"). Although not shown, a magnetic disk drive
for reading from and writing to a removable, non-volatile magnetic
disk (e.g., a "floppy disk"), and an optical disk drive for reading
from or writing to a removable, non-volatile optical disk such as a
CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided. In such
instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more data
media interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,
memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set
(e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configured to
carry out the functions of embodiments of the invention.
[0044] Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program
modules 42, may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not
limitation, as well as an operating system, one or more application
programs, other program modules, and program data. Each of the
operating system, one or more application programs, other program
modules, and program data or some combination thereof, may include
an implementation of a networking environment. Program modules 42
generally carry out the functions and/or methodologies of
embodiments of the invention as described herein.
[0045] Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or
more external devices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a
display 24, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to
interact with computer system/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g.,
network card, modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server 12 to
communicate with one or more other computing devices. Such
communication can occur via Input/Output (I/O) interfaces 22. Still
yet, computer system/server 12 can communicate with one or more
networks such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area
network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via
network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20 communicates
with the other components of computer system/server 12 via bus 18.
It should be understood that although not shown, other hardware
and/or software components could be used in conjunction with
computer system/server 12. Examples include, but are not limited
to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external
disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival
storage systems, etc.
[0046] Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing
environment 50 is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment
50 comprises one or more cloud computing nodes 10 with which local
computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as, for example,
personal digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone 54A, desktop
computer 54B, laptop computer 54C, and/or automobile computer
system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 may communicate with one
another. They may be grouped (not shown) physically or virtually,
in one or more networks, such as Private, Community, Public, or
Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combination thereof.
This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offer infrastructure,
platforms and/or software as services for which a cloud consumer
does not need to maintain resources on a local computing device. It
is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shown in
FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing
nodes 10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with
any type of computerized device over any type of network and/or
network addressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).
[0047] Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction
layers provided by cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is
shown. It should be understood in advance that the components,
layers, and functions shown in FIG. 3 are intended to be
illustrative only and embodiments of the invention are not limited
thereto. As depicted, the following layers and corresponding
functions are provided:
[0048] Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and
software components. Examples of hardware components include
mainframes; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture
based servers; storage devices; networks and networking components.
In some embodiments software components include network application
server software.
[0049] Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from
which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided:
virtual servers; virtual storage; virtual networks, including
virtual private networks; virtual applications and operating
systems; and virtual clients.
[0050] In one example, management layer 64 may provide the
functions described below. Resource provisioning provides dynamic
procurement of computing resources and other resources that are
utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing environment.
Metering and Pricing provide cost tracking as resources are
utilized within the cloud computing environment, and billing or
invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one example, these
resources may comprise application software licenses. Security
provides identity verification for cloud consumers and tasks, as
well as protection for data and other resources. User portal
provides access to the cloud computing environment for consumers
and system administrators. Service level management provides cloud
computing resource allocation and management such that required
service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning and
fulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloud
computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated
in accordance with an SLA.
[0051] Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for
which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of
workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer
include: mapping and navigation; software development and lifecycle
management; virtual classroom education delivery; data analytics
processing; transaction processing; and functionality according to
the present invention (see function block 66a) as will be discussed
in detail, below, in the following sub-sections of this Detailed
description section.
[0052] The programs described herein are identified based upon the
application for which they are implemented in a specific embodiment
of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any
particular program nomenclature herein is used merely for
convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use
solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by
such nomenclature.
[0053] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are
not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments
disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope
and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used
herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the
embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement
over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of
ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed
herein.
II. EXAMPLE EMBODIMENT
[0054] In a cloud environment, patterns of virtual machines (VMs)
significantly simplify the overall life-cycle of the deployed
application. Patterns are a template that defines the topology of a
complex virtual application. By defining such templates, cloud
deployment, scaling, live migration and other operations are highly
optimized. From a deployment perspective, patterns can reduce the
infrastructure setup time, for example, from several hours/days to
few minutes.
[0055] Patterns are deployed to target devices. A target device
refers to a device that can be used as a deployment target for
different components of the pattern, such as a phone device, VM or
containers, physical machines, an on-premise system, an off-premise
system, a public cloud provider, a server platform, a laptop, and a
mobile device.
[0056] Conventional pattern technology is unaware of the deployment
target. In other words, when a pattern builder/user defines
different components of a pattern, the user does not know where
virtual machine instances can be deployed using this pattern. Such
indifference towards target hardware/hypervisor platform can often
times result in sub-optimal pattern design.
