Extensible infrastructure for representing networks including virtual machines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10116525-B2
Application number	US-201414297953-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2014
Priority date	Aug 25, 2011
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

One or more embodiments provide an extensible user interface for navigating a graph in a tabular format for which the extensible user interface is arranged in a hierarchy of views. The hierarchy includes an entry point level having at least one extension added by an application, wherein data is displayed when the extensible user interface is initially accessed by the user. The hierarchy further includes an inventory level having at least one extension added by the application, wherein data is displayed when the user selects an extension at the inventory level. Another level of the hierarchy is a category extension level having at least one extension added by an application, wherein data is displayed when the user focuses the extensible user interface on a node displayed by an extension added at the inventory level.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computing device comprising a processor configured to implement an extensible user interface for navigating, in a display of the computing device, a graph in a tabular format, the extensible user interface arranged in a hierarchy of views, the hierarchy comprising:
an entry point level having at least one extension added by an application, said application operating on a computer processor, said application configured to monitor a plurality of nodes representative of at least one system object wherein said system objects include at least one virtual or physical computing devices wherein data of an extension added at the entry point level by an application is displayed in a said display of said computing device to a user when the extensible user interface is initially accessed by the user;
an inventory level having at least one extension added by the application, wherein data of an extension added at the inventory level by the application is displayed to the user when the user selects an extension at the entry point level corresponding to the extension at the inventory level; and
a category extension level having at least one extension added by an application, wherein data of an extension added at the category extension level by the application is displayed to the user when the user focuses the extensible user interface on a node displayed by an extension added at the inventory level wherein a plurality of applications have added extensions to at least one level of the extensible user interface, wherein data associated with the plurality of applications for a first node of the plurality of nodes is displayed to the user in said display of said computing device in a single view at the at least one level of the extensible user interface, wherein the data associated with the plurality of applications for the first node is configured by the user using the single view of the at least one level of the extensible user interface.

2. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the hierarchy further comprises an application-specific extension level having at least one extension added by the application, wherein data of an application-specific extension is displayed to the user when the user focuses the extensible user interface on at least one of said plurality of nodes having data of the application-specific extension associated with the node of said at least one of said plurality of nodes.

3. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the category extension level has a plurality of tabs under which an extension added by an application shows data of the extension.

4. The computing device of claim 3 , wherein data of the extension is shown under one of the plurality of tabs.

5. A computer readable storage media having computer executable instructions for implementing an extensible user interface for navigating, in a display of a computing device, a graph in a tabular format, the extensible user interface arranged in a hierarchy of views, the hierarchy comprising:
an entry point level component having at least one extension added by an application, said application operating on a computer processor, said application configured to monitor a plurality of nodes representative of at least one system object wherein said system objects include at least one virtual or physical computing devices wherein data of an extension added at the entry point level by an application is displayed in said display of said computing device to a user when the extensible user interface is initially accessed by the user; an inventory level component having at least one extension added by the application, wherein data of an extension added at the inventory level by the application is displayed to the user when the user selects an extension at the entry point level corresponding to the extension at the inventory level; and
a category extension level component having at least one extension added by an application, wherein data of an extension added at the category extension level by the application is displayed to the user when the user focuses the extensible user interface on a node displayed by an extension added at the inventory level wherein a plurality of applications have added extensions to at least one level of the extensible user interface, wherein data associated with the plurality of applications for a first node of the plurality of nodes is displayed to the user in said display of said computing device in a single view at the at least one level of the extensible user interface, wherein the data associated with the plurality of applications for the first node is configured by the user using the single view of the at least one level of the extensible user interface.

6. The computer readable storage media of claim 5 , wherein the hierarchy further comprises an application-specific extension level component having at least one extension added by the application, wherein data of an application-specific extension is displayed to the user when the user focuses the extensible user interface on at least one of said plurality of nodes having data of the application-specific extension associated with the node of said at least one of said plurality of nodes.

7. The computer readable storage media of claim 5 , wherein the category extension level component has a plurality of tabs under which an extension added by an application shows data of the extension.

8. The computer readable storage media of claim 7 , wherein data of the extension is shown under one of the plurality of tabs.

Assignees

• Vmware Inc

Inventors

• Cannon Thomas C
• Dee Stephanie
• Shepherd Peter J
• Thompson Robert Lee

Classifications

• G06F3/0483

  Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor · CPC title

• G06F11/32

  with visual {or acoustical} indication of the functioning of the machine · CPC title

• G06F11/3006 Primary

  where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems (multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50) · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04L41/22 Primary

  comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title