JP5719378B2 - Method and system for computer architecture plug and play support - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates generally to computer architectures, and more particularly to managing connections between computer machines within such computer architectures.

  As modern computer systems become increasingly complex, the installation, maintenance and support of computer systems has become increasingly difficult and expensive. Such modern computer systems often include a large number of interdependent applications, and the overall computer system must be managed as a unit. In such a computer architecture, software applications running on different computer machines, whether physical or virtual, can collaborate between these applications so that they can achieve common computing goals. (Cooperation) needs to be managed. However, customization to properly operate interconnected software applications involves a complex workflow. Software applications are generally pre-installed on site, then “imaged”, then “unimaged” on a new computer machine, and then the new computer machine / Reconfigured for network and ready to run again.

  In particular, a virtual computer system includes a number of virtual instruments that represent pre-built software solutions, each of which can be packaged, updated, maintained and managed as a unit or It is composed of a plurality of virtual machines (VM). Unlike traditional hardware devices, these software devices allow customers to easily obtain, deploy and manage a stack of pre-installed solutions. This speeds up the evaluation time and simplifies software development, distribution and management. While current virtual appliances often include a single virtual machine, the modern enterprise application model, service-oriented architecture (SOA), has multiple layers, each layer containing one or more machines. Yes. Thus, the virtual machine needs to be made up of more virtual machines because the single virtual machine model is insufficient to distribute multi-tier services. As an example, a typical web application may consist of three layers: a web layer that implements presentation logic, an application server layer that implements business logic, and a back-end database layer. Such a web application implementation divides it into three virtual machines, one for each layer.

  In a virtual computer architecture, such as a virtual data center, the placement and rejection of complex equipment requires performing a number of configuration steps to bring up the virtual equipment. Traditionally, such a configuration process involves an initial reconfiguration phase for assigning operating system specific parameters such as network information (IP, hostname ...) and between different components / products running in different virtual machines. It requires communication and an additional reconfiguration stage for establishing / releasing communication between different products running in different virtual machines.

  Currently, these reconfigurations are either done manually or by calling a predefined script with static values entered. This manual configuration is time consuming, the software product topology is getting larger and more complex and requires an enormous number of workflows to customize interconnected components. May be accompanied by an error. In particular, manual configuration of applications running on different computer machines and managed in different lifecycles often results in various configuration problems that can adversely affect end users.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for managing connections between computer machines in a computer architecture such as a virtual data center in a plug and play manner.

  To address these and other problems, a method for managing connections between computer machines in a computer system according to the attached independent claim 1 and according to the attached claims 14 and 15, respectively. A computer program and system are provided. Preferred embodiments are defined in the appended independent claims.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides efficient and dynamic plug and play support for computer machines running within a computer system. This enables the coordination of software applications running on the new computer machine with software applications already available on the computer machine deployed in the target environment without the need for manual configuration steps. It becomes possible to manage by the and play (PnP) method. This configuration uses a given configuration model and policy set defined in one or more connection management structures.

  The connection management structure defines, for each collaboration involving two computer machines, a socket role assigned to one of the two computer machines and a plug role assigned to the other computer machine. .

  Each computer machine can acquire its role (socket or plug) when deployed. Thus, it is not necessary to statically predefine computer machine roles.

  Once established, the configuration method is not static and can be managed and updated based on events generated by the environment or by user triggered actions.

  Further advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the drawings and detailed description. Any additional advantages are intended to be incorporated here.

  As mentioned in the following description, IBM and Rational are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in a number of jurisdictions around the world.

  Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate like elements.

1 shows a high-level view of a system for plug-and-play support of computer machines in a computer architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a plug and play system according to certain embodiments of the invention. FIG. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary target environment that includes three computer machines that require plug and play support. Fig. 3 shows the structure of a connection management structure according to a particular embodiment of the invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a plug and play system according to certain embodiments of the invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for managing connection of a computer machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; 6 is a flowchart for processing socket roles assigned to each computer machine at the time of deployment. Fig. 5 shows a flowchart for processing plug roles assigned to each computer machine during deployment. 6 illustrates a flowchart for dynamically managing computer machine connections based on received events, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart for reprocessing a given socket in response to receiving an event associated with a connection involving the given socket. FIG. 5 shows a flowchart for reprocessing a given plug in response to receiving an event associated with a connection involving the given plug. 2 illustrates an exemplary implementation of a plug and play system in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention. FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary user interface state for managing connections between computer machines, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary user interface state for managing connections between computer machines, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

  It should be noted that the drawings of the present invention are not necessarily drawn to scale. The drawings are merely schematic representations and are not intended to depict specific parameters of the invention. The drawings are only intended to illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention.

  Further, the detailed description is supplemented by an appendix E1 showing examples of structures used by embodiments of the present invention. Appendix Table E1 is separately arranged for easy understanding of the detailed description and for easy reference.

