System and method for customizing a deployment plan for a multi-tier application in a cloud infrastructure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016188323-A1
Application number	US-201514923729-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 27, 2015
Priority date	Jul 13, 2011
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A deployment system enables a developer to customize a deployment plan generated according to a logical, multi-tier application blueprint for deploying multiple applications in a cloud infrastructure. Using the deployment system, the developer inserts a custom script or task in a sequence of tasks to be performed to deploy an application component in different phases (e.g., installation, configuration, start-up) on a virtual machine. The deployment system anchors the custom script to the different phases of the application component's deployment such that the customizations to the deployment plan are maintained through changes to the underlying application blueprint.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method of modifying a deployment plan having tasks that are performed to deploy an application having application components executing on a plurality of virtual computing resources, the method comprising:
receiving a script and a placement location for the script in a sequence of tasks that are performed to deploy one or more of the application components; and generating a modified deployment plan that includes the script for execution at the placement location according to a topology of the virtual computing resources and the application components executing thereon.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving the script further comprises:
selecting the script from a library of user-defined scripts; and receiving modifications to the selected script comprising at least one reference to a configuration property defined for one of the application components.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving the script comprises receiving an input through a graphical user interface that implements drag-and-drop functionality in a region showing the sequence of tasks as a plurality of connected icons, the input identifying the script and indicating the placement location for the script.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving another input through the graphical user interface to reorder the sequence of tasks; and wherein the modified deployment plan is generated to include execution of the sequence of tasks as reordered.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a change to the topology of the virtual computing resources and the application components from which the deployment plan is generated; and generating a corresponding change to the deployment plan while preserving the script at the placement location in the sequence of tasks.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the change to the topology is a deletion of one of the application components, and wherein the received script is anchored to a task that is performed to deploy another one of the application components.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the change to the topology is a change in a dependency from a first application component to a second application component, wherein the received script is anchored to the first application component such that the received script reorders along with the sequence of tasks for deploying the first application component.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a second script and a second placement location for the script in a sequence of tasks that are performed external to and not in conjunction with deploying any of the application components of the application, wherein the modified deployment plan is generated to include execution of the second script at the second placement location.

9 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed in a computing device, modify a deployment plan having tasks that are performed to deploy an application having application components executing on a plurality of virtual computing resources, by performing the steps of:
receiving a script and a placement location for the script in a sequence of tasks that are performed to deploy one or more of the application components; and generating a modified deployment plan that includes the script for execution at the placement location according to a topology of the virtual computing resources and the application components executing thereon.

10 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions for receiving the script further comprise instructions for:
selecting the script from a library of user-defined scripts; and receiving modifications to the selected script comprising at least one reference to a configuration property defined for one of the application components.

11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions for receiving the script further comprise instructions for:
receiving an input through a graphical user interface that implements drag-and-drop functionality in a region showing the sequence of tasks as a plurality of connected icons, the input identifying the script and indicating the placement location for the script.

12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , further comprising instructions that, when executed in the computing device, perform the steps of:
receiving another input through the graphical user interface to reorder the sequence of tasks; and wherein the modified deployment plan is generated to include execution of the sequence of tasks as reordered.

13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , further comprising instructions that, when executed in the computing device, perform the steps of:
determining a change to the topology of the virtual computing resources and the application components from which the deployment plan is generated; and generating a corresponding change to the deployment plan while preserving the script at the placement location in the sequence of tasks.

14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the change to the topology is a deletion of one of the application components, and wherein the received script is anchored to a task that is performed to deploy another one of the application components.

15 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the change to the topology is a change in a dependency from a first application component to a second application component, wherein the received script is anchored to the first application component such that the received script reorders along with the sequence of tasks for deploying the first application component.

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , further comprising instructions that, when executed in the computing device, perform the steps of:
receiving a second script and a second placement location for the script in a sequence of tasks that are performed external to and not in conjunction with deploying any of the application components of the application, wherein the modified deployment plan is generated to include execution of the second script at the second placement location.

17 . A computer system for managing deployment of an application having multiple application components executing on a plurality of virtual computing resources, the computer system comprising a system memory and a processor programmed to carry out the steps of:
receiving a script and a placement location for the script in a sequence of tasks that are performed to deploy one or more of the application components; and generating a modified deployment plan having the sequence of tasks that are performed to deploy the application according to a topology of the virtual computing resources and the application components executing thereon, wherein the modified deployment plan includes the script for execution at the placement location.

18 . The computer system of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further programmed to carry out the step of:
receiving an input through a graphical user interface that implements drag-and-drop functionality in a region showing the sequence of tasks as a plurality of connected icons, the input identifying the script and indicating the placement location for the script.

19 . The computer system of claim 17 , wherein the processor is furth

Assignees

• Vmware Inc

Inventors

• Nagaraja Vishwas
• Mangtani Komal
• Jalagam Sesh
• Winterfeldt David

Classifications

• G06F8/61 Primary

  Installation · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

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

• G06F9/45533

  Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

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

• G06F8/70 Primary

  Software maintenance or management · CPC title