The present disclosure relates to the field of computers, and specifically to computer resources. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to cloud computer resources.
A computer implemented method, system and/or program product configure cloud resources. A request is received for a specific set of cloud resources. The set of cloud resources comprises at least one cloud resource that has been associated with an ontological database. The ontological database defines descriptive terms for the cloud resource and describes relationships between the descriptive terms used by different cloud resources. An optimal set of cloud resources that satisfies the request is configured and saved for future usage in responding to requests for the specific set of cloud resources.
As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present disclosure may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable medium(s) having computer-readable program code embodied thereon.
Any combination of one or more computer-readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
A computer-readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer-readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium may be any computer-readable medium that is not a computer-readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
Program code embodied on a computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
With reference now to the figures, and in particular to
Computer 102 includes a processor unit 104 that is coupled to a system bus 106. Processor unit 104 may utilize one or more processors, each of which has one or more processor cores. A video adapter 108, which drives/supports a display 110, is also coupled to system bus 106. In one embodiment, a switch 107 couples the video adapter 108 to the system bus 106. Alternatively, the switch 107 may couple the video adapter 108 to the display 110. In either embodiment, the switch 107 is a switch, preferably mechanical, that allows the display 110 to be coupled to the system bus 106, and thus to be functional only upon execution of instructions (e.g., ontology based cloud resource configuration program—OBCRCP 148 described below) that support the processes described herein.
System bus 106 is coupled via a bus bridge 112 to an input/output (I/O) bus 114. An I/O interface 116 is coupled to I/O bus 114. I/O interface 116 affords communication with various I/O devices, including a keyboard 118, a mouse 120, a media tray 122 (which may include storage devices such as CD-ROM drives, multi-media interfaces, etc.), a printer 124, and (if a VHDL chip 137 is not utilized in a manner described below), external USB port(s) 126. While the format of the ports connected to I/O interface 116 may be any known to those skilled in the art of computer architecture, in a preferred embodiment some or all of these ports are universal serial bus (USB) ports.
As depicted, computer 102 is able to communicate with a software deploying server 150 via network 128 and a resources cloud 200 using a network interface 130. Network 128 may be an external network such as the Internet, or an internal network such as an Ethernet or a virtual private network (VPN).
A hard drive interface 132 is also coupled to system bus 106. Hard drive interface 132 interfaces with a hard drive 134. In a preferred embodiment, hard drive 134 populates a system memory 136, which is also coupled to system bus 106. System memory is defined as a lowest level of volatile memory in computer 102. This volatile memory includes additional higher levels of volatile memory (not shown), including, but not limited to, cache memory, registers and buffers. Data that populates system memory 136 includes computer 102's operating system (OS) 138 and application programs 144.
OS 138 includes a shell 140, for providing transparent user access to resources such as application programs 144. Generally, shell 140 is a program that provides an interpreter and an interface between the user and the operating system. More specifically, shell 140 executes commands that are entered into a command line user interface or from a file. Thus, shell 140, also called a command processor, is generally the highest level of the operating system software hierarchy and serves as a command interpreter. The shell provides a system prompt, interprets commands entered by keyboard, mouse, or other user input media, and sends the interpreted command(s) to the appropriate lower levels of the operating system (e.g., a kernel 142) for processing. Note that while shell 140 is a text-based, line-oriented user interface, the present disclosure will equally well support other user interface modes, such as graphical, voice, gestural, etc.
As depicted, OS 138 also includes kernel 142, which includes lower levels of functionality for OS 138, including providing essential services required by other parts of OS 138 and application programs 144, including memory management, process and task management, disk management, and mouse and keyboard management.
Application programs 144 include a renderer, shown in exemplary manner as a browser 146. Browser 146 includes program modules and instructions enabling a world wide web (WWW) client (i.e., computer 102) to send and receive network messages to the Internet using hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) messaging, thus enabling communication with software deploying server 150 and other described computer systems.
Application programs 144 in computer 102's system memory (as well as software deploying server 150's system memory) also include an ontology based cloud resource configuration program (OBCRCP) 148. OBCRCP 148 includes code for implementing the processes described below, including those described in
Also stored in system memory 136 is a VHDL (VHSIC hardware description language) program 139. VHDL is an exemplary design-entry language for field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and other similar electronic devices. In one embodiment, execution of instructions from OBCRCP 148 causes VHDL program 139 to configure VHDL chip 137, which may be an FPGA, ASIC, etc.