  Part of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that may be subject to copyright protection. The copyright holder has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of this patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the US Patent and Trademark Office patent file or record, but otherwise the copyright holder Reserves all rights and / or author rights.

  FIG. 1 shows a high-level view of a connection management system 100 according to a particular embodiment of the invention.

  The connection management system 100 is provided for managing connections between computer machines 220, 221, 222, 223, and 224 in the computer architecture 200 in a plug and play manner. The connection management system 100 is hereinafter referred to as a “plug and play” system. In this description, the terms “connection” and “cooperation” refer to the process of assembling or linking two computer machines to achieve common computing goals and / or to exchange information within a target environment. Are used with the same meaning.

  The exemplary computer architecture 200 shown in FIG. 1 includes a server (220, 221, 221) and a database (223) connected to each other by one or more networks, such as the Internet and / or a local network. Including a distributed network of such computer machines 220-224. Messages flow between system components.

  Each computer machine in computer architecture 200 includes a number of pre-installed software applications (standalone applications or application packages such as software products). This defines a software topology characterized by a workflow between different computer machines 220-224. The plug and play system 100 according to embodiments of the present invention enables software applications installed on different computer machines to achieve common computing goals and / or information (eg, product services to end users). ) Can be connected to each other and coordinated.

  Computer machines 220-224 may be physical or virtual machines, depending on the type of environment in which computer architecture 200 operates. The environment can be a physical environment, a virtual environment, or a heterogeneous environment. A physical machine includes any type of computer, including but not limited to a client computer, server computer, portable computer, embedded controller, portable information terminal, information processing system, or other programmable electronic device. .

  Even though the plug and play system 100 is shown separate from the computer architecture 200, the plug and play system 100 can be fully or partially included in the computer architecture 200. Those skilled in the art will readily understand.

  FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of a plug and play system 100 according to a particular embodiment of the invention.

  Plug and play system 100 defines how to establish role-based coordination between two computer machines 22 within computer architecture 200, hereinafter referred to as a “stereo cable adapter”. One or more connection management structures 21 referred to.

  In this description, the term “stereo cable” is used to indicate a connection between computer machines managed by the plug-and-play system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The plug-and-play system 100 can automatically recognize each other and establish cooperation in a plug-and-play manner when computer machines are placed in the target environment. Manage connections between machines.

  A stereo cable adapter can include several connection entries or stereo cable entries that define the role of the computer machine for each connection between two computer machines 22. More specifically, each connection entry in stereo cable adapter 21 has a plug role assigned to one of the computer machines involved in the connection and a socket role assigned to the other computer machine involved in the connection. Define roles.

  A stereo cable entry is a user name that allows a user to select a stereo cable connection from a stereo cable catalog when building an image using a specific user interface such as a modeling tool such as Rational Software Architect. It can be defined from the interface. Alternatively, the stereo cable entry, for example, adds stereo cable connections to the image from a list of predefined stereo cables in the catalog and then places them against the associated engine installed in the image By doing so, they can be predefined before placing them. Once received, the new stereo cable connection is processed. This gives the possibility to start with a basic image and add all the connections that should be supported in a plug-and-play fashion before deployment.

  The stereo cable adapter 21 further includes a socket attribute for the socket roll that represents the information that a computer machine having the socket roll needs to provide in order to establish a connection with another computer machine. And a configuration action for the plug role that represents the information that a computer machine having the plug role needs to perform to establish a connection with another computer machine having the socket role; Define

  According to embodiments of the present invention, connections between computer machines 22 within the computer architecture are managed using stereo cable adapters 21. In this manner, computer machines can be dynamically connected and configured to achieve common computing goals and / or information exchanges, and each computer machine involved in role-based collaboration Is based on certain values published or published by other computer machines involved in the same role-based collaboration.

  This allows the present invention to automatically recognize each other so as to establish cooperation in a plug-and-play manner without requiring any manual configuration steps when deployed in the target environment. Define and manage dynamic “stereo” equipment that corresponds to a set of machines.

  FIG. 3 shows three virtual machines 225, 226 and 227: a TWS user interface 225 (TES_UI) represented by virtual machine VM1 (TWS means IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler), a TWS represented by virtual machine VM2. Shows an exemplary computer architecture located within a target virtual environment, including server 226 (TWS_server) and ITM server 227 (ITM_server) represented by virtual machine VM3 (ITM stands for IBM Tivoli Monitoring) . As shown, there are three connections: a first role-based coordination C1 between TWS_UI 225 and TWS_SERVER 226, a second role-based coordination C2 between TWS_SERVER 226 and ITM_SERVER 227, and TWS_UI 225. A third role-based cooperation C3 with the ITM_SERVER 227 is established by the plug and play system 100 from the stereo cable adapter 21.

  FIG. 4 shows the structure of a stereo cable adapter 21 according to a particular embodiment of the invention. As shown, each stereo cable entry or “stereo cable” 210 in the stereo cable adapter 21 associated with a given connection between two computer machines 22 in the computer architecture is two It includes at least one socket section or socket roll 2101 assigned to one of the computer machines 22 and at least one plug section or plug roll 2100 assigned to the other computer machine 22.

