System and method for configuration management service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016269227-A1
Application number	US-201615162340-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 23, 2016
Priority date	Dec 18, 2007
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

System and method for agentless computing system configuration management in networked environments. A configuration management service may be implemented as a service on a network with a standard network interface. A client may communicate with the service to specify a configuration for a target system, for example through a browser interface. The specified configuration may be stored by the service. The service may generate a package according to the specified configuration. The package may be delivered to the target system via the network. The package may then install the configuration, for example, one or more software, data, or other digital components, on the target systems in accordance with the specified configuration. The clients may request that the service verify and/or update the installed configuration on the target system. The service may, in response, generate an update package for the installed configuration. Target systems may include computer systems and virtual machines.

First claim

1 .- 27 . (canceled)

28 . A system, comprising:
one or more processors; and a memory comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the processor to implement a configuration management service configured to:
receive via a network, from a plurality of remote clients of the configuration management service, a plurality of configuration requests in accordance with a network interface to the configuration management service, wherein:
each of the plurality of configuration requests indicate one or more target systems and specifies a configuration for the one or more target systems, and
the configuration to be installed does not require any instances of agent software on the one or more target systems to implement the configuration on the one or more target systems; and

for each received configuration request:
generate a package comprising one or more components for implementing the configuration specified by the configuration request on the one or more target systems indicated by the configuration request independently of any agent software residing on the one or more target systems; and
send the package to the one or more target systems indicated by the configuration request via a network.

29 . The system as recited in claim 28 , wherein each package is configured to install the specified configuration on the one or more target systems after the package is received on the one or more target systems.

30 . The system as recited in claim 28 , wherein at least two of the generated packages include different sets of components for implementing the same specified configuration on respectively indicated heterogeneous target systems.

31 . The system as recited in claim 28 , wherein each package is configured to:
determine that the one or more target systems do not include one or more components necessary to install the specified configuration on the one or more target systems; and obtain the one or more components.

32 . The system as recited in claim 31 , wherein each package is further configured to obtain the one or more components from the configuration management service.

33 . The system as recited in claim 28 , wherein the system further comprises a data storage, and wherein the configuration management service is further configured to store configuration specifications to the data storage, wherein the configuration specifications comprise information indicating the specified configurations for the one or more target systems of individual ones of the configuration requests.

34 . The system as recited in claim 28 , wherein at least two of the generated packages include different sets of components for implementing different configurations on the respectively indicated target systems.

35 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving, by a configuration management service implemented on one or more computing devices via a network, from a plurality of remote clients of the configuration management service, a plurality of configuration requests in accordance with a network interface to the configuration management service, wherein:
each of the plurality of configuration requests indicate one or more target systems and specifies a configuration for the one or more target systems, and
the configuration to be installed does not require any instances of agent software on the one or more target systems to implement the configuration on the one or more target systems; and
for each received configuration request:
generating a package comprising one or more components for implementing the configuration specified by the configuration request on the one or more target systems indicated by the configuration request independently of any agent software residing on the one or more target systems; and
sending the package to the one or more target systems indicated by the configuration request via a network.

36 . The method as recited in claim 35 , further comprising each package installing the specified configuration on the one or more target systems, independently of any agent software residing on the one or more target systems, after the package is received on the one or more target systems.

37 . The method as recited in claim 35 , wherein the generating a package for each received configuration request comprises:
generating at least two packages that include different sets of components for implementing the same specified configuration on respectively indicated heterogeneous target systems.

38 . The method as recited in claim 35 , further comprising, for one or more of the received configuration requests:
determining, by the package at the one or more target systems, that the one or more target systems does not include one or more components necessary to install the specified configuration on the one or more target systems; and obtaining, by the package, the one or more components from the configuration management system.

39 . The method as recited in claim 35 , further comprising, for one or more of the received configuration requests:
determining that a configuration of the one or more target systems does not match a configuration specification stored by the configuration management service; and generating an update package configured to correct the configuration of the one or more target systems; and sending the update package to the one or more target systems.

40 . The method as recited in claim 39 , wherein the determining that the configuration of the one or more target systems does not match the configuration specification comprises:
determining that one or more components specified by the configuration specification is not present in the one or more target systems.

41 . A system, comprising:
a server computer system configured to couple to a network, wherein the server computer system is configured to implement a configuration management service configured to:
receive via a network, from a plurality of remote clients of the configuration management service, a plurality of configuration requests in accordance with a network interface to the configuration management service, wherein:
each of the plurality of configuration requests indicate one or more target systems and specifies a configuration for the one or more target systems, and
the configuration to be installed does not require any instances of agent software on the one or more target systems to implement the configuration on the one or more target systems; and

for each received configuration request:
generate a package comprising one or more components for implementing the configuration specified by the configuration request on the one or more target systems indicated by the configuration request independently of any agent software residing on the one or more target systems; and
send the package to the one or more target systems indicated by the configuration request via a network.

42 . The system as recited in claim 41 , wherein each package is configured to install the specified configuration on the one or more target systems after the package is received on the one or more target systems.

43 . The system as recited in claim 41 , wherein at least two of the generated packages include different sets of components for implementing the same specified configuration on respectively indicated target systems.

44 . The system as recited in claim 41 , wherein each package is configured to:
determine that the one or more target systems does not include one or more components necessary to install the specified conf

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Alford William J
• Lohia Sumit
• Whitcomb Thomas William
• Hamer Kenneth L
• Mclain Evan Michael

Classifications

• H04L41/082 Primary

  the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality · CPC title

• H04L41/20

  Network management software packages · CPC title

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title

• H04L67/02 Primary

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title