Method and apparatus for template based platform and infrastructure provisioning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016373301-A1
Application number	US-201415117436-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 18, 2014
Priority date	Apr 18, 2014
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods described herein are directed to a template based deployment system providing settings across platform and physical infrastructures. The infrastructure can involve a server, storage, and a network. The platform can include various types of operating systems. A management server may be configured to manage various system elements, server virtualization and platform deployment. The management server may use policies based on a platform template, server profile, host storage profile, and host network profile. Infrastructure configurations may be determined by the management server, according to the platform type, and platform option settings in the platform template. The management server deploys the infrastructure and platform on top of the infrastructure using platform template and images.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A management server configured to manage a plurality of computer devices, the management server comprising:
a memory configured to store a plurality of templates, each of the plurality of templates indicative of a software that is executable by at least one server, and management information comprising a configuration policy for a set of:
one or more of the plurality of devices and a software property;
a processor, configured to:
create a computer device profile from a request comprising a selection of one of the plurality of templates and a selection of one of the plurality of computer devices based on the management information; and
apply the computer device profile to the selected one of the plurality of computer devices to configure the selected one of the plurality of computer devices.

2 . The management server of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of templates comprises one or more platform templates, the software indicated by each of the one or more platform templates comprising software for a platform type, wherein the platform type is indicative of the software property.

3 . The management server of claim 1 , wherein the computer device profile comprises a storage profile, the selection of the one of the plurality of devices comprising a server with an associated storage device; the storage profile comprising one or more settings configured to be applied to the associated storage device;
wherein the processor is configured to create the computer device profile by creating the storage profile with the one or more settings configured to be applied to the associated storage device, the creating the storage profile comprising:
selecting a storage pool for each volume specified by the selected one of the plurality of templates;
selecting the associated storage device based on a model of a storage device associated with the selected storage pool for the each volume;
creating the one or more settings configured to be applied to the associated storage device based on one or more settings in the selected one of the plurality of templates, the selected storage pool for the each volume, and the selected associated storage device.

4 . The management server of claim 1 , wherein the computer device profile comprises a network profile, the selection of the one of the plurality of devices comprising a server with an associated switch; the network profile comprising one or more settings configured to be applied to the associated switch;
wherein the processor is configured to create the computer device profile by creating the network profile with the one or more settings configured to be applied to the associated switch, the creating the network profile comprising:
creating the one or more settings configured to be applied to the associated switch based on a model of the associated switch and one or more settings from the selected one of the plurality of templates, the one or more settings configured to be applied to the associated switch being indicative of a network connection mode for the associated switch.

5 . The management server of claim 1 , wherein the computer device profile comprises a storage profile and a network profile, the selection of the one of the plurality of devices comprising a server with an associated storage system comprising a storage device and a switch, the computer device profile comprising settings configured to be applied to the associated storage system.

6 . The management server of claim 3 , wherein the computer device profile further comprises a server profile, the server profile comprising one or more settings configured to be applied to the selected server;
wherein the processor is configured to create the computer device profile by creating the server profile with the one or more settings configured to be applied to the selected server, the creating the sever profile comprising:
creating the one or more settings configured to be applied to the selected server, the one or more settings configured to be applied to the selected server comprising Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) settings based on a model of the selected server and one or more settings from the selected one of the plurality of templates, and a boot option for the selected server specified from the selected one of the plurality of templates.

7 . The management server of claim 4 , wherein the computer device profile comprises a server profile, the server profile comprising one or more settings configured to be applied to the selected server;
wherein the processor is configured to create the computer device profile by creating the server profile with the one or more settings configured to be applied to the selected server, the creating the sever profile comprising:
creating the one or more settings configured to be applied to the selected server, the one or more settings including Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) settings based on a model of the selected server and one or more settings from the selected one of the plurality of templates, and a boot option for the selected server specified from the selected one of the plurality of templates.

8 . The management server of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of devices comprises one or more servers.

9 . The management server of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of devices comprises one or more storage devices.

10 . The management server of claim 1 , software property is at least one of a software type and a software setting.

11 . A computer program for management server configured to manage a plurality of computer devices, the computer program including instructions for executing a process, the instructions comprising:
managing a plurality of templates, each of the plurality of templates indicative of a software that is executable by at least one server, and management information comprising a configuration policy for a set of:
one or more of the plurality of devices and a software property;
creating a computer device profile from a request comprising a selection of one of the plurality of templates and a selection of one of the plurality of computer devices based on the management information; and applying the computer device profile to the selected one of the plurality of computer devices to configure the selected one of the plurality of computer devices.

12 . The computer program of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of templates comprises one or more platform templates, the software indicated by each of the one or more platform templates comprising software for a platform type, wherein the platform type is indicative of the software property.

13 . The computer program of claim 11 , wherein the computer device profile comprises a storage profile, the selection of the one of the plurality of devices comprising a server with an associated storage device; the storage profile comprising one or more settings configured to be applied to the associated storage device;
wherein the creating the computer device profile comprises creating the storage profile with the one or more settings configured to be applied to the associated storage device, the creating the storage profile comprising:
selecting a storage pool for each volume specified by the selected one of the plurality of templates;
selecting the associated storage device based on a model of a storage device associated with the selected storage pool for the each volume;
creating the one or more settings configured to be applied to the associated storage device based on one or more settings in the selected one of the plurality of templates, the selected storage pool for the each volume, and the selected assoc

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Sakata Masayuki
• Rao Akshay
• Nagami Akihisa
• Shah Utkarsh Jeevanlal
• Drochak Ii Nicklas Daniel

Classifications

• G06F9/44505

  Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files · CPC title

• G06F8/60 Primary

  Software deployment · CPC title

• H04L67/30

  Profiles · CPC title

• H04L41/0843 Primary

  based on generic templates · CPC title

• H04L67/1097

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title