  A socket section or “socket” 2101 is a computer machine having a socket role running in a given environment (eg, TWS_Server 226 in the example of FIG. 3) that is another computer machine running in the same environment (eg, Describes the information that needs to be provided to establish cooperation with TWS_UI 225) in the example of FIG. The machine 22 issues the information required by the socket definition when the socket role is assigned.

  For example, the issued information is for the server status (for example, guestInfo.stereocabables.socket.TWS_SERVER.status = “Enabled”) and for the server port (for example, guestInfo.stereocabables.socket.TWS_SERVER. ), For users (guestInfo.stereocables.socket.TWS_SERVER.user = “pciano”) or for the type of server (can include guestInfo.stereocables.socket.TWS_SERVER.type = “distributed information”).

  Plug 2100 describes the operations that a given computer machine running in a given environment needs to perform to establish cooperation with another computer machine running in the same environment. When a machine is assigned a plug role, the machine locates a machine that plays the role of the corresponding socket role, obtains issued socket information, and executes an operation described in the plug definition. In addition to the plug action, the plug removes the server from the list of candidate engines that the user interface (UI) can connect to (eg, the user interface (UI)) to perform when the associated socket is removed / updated. Can be further included.

  In a particular embodiment according to the present invention, the stereo cable adapter 21 can be defined as a configuration file that is loaded into each machine 22, in particular as an XML file. An exemplary XML stereo cable file 21 is shown in Appendix Table E1. As shown in Appendix Table E1, each stereo cable entry in the XML stereo cable adapter has one or more in the plug section “<PlugSection>”, eg, “<PlugID> TWS_UI </ PlugID>”. Contains multiple plug definitions.

  Each plug in the plug section 2100 is a stereo identified by a plug ID (eg, “Plug ID 1”) that identifies a computer machine (eg, TWS_UI) that has a plug role, and a tag “<ConfigurationActions>”, for example. And a configuration operation subsection defining parameters of the configuration operation that need to be performed for cabling. Each configuration action in the subsection <ConfigurationAction> can define a value for the trigger tag “<trigger>” (eg, the “deployment” value of <trigger> is called only once when the configuration is deployed But other <trigger> values such as “VM Start” indicate that the configuration is to be called each time the virtual machine “VM” is started). Each configuration operation in this subsection <ConfigurationAction> further defines an operation type (eg, the operation type has a “script” value) using a tag such as “<ActionType>”, and the configuration parameters of the operation (For example, using a “<ConfigurationParameter>” tag), and an operation associated with the operation identified by a tag such as “<Operation>” (for example, “/pino/driver4/scripts/TWSUI.sh”). Can be defined.

  Each socket in the socket section 2101 is an issuance parameter that defines a socket attribute, identified by a socket ID that identifies a computer machine (eg, “TWS_Server”) having a socket role, eg, a tag “<PublishedParameters>” May contain subsections or configuration parameters identified for example by the tag "<ConfigurationParameter>". The definition of each configuration parameter is, for example, a configuration name (for example, “host”) identified by a tag <ConfigurationName>, and a configuration value (for example, “nc12550.location.ibm.com”) identified by a tag <ConfigurationValue>. Can be included.

The socket section 2101 and the plug section 2100 may further include a condition subsection that describes conditions to be satisfied for processing a plug or socket, for example, indicated by the tag “<Condition>”. This may be a dependent condition between the stereo cable being considered and another stereo cable. The following example shows an exemplary condition subsection.

  According to this example, the socket is processed only when the TSAM_TPM_END_POINT plug is active.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the plug and play system 100 further includes at least one connection management unit 23, hereinafter referred to as a “stereo cable engine”. In a particular embodiment according to the present invention, each computer machine 22 can be provided with a respective stereo cable engine 23. Alternatively, each Plug and Play system 100 runs on a separate component or a unique computer machine that can manage other computer machines, as shown in FIG. A unique stereo cable engine 23 may be included. FIG. 5 shows a unique stereo cable engine 23 for managing connections within the computer architecture 200 connected to the stereo cable adapter 21 and all computer machines 22.

  The following description is given by way of example only with reference to a plug and play system 100 including one stereo cable engine 23 associated with each computer machine 22, as shown in FIG. .

  Referring to FIG. 2, each stereo cable engine 23 associated with a corresponding machine 22 is adapted to process the roles assigned to that machine according to the information contained in the stereo cable adapter 21 at the time of deployment. Is done. Each stereo cable engine 23 also uses the stereo cable adapter 21 to create computer machine related events within the computer architecture 200, such as new virtual machine placement or existing in a virtual data center type computer architecture. Based on the removal of virtual machines, it is specified to dynamically manage the computer architecture configuration.

  The stereo cable adapter 21 may be stored locally, for example, in a dedicated directory within each computer machine 22, or may be stored on an external storage means such as a database. In embodiments where the stereo cable adapter is stored in an external storage device, the stereo cable adapter is obtained through suitable communication means such as any known public or private local or wide area network such as the Internet. As such, a stereo cable engine can be coupled to the storage device.