[0057] For example, a user at a conference wants to give a demo of
latest pattern designed at a lab using his phone. A portion of the
pattern requires running on a mobile phone while the other portions
require running on a back-end server. In such scenario, the portion
that is running on the mobile phone needs to be optimized for
mobile hypervisors and hardware. An example of such optimization
could be judicious resource allocation (e.g., CPU, memory, disk) as
the mobile platforms are resource limited.
[0058] In this example embodiment, patterns are designed and
developed by taking into account additional information of
heterogeneous pattern deployment target. Heterogeneous targets may
be on-premise systems (e.g. PureApplication System), public cloud
providers (including platforms like softlayer, rackspace, aws, and
azure), and/or personal/mobile devices. By specifying the target of
different pattern components, optimizes the run-time performance
(e.g., throughput, and response time) of the VM instances derived
from the pattern may be optimizied. Further, choice of deployment
platform modulates the other cloud enabled technologies (e.g.,
auto-scaling, and live migration) that are used in conjunction of a
pattern. Further, choice of deployment platform allows a user to
see the optimized deployment configuration that fits the deployment
platform, such that the user may preview and modify the
configuration if needed. (Note: the term(s) "PureApplication",
"softlayer", " Rackspace", "aws" and/or "azure" may be subject to
trademark rights in various jurisdictions throughout the world and
are used here only in reference to the products or services
properly denominated by the marks to the extent that such trademark
rights may exist.)
[0059] FIG. 4 shows flowchart 400 depicting a method according to
the present invention. FIG. 5 shows program 500 for performing at
least some of the method operations of flowchart 400. This method
and associated software will now be discussed, over the course of
the following paragraphs, with extensive reference to FIG. 4 (for
the method operation blocks) and FIG. 5 (for the software blocks).
One physical location where program 500 of FIG. 5 may be stored is
in storage block 60a (see FIG. 3).
[0060] Processing begins at step 405, where define module ("mod")
505 defines a pattern. In this example, the pattern is a model of a
topology and application environment including installation,
configuration and management of middleware and applications. In
this example, the pattern definition is pre-determined and is
received by the define mod. Alternatively, user-input is received
by the define mod to define the pattern. In some embodiments, a
user-interface (UI) is provided with pre-defined fields to support
input of the pattern definition.
[0061] Processing proceeds to step 410, where receive mod 510
receives a list of target devices to be used as possible deployment
targets for the components of the pattern. In this example, the
list of target devices is a set of heterogeneous devices including:
an on-premise system, an off-premise system, a public cloud
provider, a server platform (with different architectures), a
laptop, and a mobile device (e.g., a tablet, and a cell phone). In
this example, the list of target devices is specified in a pattern
editor (e.g., a graphic editor in pre-configured platform for
platform as a service (PaaS) solutions). Alternatively, the list of
target devices is specified at a system level by, for example, a
cloud administrator.
[0062] Processing proceeds to step 415, where identify mod 515
identifies a type of hypervisor and/or hardware that is available
on each of the list of target devices. In this example, a
hypervisor scan is performed to identify the type of hypervisor
that is available on each of these heterogeneous devices (i.e., the
list of target devices). The type of hypervisor may include a
resource-rich hypervisor including one or more the following:
VMware ESXi, PowerVM, and KVM that are suitable for server or
laptop environment. Further, the type of hypervisor may include a
resource-poor hypervisor including one or more the following: ARM,
and VMware Mobile Virtualization Platform. Further, other cloud
computing environments related to the deployment target may be
scanned. Further, it is determined whether the cloud computing
environments are on premise or off premise, and what resources are
available. This information is provided to, for example, a cloud
administrator, who may modify and/or register additional
capabilities of each cloud computing environment based on known
limitations and/or capabilities. (Note: the term(s) "VMware ESXi",
"PowerVM", "KVM", "ARM", and/or "VMware Mobile Virtualization
Platform" may be subject to trademark rights in various
jurisdictions throughout the world and are used here only in
reference to the products or services properly denominated by the
marks to the extent that such trademark rights may exist.)
[0063] Processing proceeds to end at step 420, where generate mod
520 generates a list of recommended target environments to
accommodate a deployment of the pattern or a deployment of one or
more portions of the pattern. As the user deploys the pattern, the
list of target environments are generated that can accommodate
deployment of the pattern or deployment of portions of the pattern.
In this example, the list of recommended target environments is
based on the defined pattern and the type of hypervisor and/or
hardware. Herein, the target environments refer to the particular
types of and hardware corresponding to the various target
deployable environments.
III. FURTHER COMMENTS AND/OR EMBODIMENTS
[0064] Some embodiments of the present invention comprise selecting
one or more environments from the list of recommended target
environments and generating a set of configuration recommendations
based on the selected one or more target environments. The
configuration recommendations may be provided for the resources
needed by the virtual machines (VMs) for different target
environments.
