Cooperative naming for configuration items in a distributed configuration management database environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11514076-B2
Application number	US-202016946548-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2020
Priority date	Apr 7, 2011
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

A first datastore discovers a configuration item (CI), without a persistent unique identifier in a distributed datastores environment. When the first datastore has authoritative naming rights, it determines an authoritative identification for the CI. When the first datastore has advisory naming rights, it suggests a name for the CI to a second datastore having authoritative naming rights. The second datastore determines that a pre-existing identification for the CI in the second datastore is the authoritative identification for the CI. If there is no pre-existing identification for the CI in the second data store, the second data store accepts the suggested name as the authoritative identification for the CI. When the first datastore has no naming rights for the CI, it sends the CI to a third data store having authoritative naming rights for the CI to get an authoritative identification for the CI.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of establishing an authoritative identification for a configuration item (CI) in a distributed datastores environment, the distributed datastores environment including a plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores, the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores including a first datastore, a second datastore, and a third datastore, and the authoritative identification being a unique identification that is persistent in the distributed datastores environment irrespective of any configuration status of the CI, the method comprising:
discovering the CI at the first datastore in the distributed datastores environment, the CI not having a unique identifier in the distributed datastores environment;
applying a set of rules to determine naming rights of the first datastore, wherein the naming rights include authoritative naming rights, advisory naming rights, and no naming rights;
when the first datastore has authoritative naming rights for the CI, determining an authoritative identification for the CI at the first datastore;
when the first datastore has advisory naming rights, determining the second datastore in the distributed datastores environment as having authoritative naming rights for the CI, and sending a suggested name for the CI from the first datastore to the second datastore to get an authoritative identification for the CI;
when the first datastore has no naming rights for the CI, determining the third data store in the distributed datastores environment as having authoritative naming rights for the CI, and sending an indication of the CI to the third datastore to get an authoritative identification for the CI from the third data store; and
populating the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores with the authoritative identification for the CI.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the CI has a type, and wherein the naming rights of the first datastore in the distributed datastores environment for the CI are based on a type matching rule from the set of rules.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the CI has a class, the class being one of computer, hardware, network, software, and location classes, and wherein the computer class includes laptop computer, desktop computer, server computer, and mainframe subclasses.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first datastore and the second datastore comprise a configuration management database (CMDB).

5. A method of establishing an authoritative identification for a configuration item (CI) in a distributed datastores environment, the distributed datastores environment including a plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores, the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores including a first datastore and a second datastore, and the authoritative identification being a unique identification that is persistent in the distributed datastores environment irrespective of any configuration status of the CI, the method comprising:
applying a set of rules to determine naming rights of the first datastore, wherein the naming rights include authoritative naming rights, advisory naming rights, and no naming rights;
creating the CI at the first datastore, the first datastore having authoritative naming rights for the CI based on the set of rules;
populating an identity of the CI with an authoritative identity provided by the first datastore;
sending the CI with the authoritative identity from the first datastore to the second datastore;
determining if the CI is already present at the second datastore;
if the CI is not already present in the second datastore, storing the CI with the authoritative identity from the first datastore in the second datastore; and
if the CI is already present in the second datastore, populating the authoritative identity from the first datastore as a unique identity of the CI across the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein when the CI already present in the second datastore has a pre-existing unique identity, populating the authoritative identity from the first datastore as a unique identity of the CI across the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores includes overwriting the pre-existing unique identity of the CI already present in the second datastore with the authoritative identity from the first datastore.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
updating all references in the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores to the pre-existing unique identity of the CI already present in the second datastore to the authoritative identity of the CI from the first datastore.

8. A method of establishing an authoritative identification for a configuration item (CI) in a distributed datastores environment, the distributed datastores environment including a plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores, the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores including a first datastore and a second datastore, and the authoritative identification being a unique identification that is persistent in the distributed datastores environment irrespective of any configuration status of the CI, the method comprising:
applying a set of rules to determine naming rights of the first datastore, wherein the naming rights include authoritative naming rights, advisory naming rights, and no naming rights;
creating the CI at the first datastore, the first datastore having advisory naming rights for the CI based on the set of rules;
populating an identity of the CI with a suggested identity provided by the first datastore;
sending the CI with the suggested identity from the first datastore to the second datastore, the second datastore having authoritative naming rights for the CI;
determining if the CI is already present at the second datastore;
if the CI is not already present in the second datastore, storing the CI with the suggested identity from the first datastore in the second datastore, and populating the suggested identity from the first datastore as the authoritative identity of the CI across the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores;
if the CI is already present without a pre-existing unique identity in the second datastore, populating the suggested identity from the first datastore as the authoritative identity of the CI across the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores; and
if the CI is already present with a pre-existing unique identity in the second datastore, ignoring the suggested identity from the first datastore, and populating the pre-existing unique identity in the second datastore as the authoritative identity of the CI across the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein when the CI is already present with the pre-existing unique identity in the second datastore, populating the pre-existing unique identity in the second datastore as the authoritative identity of the CI across the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores includes sending the CI back to the first datastore with the pre-existing unique identity in the second datastore as the authoritative identity of the CI.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
when the CI is already present without a pre-existing unique identity in the second datastore, updating all references in the plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores to the CI already present in the second datastore to the suggested identity of the CI from the first datastore.

11. A computer network linking a plurality of communicatively- coupled datastores in a distributed datastores environment, the plurality of communicatively- coupled datastores including a first datastore, a second datastore, and a th

Assignees

• Bmc Software Inc

Inventors

• Rangarajan Govindarajan
• Kumar Ajoy
• Kumar Narayan
• Mueller Douglas
• Connors Matthew D
• Wallace Darius

Classifications

• G06F16/27 Primary

  Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor · CPC title