The plug and play system 100 according to the present invention tracks the available sockets and provides these sockets to the plug when required based on constraints, hereinafter referred to as the “stereo cable registry”. The repository 24 may further be included. Repository 24 may contain one entry for each computer machine involved in stereo cable connections, and for each entry:
-"SystemID" which is a computer machine identifier,
A “stereocable” attribute that identifies a stereo cable connection (between the computer machine identified by “systemmid” and the other computer machines involved in the connection);
A role attribute identifying the role (plug or socket) of the computer machine identified by the SystemID for that stereo cable connection;
A set of attributes can be included.

Each entry in the registry 24 further includes
An environment attribute identifying the environment of the computer machine identified by SystemID;
A name attribute identifying the name of the computer machine identified by SystemID;
A “hostname” attribute that identifies the hostname of the computer machine associated with the entry;
A “port” attribute that identifies the port of the computer machine associated with the entry, and a status attribute that identifies the status of the computer machine (active or inactive)
Other attributes such as can be included.

  In addition, the repository may include a connection status attribute (“connected” attribute) for a computer machine with a plug role that indicates when a stereo cable connection is established.

The following two entries are stored in the repository 24 for a stereo cable connection between a first virtual machine VM1 with a plug role and a second virtual machine VM2 with a socket role in the virtual computer architecture: An exemplary entry.

SYSTEMID: VM2
StereoCable: (TWS_UI, TWS_SERVER)
Role: socket
Environment: TEST
Hostname: gciano. location. ibm. com
Port: 13331
Name: tws_distributed
User: tws85mdm
Status: active

SYSTEMID: VM1
StereoCable: (TWS_UI, TWS_SERVER)
Role: plug
Connected: VM2: TWS_SERVER
Status: active
Environment: TEST

Alternatively, the computer machine 22 can issue the above information directly from the stereo cable adapter and share the published information without having to store it in the stereo cable registry 24.

  The plug and play system 100 also dynamically generates a display of computer machine connections from plug and socket information maintained in the plug and play system 100, hereinafter a stereo cable user interface. A user interface 25 referred to as (UI) may also be included. Stereo cable user interface 25 can access plug and socket information directly from stereo cable registry 24 or from a stereo cable adapter loaded on computer machine 22.

  Plug and play system 100 may also be provided with a computer architecture manager 26 for managing the exchange of data flows within computer architecture 200 (eg, a virtual data center). In particular, the computer architecture manager 26 can store information related to events in the computer architecture, such as creating a new virtual machine, removing a virtual machine, or issuing / removing a socket. The computer architecture manager 26 communicates information related to events detected within the computer architecture 200 to the stereo cable engine 23 through suitable communication means. This ensures that the stereo cable engine 23 is always informed about the changes that are occurring in the computer architecture and can manage the coordination between computer machines taking into account these changes.

  Once established at placement, stereo cabling is dynamically managed by the plug and play system 100 throughout the component life cycle. The stereo cable engine 23 enables each new event (e.g. the placement of a new virtual machine 22 in a virtual data centered computer architecture or an existing virtual machine to activate, disconnect or restart a connection. 22 removal etc.).

  Stereo cable engine 23 can also generate events to notify of changes when sockets are issued, updated, or removed.

  FIG. 6 shows a flow chart describing stereo cable connection initialization during placement and dynamic management of the stereo cable during the computer machine life cycle based on events generated within the computer architecture 200.

  During the stereo cable initialization phase, the computer machine with the stereo cable connection socket role issues the information required by the socket definition maintained in the stereo cable adapter 21. From the published information, the plug computer machine then establishes coordination with each computer machine that has a corresponding socket. The stereo cable initialization stage also finds that each computer machine that has a plug role for a given stereo cable connection finds other computer machines that perform the required socket role, and issues socket information that has been issued. It is also possible to execute the operation described in the plug definition.

  More specifically, the stereo cable engine 23 starts processing in step 601. Processing can be triggered at the time of placement.

  In step 602, it connects to the registry 24 to obtain information necessary for processing.

  Step 602 may be performed using registry auto-detection if a protocol used by the engine, such as SLP (Service Location Protocol), permits.

  In step 603, the stereo cable engine obtains from the registry 24 the computer machine role and the environment to which the computer machine belongs.

  Registry 24 stores a stereo cable entry for a computer machine role in the computer architecture, where each entry for a given computer machine includes a role (plug or socket), its computer machine, It identifies the stereo cable connection with the other computer machine involved in the stereo cable connection and the environment to which the machine belongs.

  In step 604, the stereo cable adapter 21 associated with the computer machine is obtained. In embodiments where the stereo cable adapter 21 is not stored locally within the computer machine, the stereo cable engine 23 obtains the stereo cable adapter 21 from the external storage device through appropriate communication means, and then The acquired stereo cable adapter can be stored in a computer machine.