[0065] For example, the same web application server or database
server may have different CPU demands based on whether they are
deployed on a resource-rich environment or a resource-poor
environment. Further, the configuration recommendations may be
provided for a prediction made on the quality of a link when the
communication link is established between two VMs, for example, the
link between a server and a mobile environment might be much weaker
than an inter-server links. This is primarily due to the reason
that mobile platforms rely on WiFi or cellular networks while
server platforms are usually connected by Ethernet. (Note: the
term(s) "WiFi" may be subject to trademark rights in various
jurisdictions throughout the world and are used here only in
reference to the products or services properly denominated by the
marks to the extent that such trademark rights may exist.)
[0066] Further, the configuration recommendations may be provided
when a feedback is provided if the deployed VM on a mobile platform
can slow-down the overall system. For example, if a data-intensive
applications database is deployed on a mobile platform, storage may
turn out to be a bottleneck. Further, the configuration
recommendations may be provided for security advice, for example, a
sensitive database should not be deployed in a mobile platform and
may be defined on premise if that deployment target is available.
Further, the configuration recommendations may be provided for
additional considerations that are based on the availability of
resources such as compute CPU/Memory/IP on each of the deployment
targets. That is, the configuration recommendations may be provided
based on one or more of the following: resources utilized by
virtual machines, quality of a communication link between virtual
machines, an effect on performance of a target device, security
requirements of components of the pattern, and availability of
resources on each of the list of target devices.
[0067] Some embodiments of the present invention comprises
modifying the defined pattern in response to the set of
configuration recommendations. The modifying may include placing
one or more virtual machines on different target environments. For
example, a user previews a recommended choice of the target
environments and further tweaks which VM within the pattern is
placed on which target environment. Also, the modifying may include
placing one or more virtual machines on different target devices.
Further, a user can configure scale-out VM in the future to be
placed on a different deployment target than the original placed
VM.
[0068] In some embodiments of the present invention, IP addresses
of the list of target devices are specified or retrieved from one
or more databases. Alternatively, IP addresses may be specified at
system level by, for example, a cloud administrator.
[0069] In some embodiments of the present invention, the list of
recommended target environments include one or more of the
following: type of platform, type of hypervisor and availability of
resources.
[0070] Some embodiments of the present invention recognize the
following facts, potential problems and/or potential areas for
improvement with respect to the current state of the art: (i)
conventional pattern technology is unaware of the deployment
target, for example, when a user builds a pattern by defining
different components of the pattern, the user has no idea where
virtual machine instances can be deployed using this pattern;
and/or (ii) Such indifference towards target hardware/hypervisor
platform can result in sub-optimal pattern design.
[0071] Some embodiments of the present invention may include one,
or more, of the following features, characteristics and/or
advantages: (i) building blocks within a pattern can be deployed
into different cloud environments and different cloud provider;
(ii) building block configuration within a pattern can be optimized
by target environments, along with runtime bursting among multiple
environments; (iii) by specifying the target of different pattern
components, the run-time performance (e.g., throughput, and
response time of VM instances derived from the pattern is
optimized; (iv) choice of deployment platform modulates cloud
enabled technologies (e.g., auto-scaling, and live migration) that
are used in conjunction of a pattern; (v) choice of deployment
platform allows users to preview and modify the optimized
deployment configuration that fits the deployment platform; (vi)
pattern strategy across many cloud products as well as various
clouds is enhanced; and/or (vii) borderless cloud strategy can be
aligned and matched.
IV. DEFINITIONS
[0072] Present invention: should not be taken as an absolute
indication that the subject matter described by the term "present
invention" is covered by either the claims as they are filed, or by
the claims that may eventually issue after patent prosecution;
while the term "present invention" is used to help the reader to
get a general feel for which disclosures herein are believed to
potentially be new, this understanding, as indicated by use of the
term "present invention," is tentative and provisional and subject
to change over the course of patent prosecution as relevant
information is developed and as the claims are potentially
amended.
[0073] User/subscriber: includes, but is not necessarily limited
to, the following: (i) a single individual human; (ii) an
artificial intelligence entity with sufficient intelligence to act
as a user or subscriber; and/or (iii) a group of related users or
subscribers.
[0074] Computer: any device with significant data processing and/or
machine readable instruction reading capabilities including, but
not limited to: desktop computers, mainframe computers, laptop
computers, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) based devices,
smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), body-mounted or
inserted computers, embedded device style computers,
application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) based devices.
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