Method and apparatus for orchestrating cross-FaaS provider functions declaratively

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11182218-B2
Application number	US-201916731652-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2019
Priority date	Dec 31, 2019
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

System and computer-implemented method for executing a workflow definition with a set of function definitions having code executable with at least one cloud services provider in a plurality of cloud services providers involve reception of a request to execute a function definition from the workflow definition and a determination of whether code contained in the function definition is only executable at that particular cloud services provider. A provider function at the cloud services provider is invoked using the function definition and an execute command for the provider function is transmitted for the provider function.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method in a cloud architecture for executing a workflow definition comprising a set of function definitions having code executable with at least one cloud services provider in a plurality of cloud services providers, the method comprising:
receiving a request to execute a function definition from the workflow definition wherein the function definition specifies data to deploy a particular function in a cloud services provider;
determining whether the function definition comprises code that is only executable with a specific cloud services provider in the plurality of cloud services providers;
invoking a provider function at the specific cloud services provider using the function definition based on the determination; and
transmitting an execute command for the provider function, wherein the provider function executes the code at the specific cloud services provider to deploy the particular function at the specific cloud services provider.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the function definition further comprises a cloud services provider identifier, and the determining of whether the function definition comprises code that is only executable with-a the specific cloud services provider comprises:
selecting the specific cloud services provider based on the cloud services provider identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
receiving a request to execute a second function definition from the workflow definition;
determining whether the second function definition comprises code that is only executable with a second specific cloud services provider in the plurality of cloud services providers; and
invoking a second provider function at the second specific cloud services provider using the second function definition based on the determination.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the function definition does not comprise code that is only executable with the specific cloud services provider, the method further comprising:
selecting one of the plurality of cloud services providers based on a criterion; and
invoking the provider function at the one of the plurality of cloud services providers.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the criterion comprises at least one of cost, available resource, cloud services provider selection priority, and external restriction.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an identifier to reference the provider function at the specific cloud services provider, wherein the identifier comprises information necessary to determine a status of execution of the provider function; and
instancing the provider function based on the information.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
before invoking the provider function at the specific cloud services provider using the function definition, modifying the function definition to add a wrapper comprising customized code for creating the provider function at the specific cloud services provider, wherein the function definition is packaged in the wrapper to deploy the particular function specified in the function definition at the specific cloud services provider.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing program instructions for executing a workflow definition in a cloud architecture, wherein the workflow definition comprising a set of function definitions having code executable with at least one cloud services provider in a plurality of cloud services providers, wherein execution of the program instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:
receiving a request to execute a function definition from the workflow definition wherein the function definition specifies data to deploy a particular function in a cloud services provider;
determining whether the function definition comprises code that is only executable with a specific cloud services provider in the plurality of cloud services providers;
invoking a provider function at the specific cloud services provider using the function definition based on the determination; and
transmitting an execute command for the provider function, wherein the provider function executes the code at the specific cloud services provider to deploy the particular function at the specific cloud services provider.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the function definition further comprises a cloud services provider identifier, and wherein execution of the program instructions by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to further perform steps comprising:
selecting the specific cloud services provider based on the cloud services provider identifier.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein execution of the program instructions by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to further perform steps comprising:
receiving a request to execute a second function definition from the workflow definition;
determining whether the second function definition comprises code that is only executable with a second specific cloud services provider in the plurality of cloud services providers; and
invoking a second provider function at the second specific cloud services provider using the second function definition based on the determination.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the function definition does not comprise code that is only executable with the specific cloud services provider, and wherein execution of the program instructions by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to further perform steps comprising:
selecting one of the plurality of cloud services providers based on a criterion; and
invoking the provider function at the one of the plurality of cloud services providers.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the criterion comprises at least one of cost, available resource, cloud services provider selection priority, and external restriction.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein execution of the program instructions by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to further perform steps comprising:
receiving an identifier to reference the provider function at the specific cloud services provider, wherein the identifier comprises information necessary to determine a status of execution of the provider function; and
instancing the provider function based on the information.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein execution of the program instructions by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to further perform steps comprising:
before invoking the provider function at the specific cloud services provider using the function definition, modify the function definition to add a wrapper comprising customized code for creating the provider function at the specific cloud services provider wherein the function definition is packaged in the wrapper to deploy the particular function specified in the function definition at the specific cloud services provider.

15. A system in a cloud architecture for executing a workflow definition in a cloud architecture, wherein the workflow definition comprising a set of function definitions having code executable with at least one cloud services provider in a plurality of cloud services providers, the system comprising:
memory; and
one or more processors configured to:
receive a request to execute a function definition from the workflow definition, wherein the function definition

Assignees

• Vmware Inc

Inventors

• Sanchez Sergio
• Georgiev Radostin
• Boninski Alek
• Ivanov Angel
• Nakova Tina

Classifications

• G06F9/5038

  considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration (scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups) · CPC title

• G06F9/5072 Primary

  Grid computing · CPC title

• G06F9/5055 Primary

  considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine · CPC title