  In step 605, the stereo cable engine 23 processes the socket connection associated with the computer machine (stage A). The socket connection processing step is performed to issue a socket attribute of each socket role assigned to the computer machine and activate the corresponding socket.

  In step 606, the stereo cable engine 23 processes the plug connection (stage B). The plug connection processing stage processes each plug role assigned to the computer machine, identifies, for each plug role, other computer machines that act as the required socket roles, and issued sockets. Information is acquired, and the operation described in the plug definition is executed using the issued socket information.

  Once the initialization of the sockets and plug roles assigned to the computer machine is complete, to manage stereo cables dynamically based on events generated within the computer architecture during the computer machine life cycle Stage C is performed.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing stage A (step 605) of processing a socket connection.

  In step 701, the stereo cable engine loads the stereo cable adapter 21 associated with the computer machine and disables the entire stereo cable function of the computer machine being processed. Disabling the entire stereo cable function prevents other stereo cable engines processing their own plugs from accessing incomplete socket information.

  The following steps are performed for each socket roll housed in the stereo cable adapter 21 that is equal to one of the computer machine rolls identified in step 603 (step 702).

  In step 703, the stereo cable engine 23 checks whether the socket section of the stereo cable adapter defines a dependent condition between the considered stereo cable and another stereo cable (<condition>). In subsection). The dependency condition of socket socketID1 is, for example, the processing of socketID1 such as “process socketID1 only when another socket socketID2 is already active” or “process socketID1 only when plugID4 is active”. Can depend on the state of another socket. If the socket includes a dependent condition, the stereo cable checks whether the dependent condition is met. If the dependent condition is not met, the socket is added to the work queue at step 704 for later processing in response to receiving an event associated with issuing the socket being considered. If the dependent condition is satisfied, in step 705, the current socket attributes are obtained from the stereo cable adapter.

  In step 706, socket attributes are published or published. Socket attributes can be issued in the registry 24, and the manner in which they are issued depends on the implementation technology of the registry. For example, if the registry is based on VMware technology (VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and / or other jurisdictions), the socket attribute using VI (VMware Infrastructure) SDK is used. If the registry is an SLP (Service Location Protocol) directory agent, the publishing can be done through an SLP API (Application Programming Interface).

  In step 707, the stereo cable engine issues information (socket status) indicating that the socket is active.

  In step 708, an event for the issued socket is generated. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, events associated with issued sockets are sent to a computer architecture manager 26 that manages events that occur within the computer architecture 200. The computer architecture manager 26 identifies the stereo cable engine 23 that is waiting to issue a socket to process the associated plug so that the identified stereo cable engine 23 can begin processing the plug. Are adapted to send events related to the issuance of sockets to these engines.

  In step 709, an entry associated with the issued socket is added in the registry 24 where the status attribute has an “active” value (eg, Status: active). This entry includes the identifier of a computer machine having a socket role (eg, “SYSTEMID: VM2”), the identifier of a stereo cable (eg, “StereoCable: (TWS_UI, TWS_SERVER)”), the role of a computer machine (eg, "Role: socket"), the environment of the computer machine (eg, "Environment: TEST"), and other attributes such as the host name, port, name and user identifier of the computer machine It can also contain attributes.

  The above steps are repeated by repeating steps 702 to 709 for each socket roll in the stereo cable adapter that matches one of the computer machine roles identified in step 603. When all socket rolls have been processed, socket processing is terminated and the entire stereo cable function of the computer machine is enabled at step 710.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing stage B (step 606) of processing plug connection.

  For each plug role assigned to the computer machine under consideration, this process B identifies the connection that the computer machine should establish with other computer machines that act as socket roles. And obtains socket information issued by those computer machines having the required socket role, and performs configuration operations described in the plug definition to establish a connection.

  In step 801, plug connection processing is started.

  In step 802, the stereo cable engine accesses the stereo cable adapter 21 associated with the computer machine (or loaded in the computer machine in step 604 if not stored locally on the computer machine). To do.

  The following steps are performed for each plug roll in stereo cable adapter 21 that is equal to one of the computer machine roles identified in step 603.

  In step 803, the stereo cable engine 23 checks whether the plug includes a dependent condition subsection that defines the conditions between the plug and the other stereo cable. If the dependent condition is included, the stereo cable engine 23 determines whether the condition is satisfied. If the dependent conditions are not met, the plug is added to the work queue at step 804 for later processing.

  If the dependent condition is met, the stereo cable engine begins to acquire socket information required by the current plug from the stereo cable adapter in step 805. This includes finding a computer machine that belongs to the same environment that provides the requested socket and publishing information about the socket that it needs.

  If a computer machine with the required socket role is not found at step 805, then at step 806, the plug is added to the work queue.

  The work queues at steps 703, 803, and 806 may form separate work queues, or may form a unique queue that is stored locally where the stereo cable engine is running.

