Multi-tenant-cloud-aggregation and application-support system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9348652-B2
Application number	US-201213540170-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2012
Priority date	Jul 2, 2012
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

The present application is directed to a distributed system that provides multi-cloud aggregation and that includes a cloud-connector server, cloud-connector nodes, and one or more service-provider nodes that cooperate to provide services that are distributed across multiple clouds. A service-provider node obtains tenant-associated information from a virtual data center in which the service-provider node is installed and provides the tenant-associated information to the cloud-connector server.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem within a multiple cloud-computing-facility aggregation that includes multiple, operationally distinct cloud-computing facilities, the cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem comprising:
a cloud-connector server that provides an electronic cloud-aggregation management interface and that is installed within one of the multiple, operationally distinct cloud-computing facilities;
multiple cloud-connector nodes, each single cloud-connector node installed in a virtual data center management server, cloud director, or management system within each cloud-computing facility of the multiple cloud-computing-facility aggregation, each cloud-connector node providing an electronic interface through which the cloud-connector server accesses services provided by the cloud-connector node and that each accesses a cloud-management interface within the cloud-computing facility in which the cloud-connector node is installed through which the cloud-connector node accesses local cloud-management services on behalf of the cloud-connector server; and
multiple service-provider nodes, each service-provider node installed in a virtual data center management server, cloud director, or management system within each cloud-computing facility of the multiple cloud-computing-facility aggregation, each service-provider node accessing a cloud-director management interface to obtain information related to tenant-associated virtual data centers provided by the cloud-director and information related to multi-tenant virtual data center from which the tenant-associated virtual data centers are provided and transmit the obtained information through an electronic interface to the cloud-connector node.

2. The cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem of claim 1 wherein the multiple-cloud-computing-facility aggregation comprises:
at least one cloud-computing facility managed by a virtual-data-center server; and
additional cloud-computing facilities that are operationally distinct from the at least one cloud-computing facility managed by the virtual-data-center server.

3. The cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem of claim 1 wherein the multiple-cloud-computing-facility aggregation comprises:
at least one cloud-computing facility that includes two or more tenant-associated virtual data centers managed by a cloud director; and
additional cloud-computing facilities that are operationally distinct from the at least one cloud-computing facility managed by the cloud director.

4. The cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem of claim 1 wherein the multiple-cloud-computing-facility aggregation comprises:
at least one cloud-computing facility managed by a management system that is neither a cloud director nor a virtual-data-center management server; and
additional cloud-computing facilities that are operationally distinct from the at least one cloud-computing facility managed by the management system that is neither a cloud director nor a virtual-data-center management server.

5. The cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem of claim 1 wherein each cloud-connector node and each service-provider node is a virtual appliance comprising:
an application program interface through which the cloud-connector server requests services provided by the virtual appliance;
an authorization service that authorizes access to the virtual appliance and to services provided by the virtual appliance;
service routines that, when executed in response to a request received through the application program interface, carry out the request and provide a response to the request;
a database that stores configuration data for the virtual appliance;
adapters that provide access by the virtual appliance, to a file system and a management interface of a cloud-computing-facility management system, and, when the virtual appliance is installed in a cloud director, to management interfaces for each tenant-associated virtual data center managed by the cloud director; and
a messaging protocol and network transfer services that together provide for transfer of data files to remote virtual appliances.

6. The cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem of claim 1 wherein an application unaware of tenant-associated virtual data centers provided by cloud directors accesses tenant-associated-virtual-data-center information provided by one or more service-provider nodes.

7. A cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem within a multiple cloud-computing-facility aggregation that includes multiple, operationally distinct cloud-computing facilities, the cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem comprising:
a cloud-connector server that provides an electronic cloud-aggregation management interface and that is installed within one of the multiple, operationally distinct cloud-computing facilities;
multiple multi-tenant cloud-connector nodes, each multi-tenant cloud-connector node installed in a virtual data center management server, cloud director, or management system within each cloud-computing facility of the multiple cloud-computing-facility aggregation, each multi-tenant cloud-connector node providing an electronic interface through which the cloud-connector server accesses services provided by the multi-tenant cloud-connector node, each multi-tenant cloud-connector node accessing a cloud-management interface within the cloud-computing facility in which the multi-tenant cloud-connector node is installed through which the multi-tenant cloud-connector node accesses local cloud-management services on behalf of the cloud-connector server, and each multi-tenant cloud-connector node accessing a cloud-director management interface to obtain information related to tenant-associated virtual data centers provided by the cloud-director as well as information related to the multi-tenant virtual data center from which the tenant-associated virtual data centers are provided and transmit the obtained information through an electronic interface to the cloud-connector server.

8. The cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem of claim 7 wherein the multiple-cloud-computing-facility aggregation comprises:
at least one cloud-computing facility managed by a virtual-data-center server; and
additional cloud-computing facilities that are operationally distinct from the at least one cloud-computing facility managed by the virtual-data-center server.

9. The cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem of claim 7 wherein the multiple-cloud-computing-facility aggregation comprises:
at least one cloud-computing facility that includes two or more tenant-associated virtual data centers managed by a cloud director; and
additional cloud-computing facilities that are operationally distinct from the at least one cloud-computing facility managed by the cloud director.

10. The cloud-computing-facility aggregation and application-support subsystem of claim 7 wherein the multiple-cloud-computing-facility aggregation comprises:
at least one cloud-computing facility managed by a management system that is neither a cloud director nor a virtual-data-center management server; and
additional cloud-computing facilities that are operationally distinct from the at least one cloud-computing facility managed by the management system that is neither a cloud director nor a virtual-data-center management server.

11. The cloud-computing-f

Assignees

• Raghu Jagannath N
• Vmware Inc

Inventors

• Raghu Jagannath N

Classifications

• G06F9/5072 Primary

  Grid computing · CPC title

• H04L67/10 Primary

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04L41/508

  based on type of value added network service under agreement · CPC title

• G06F2009/45595

  Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances · CPC title

• H04L41/22

  comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title