Packaging tool for first and third party component deployment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10873510-B2
Application number	US-201916296598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2019
Priority date	Dec 14, 2015
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

A cloud declarative language is used to configure and reconfigure cloud computing environments. The language includes physical and logical topology declarations as well as cloud operations commands, and allows users to declare commands at multiple topology hierarchies. The language may be used to create scripts and sets of scripts that are used to configure cloud stacks and other operational parameters. Scripts may be created through direct editing by cloud designers or with the aid of graphical user interfaces. Scripts may be automatically generated using templates of configurations and requirements and use for rapid prototyping and testing of cloud environments. Scripts may also be used to monitor conformance with specified configurations, and to facilitate deployment of incremental modifications to configurations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for managing a cloud design, comprising:
a processor and a memory storing thereon computer-executable instructions, the system communicatively coupled to a storage device storing a database of available cloud design components, where the available cloud design components comprise one or more of user resources, database resources, and feature resources, where the available cloud design components have a standard interface, and where the available cloud design components are congruent with a descriptor language including standardized parameters for the available cloud design components,
the system being configured such that, when executed by the processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the system to:
generate a graphical user interface at a computing device that includes a listing of the available cloud design components;
receive, via the graphical user interface generated at the computing device, a selection of the available cloud design components for the cloud design; and
adjust performance of one or more of the selected components using the descriptor language to specify component parameters,
wherein a single cloud design comprising the available cloud design components is used to create a live environment for use and a test environment for development, and
wherein the listing of the available cloud design components comprises hierarchies of component groupings, where component parameters are maintained separately for each instance of a component in a hierarchy of the hierarchies of component groupings, allowing reuse of one or more of the available cloud design components in one or more cloud designs.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database comprises plural resource options for each of data storage management, domain management, software applications, and network management.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database comprises options for at least one of: access control, configuration management, configuration deployment, operational integrity assurance, credentials management, and web services.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more elements of the listing are represented as graphic icons and wherein the system is configured to manipulate the listing of the available cloud design components based on receiving an input.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein graphic icons representing the available cloud design components in the listing are configured to be manipulable by drag and drop operations to form the cloud design.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database comprises a library of custom modules.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a configuration exporter configured to export the cloud design in a form comprising terms of the descriptor language.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a packager configured to build a cloud deployment package on demand according to the components selected and the specified component parameters.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a configuration compliance tool configured to compare a cloud deployment to the cloud design and report a number of discrepancies between the cloud design and the cloud deployment.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the configuration compliance tool is further configured to apply changes to the cloud deployment to address at least one of the discrepancies.

11. A method for managing a cloud design, comprising:
storing a database of available cloud design components, where the available cloud design components comprise one or more of user resources, database resources, and feature resources, where the available cloud design components have a standard interface;
generating a graphical user interface at a computing device that includes a listing of available cloud design components including hierarchies of component groupings, where component parameters are maintained separately for each instance of a component in a hierarchy of the hierarchies of component groupings, allowing for reuse of one or more of the available cloud design components in one or more cloud designs;
receiving, via the graphical user interface generated at the computing device, a selection of the available cloud design components for a cloud design; and
exporting the cloud design comprising the selection of the available cloud design components.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the database comprises plural resource options for each of data storage management, domain management, software applications, and network management.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the database comprises options for at least one of: access control, configuration management, configuration deployment, operational integrity assurance, credentials management, and web services.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the available cloud design components are congruent with a descriptor language including standardized parameters for the available cloud design components, and wherein the method further comprises adjusting performance of the selected components using the descriptor language to specify component parameters.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein one or more elements of the listing of available cloud design components are represented as graphic icons in the graphical user interface.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the graphic icons representing the available cloud design components in the listing are configured to be manipulable by drag and drop operations to form the cloud design.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the database comprises a library of custom modules.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising building a cloud deployment package on demand according to the components selected and specified component parameters.

19. A method for monitoring cloud design compliance, comprising:
storing a database of available cloud design components, where the available cloud design components comprise one or more of user resources, database resources, and feature resources, where the available cloud design components have a standard interface;
generating a graphical user interface at a computing device that includes a listing of available cloud design components represented as graphic icons, the listing of available cloud design components including hierarchies of component groupings, where component parameters are maintained separately for each instance of a component in a hierarchy of the hierarchies of component groupings, allowing for reuse of one or more of the available cloud design components in one or more cloud designs,
receiving, via drag and drop operations performed in the graphical user interface generated at the computing device, a selection of the available cloud design components for a cloud design; and
exporting the cloud design comprising the selection of the available cloud design components, wherein the cloud design is used to create a live environment for use and a test environment for development.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising comparing a cloud deployment to the cloud design, reporting a number of discrepancies between the cloud design and the cloud deployment, and applying changes to the cloud deployment to address at least one of the discrepancies.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Lucas Shawn M
• Gibson Robert S T
• Wei Cheng
• Maknojia Rahim
• Bordovskiy Vitaly

Classifications

• G06F9/5072 Primary

  Grid computing · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

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

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title

• H04L41/145 Primary

  involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title