  Otherwise, in step 805, either a unique computer machine or a plurality of computer machines having the required socket role should have been found. If multiple computer machines are found in step 805, step 807 defines, for example, “select the first found socket” or “specific attributes” defined in the stereo cable adapter 21. Based on a rule such as “select a socket based on the value of”, it is determined which computer machine should be selected.

  In step 808, the registry 24 is used to determine whether the socket status is active for the identified computer machine having the required socket role. The identified computer machine refers to either the computer machine found in step 805 or the computer machine selected in step 807 if multiple computer machines were found in step 805. If the status of the identified computer machine is active, the corresponding published socket attributes are obtained from the registry 24 and the configuration action defined in the stereo cable adapter for that plug role is invoked. The attributes of the issued socket are passed as parameters. The composition operation returns a value, which is checked by the stereo cable engine. If the resulting value is successful, the configuration was successfully implemented; otherwise, the implementation was not successful.

  Next, information that the plug is currently active (plug status) and plug attributes are issued in step 810.

  In step 811, an event for the issued plug is generated and sent to the computer architecture manager 26.

  In step 812, an entry for the plug with the status attribute set to “active” is added to the registry 24. This entry includes the identifier of the computer machine having the plug role (eg, “SYSTEMID: VM1”), the stereo cable identifier (eg, “SteroCable: (TWS_UI, TWS_SERVER)”), the role of the computer machine (eg, “ role: plug "), the computer machine environment (eg," Environment: TEST "), and information indicating which socket the plug is connected to (eg," Connected: IMAGE2: TWS_SERVER "), A number of attributes can be included.

  The above steps are repeated by repeating steps 803 to 812 for each plug roll in the stereo cable that matches one of the computer machine roles identified in step 603.

  When all plug roles have been processed, the plug connection process ends.

  FIG. 9 shows a flowchart for dynamically processing a stereo cable in dynamic stage C (step 607).

  The dynamic processing of the stereo cable begins at step 900.

  Stereo cable dynamic processing is based on computer architecture, such as when connection-related changes occur (eg, removal of a computer machine), when a socket becomes active, or when a computer machine becomes available. It is performed in view of events associated with stereo cable connections generated within 200.

  Step 901 includes machine related events for computer machines with stereo cable events (such as socket creation, socket removal, socket issuance / removal, or virtual machine placement / rejection) and a specific role (plug or socket). Start collecting (virtual machine placement, virtual machine rejection, etc.). This step can be done through communication between the stereo cable engine 23 and the computer architecture manager 26 in the embodiment shown in FIG.

  Step 902 determines whether an event has been received as a result of step 901. If not received, step 901 and step 902 are repeated periodically until an event is received in step 902.

  If an event is received, information related to the event is obtained in step 903. This information can be provided by the computer architecture manager 26.

  In step 904, it is determined based on the event information acquired in step 903 whether the received event is related to a stereo cable existing in the work queue.

  If the stereo cable is stored in the work queue, in step 905, the stereo cable is acquired from the work queue.

  In step 906, it is determined whether the stereo cable corresponds to the socket. If so, in step 907, the socket connection is processed as described with respect to FIG. 7 (stage A).

  Otherwise, if the stereo cable corresponds to a plug, in step 908, the plug connection is processed as described with respect to FIG. 8 (stage B).

  If the stereo cable was not found in the work queue (step 904), it is determined in step 909 whether the event is related to the stereo cable for which an entry was created in the registry 24. Otherwise, processing returns to step 902 until a new event is received.

  Otherwise, if the stereo cable registry 24 includes an entry for the stereo cable being considered, at step 910, the stereo cable is obtained from the registry. Step 911 then determines whether the stereo cable corresponds to the socket in step 912. If this represents a socket, socket connection reissue processing is performed at step 912 (step D). This case may occur for an event related to the discovery of a new computer machine that issues the requested active socket, or an event related to the removal of the computer machine that issues the requested active socket.

  Otherwise, if the stereo cable represents a plug, then in step 913, the plug connection is reprocessed (stage E). This case may occur for an event related to the removal of a computer machine that issues a socket currently used by a plug having an entry in the stereo cable registry 24.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart describing the reissue of a socket connection (stage D). The reissue of a socket connection can be triggered, for example, because some published information has changed.

  In step 1001, a socket connection reissue process D is started.

  In step 1002, the stereo cable engine loads the stereo cable adapter 21 associated with the computer machine and disables the entire stereo cable function for that computer machine.

  In step 1003, the active socket attribute identified in step 911 for the received event is obtained from the stereo cable adapter.

  In step 1004, socket attributes are published or published.

  In step 1005, information that the socket is active (socket status) is issued.

In step 1006, an event for the issued socket, eg, an exemplary event:
"Event_ID = STREOCABLES_SOCKET_PUBLISHED | STREOCABLES_PLUG_PUBLISHED | POVERED_OFF | POVERED_ON | REMOVED
Event_Info = plugID or socketID
Event_Source = computing_machine_id
Event_Date
Event_Time "
Is generated.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, events associated with issued sockets are sent to computer architecture manager 26.

  In step 1007, the entry associated with the issued socket is updated in the registry 24.

  In step 1008, the socket connection reissue process ends.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart describing stage E of plug connection reprocessing (step 913). Stage E can be triggered, for example, when a computer machine containing a socket is removed from the environment and a plug connected to it needs to look for a new socket in the environment to establish a connection.

  In step 1101, the plug connection reprocessing process D is started.

  In step 1102, the stereo cable adapter 21 is loaded.

  In step 1103, the configuration operation defined in the stereo cable adapter for the active plug is invoked and the published socket attribute of the associated socket is passed as a parameter. The issued attribute is acquired from the registry 24.

  In step 1104, information that the plug is currently active (plug status) is issued.

  In step 1105, an event for an unplugged plug is sent. If the socket is no longer usable, the plug is no longer connected to the socket and is then unplugged. In step 1106, an entry for the plug is added to the work queue. The plug connection is then processed according to stage A (FIG. 7) in step 1107.

  In step 1108, the plug connection reissue process ends.

  FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary application of the present invention to a virtual data center type computer architecture. Although not limited to virtual computer architectures, the present invention is particularly advantageous for such architectures.

  As shown, the registry 24 stores a number of virtual machine entries 240, 241 with each entry for the virtual machine 22 identifying the role assigned to that machine for a given stereo cable connection. . For example, one entry 240 is associated with virtual machine VM2 (“TWS_server”), which is for stereo cable connections (TWS_UI, TWS_server), so VM2 has a SOCKET role in environment TEST. Assigned. This entry also specifies socket attributes “host name”, “port”, “name”, and “user”. Another entry 241 is for the virtual machine VM1 (“TWS_UI”), which is for the same stereo cable connection (TWS_UI, TWS_server) in the environment TEST, and VM1 has a PLUG for this connection. Indicates that a role is assigned. According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the stereo cable initialization phase, VM2 first obtains its role from registry 24 and issues or publishes socket attributes of socket TWS_SERVER for environment TEST. The VM 1 acquires the role from the registry 24. Since this is a TWS_UI plug in the environment TEST, TWS_SERVER socket information for the same environment is acquired. This then activates the cable or connection by executing the plug script and performing a configuration operation using the issued socket attributes.

  13 and 14 show different statuses of the exemplary stereo cable user interface 25. FIG. The stereo cable user interface 25 is used to display stereo cable connections between machines in the data center and provide detailed information about established connections and associated plugs and sockets. In FIG. 13, it is shown that a stereo cable connection SC1 between the ITM server and the TWS master and another connection SC2 between the TWS server and the TWS web user interface exist in the environment TEST. TWS_server is assigned a socket role, indicating that this socket is active, while ITM_UA is assigned a plug role, indicating that the plug is active. Stereo cable user interface 25 can be generated dynamically from data contained in stereo cable registry 24 or directly from data received from the machine.

  Stereo cable user interface 25 can further be provided with enhanced drag and drop functionality for customizing new stereo cables. FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary stereo cable interface 25 having such drag and drop functionality. As shown, this interface allows the user to drag and drop the disconnected virtual machine “ITM — 6.2.1” onto “TWS — 85”. This operation creates a new stereo cable between the two virtual machines. A list of existing stereo cable candidates in the registry may be shown, or a new stereo cable may be created from a blank state.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides an efficient solution for automatically configuring products / components operating in a physical environment in a true plug and play manner. Furthermore, the present invention provides a true plug and play approach for products / components running on new computer machines to applications / components available on computer machines already deployed in the target environment. It can also be configured automatically.

  In particular, the method and system for configuring a computer system according to the present invention allows products / components to be dynamically configured according to a set of given configuration models and policies represented by a stereo cable structure. The roles assigned to each computer machine need not be predefined in a static manner (socket ID and plug ID). In contrast, each machine may obtain its roll and assigned stereo cable from the stereo cable engine when there is a change that affects the stereo cable connection during deployment or during its entire life cycle. it can.

  The configuration described within the stereo cable can also be established based on a policy, such as a policy that requires autoconfiguration support or a prompt for manual confirmation through the stereo cable user interface, or constraints. It can also be established to satisfy a set of (for example, a plug can only connect to sockets with certain properties, or that one socket cannot support connection of more than 100 plugs).

  Once established, the configuration is not static, but events that are generated by the environment or by user-triggered actions from the stereo cable user interface (eg, adding a new stereo cable to a virtual machine). Based on this, it can be managed and updated dynamically.

The configuration operation described in the stereo cable adapter is, for example, the following trigger event:
Can be initiated based on various trigger types, such as issuing, updating or removing sockets, placing or removing virtual machines, starting or stopping virtual machines, etc.

  Configuration values are not statically defined, but can be obtained dynamically in various ways to call local scripts, remote scripts, web services, etc. as described in the stereo cable structure. For example, a socket can publish some configuration information that is discovered and obtained in real time from a plug that requires it.

Embodiments of the present invention also include not only general events (eg, virtual machine startup / shutdown), but also (especially) finer events, eg-issuance of a new socket S1: in this case waiting for it The machine that holds the plug gets the published information and activates the required configuration-update socket S2: the machine that was already connected to it gets the published information and needs it The socket S3 is removed / stopped: the machine that was already connected to it starts and processes the necessary disconnection process and then restarts the configuration process Provide a true dynamic infrastructure.

  The present invention allows software applications to be dynamically connected and configured in a plug-and-play fashion to achieve common computing goals and / or exchange information. The configuration of cooperating computer machines is performed automatically based on some values published or published by other computer machines. Manual configuration steps are not required in order to be able to achieve collaboration and common computing goals between computer machines. The solution according to the invention guarantees transparent connection management not only at the time of deployment but also at any point in the life cycle of the computer machine. Any change in the computer architecture that can affect connections in the computer architecture (those that have already been established or not yet established) to dynamically manage the coordination between computer machines Be considered.

  The invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is implemented as software, which includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.

  Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium that provides program code for use by or in combination with a computer or any instruction execution system. it can. For the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium contains, stores, communicates, propagates, or transports a program that is used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. It can be any tangible device that can.

  The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Examples of computer readable media include semiconductor memory or solid state memory, magnetic tape, removable computer diskette, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), rigid magnetic disk and optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read / write (CD-R / W) and DVD.

  A data processing system suitable for storing and / or executing program code may include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The memory element includes local memory used during actual execution of the program code, mass storage, and at least some program code to reduce the number of times code is retrieved from the mass storage during execution. And a cache memory for temporarily storing the data.

  Input / output or I / O devices (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I / O controllers.

  Network adapters can also be coupled to the system so that the data processing system can be coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modems and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters.

  Although the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. The embodiments are intended to best illustrate the principles of the invention, practical applications, and to enable those skilled in the art to understand the invention with respect to various embodiments having various modifications as suitable for the particular use intended. Selected and explained as possible.

Appendix Table 1

21: Stereo cable adapter 22, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224: Computer machine 23: Stereo cable engine 24: Repository or registry 25: Stereo cable user interface 26: Computer architecture manager 100: Plug And play system 200: computer architecture 210: stereo cable 225: TWS user interface 226: TWS server 227: ITM server 240, 241: virtual machine entry 2100: plug section 2101: socket section

Claims (11)

A method for managing connections between computer machines in a computer architecture, comprising:
Pre-preparing at least one connection management structure, wherein the connection management structure includes a connection entry defining a role-based connection between two computer machines, each connection entry comprising: A socket role assigned to one of the two computer machines, which is required to be provided by a computer machine having said socket role to establish a connection with the other computer machine A socket role associated with a socket attribute representing information to be associated with and a plug role assigned to the other computer machine for establishing a connection with the computer machine having the socket role. Need to be executed by the other computer machine Defining a plug-roles associated with the plug attribute representing a configuration operation that, with this step,
Using the at least one connection management structure, it viewed including the steps of managing the connection between the computer machines in the computer architecture,
Managing the connection comprises, for each computer machine at the time of deployment, identifying each plug role assigned to the computer machine from the at least one connection management structure; and Further processing the roll,
The step of processing each identified plug comprises: from the at least one connection management structure, a computer machine having the socket role required by the plug from among the computer machines in the computer architecture. Including identifying,
Method.   The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one connection management structure includes a configuration file that is loaded on each computer machine.   Managing the connection comprises, for each computer machine, identifying each socket role assigned to the computer machine from the at least one connection management structure at the time of deployment; and A method according to any preceding claim, comprising the step of processing.   The step of processing each identified socket depends on whether a dependent condition for the socket is satisfied, and the socket role assigned to the computer machine does not satisfy the dependent condition The method of claim 3, comprising: queuing the socket.   Managing the connection is responsive to receiving an event associated with a connection entry of the at least one connection management structure to identify whether the connection entry is associated with a socket role; 4. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, comprising processing the identified socket in some cases.   6. A method as claimed in any of claims 3 to 5, wherein processing the identified socket comprises issuing the socket attribute associated with the socket in the at least one connection management structure. .   7. The processing of the identified socket further comprises issuing an active status of the issued socket and generating an event for the issued socket. A method according to any preceding claim. If the step of processing each identified plug role depends on whether a dependent condition for the identified plug is satisfied, and if the identified plug does not satisfy the dependent condition, The method of claim 1 , comprising queuing the identified plug.   Managing the connection, in response to receiving an event associated with a connection entry in the at least one connection management structure, identifying whether the connection entry is associated with a plug role; 8. A method according to any preceding claim, comprising processing the identified plug, if any. The step of processing each plug said been identified, the selected one socket information issued associated with the computer machine was in the identified computer machine having a socket role to be the required The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining and performing the configuration operation described in the plug using the published socket information. Issuing an active status for the plug, which is information及beauty issuance associated with the plug, and further comprising generating an event for the issued plug, The method of claim 1 0.

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