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, execution of instructions from OBCRCP 148 results in a utilization of VHDL program 139 to program a VHDL emulation chip 151. VHDL emulation chip 151 may incorporate a similar architecture as described above for VHDL chip 137. Once OBCRCP 148 and VHDL program 139 program VHDL emulation chip 151, VHDL emulation chip 151 performs, as hardware, some or all functions described by one or more executions of some or all of the instructions found in OBCRCP 148. That is, the VHDL emulation chip 151 is a hardware emulation of some or all of the software instructions found in OBCRCP 148. In one embodiment, VHDL emulation chip 151 is a programmable read only memory (PROM) that, once burned in accordance with instructions from OBCRCP 148 and VHDL program 139, is permanently transformed into a new circuitry that performs the functions needed to perform the process described below in
The hardware elements depicted in computer 102 are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather are representative to highlight essential components required by the present disclosure. For instance, computer 102 may include alternate memory storage devices such as magnetic cassettes, digital versatile disks (DVDs), Bernoulli cartridges, and the like. These and other variations are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the resources configured using the process described herein may be configured to satisfy a service level agreement (SLA), which is a level of ability/service (i.e., the capacity of cloud hardware and/or software) that is contractually guaranteed by a resource provider.
As depicted in
With reference now to
Returning to
A description of how ontological database 406 is used to configure a set of cloud resources is depicted in a high-level flow chart shown in
As described in block 606, each cloud resource is associated with a definition and instances (meta-data) information. For instance, in one embodiment the definition of a Application Resource is represented in OWL file and contains information such as:
The instance information contains the capabilities supported by the resource. For an application server, this instance information comprises:
The ontology definition also contains relationships between cloud resources in a cloud. For example, if an application server is part of cluster, a relationship between a cluster node in the cloud and the application server node would exist, and is described in the ontological database, as described in block 608.
As described in block 610, based on the classification of the cloud computing environment, requirements supported by a cloud computing environment can be inferred. That is, the ontological database provides a cross-referencing description of relationships of internal components of cloud resources, and also describes relationships (e.g., requisite co-components) of cloud resources needed by another cloud resource.
For example, a definition of cloud resource can be represented as a set of triples:
Associated with each CloudResource type are the properties it supports, such as:
Associated with each CloudResource type is instance information, such as:
Based on the information provided by the ontological database, if a cloud resource provider receives a request for a specific set of cloud resources (e.g., an application server capable of handling 100 users for less than $1000 per year, while meeting the SLA of being “up” at least 95% of the time), then an optimal set of cloud resources that meet these requirements can be configured by utilizing the ontological database for each of the resources in a cloud (block 614). Resources meeting these requirements that are supported by the cloud environment can be dynamically pulled off by scanning the OWL meta-data.
As described above, the process for finding resource types that are supported can be performed by presenting a screen (to a cloud administrator) to select the Types required for satisfying the request. For each type selected, a screen may be presented for selecting properties associated with that type of resource. The selection, as well as the client requirements, can be stored for matching to cloud resources (using the ontological database as described above).
As described in block 616, the optimal set of cloud resources are then saved (i.e., a map to where the components are located as well as directions for assembling them into the desired resource set) for future usage in responding to requests for that same specific set of cloud resources. The process ends at terminator block 618.
Note that the “set of cloud resources” may be a set of multiple cloud resources, or it may be a single cloud resource, such as a virtual application server, a database (virtual or real), a messaging service, an extension to a set of software instructions, etc.
In one embodiment, the cost factor associated with each resource can be used for metering capability and charging of resources in cloud computing environment. This cost factor, which may be part of an SLA, can also be described in the ontological database, allowing different SLA terms to be cross-integrated across different cloud resources. Similarly, the ontological database can be used in comparing the terms in the SLA with terms describing the configured set of cloud resources, in order to determine which set of cloud resources best fits the SLA requirements, and thus is the optimal set of cloud resources.
Note that using semantic web concepts such as the ontological database described herein, interoperability between resources in cloud computing can be computed to determine if two resources can be integrated to provide a solution. For example, a new application server added to the cloud network can be discovered and added to application clusters that support that a specific version of application server. Furthermore, performance runtime and actual performance runtime capability can be used to determine which resource is being utilized in a cloud computing environment and whether it is meeting the required SLA stated during registration.
The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of various embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
Note further that any methods described in the present disclosure may be implemented through the use of a VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language) program and a VHDL chip. VHDL is an exemplary design-entry language for Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and other similar electronic devices. Thus, any software-implemented method described herein may be emulated by a hardware-based VHDL program, which is then applied to a VHDL chip, such as a FPGA.
Having thus described embodiments of the disclosure of the present application in detail and by reference to illustrative embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the disclosure defined in the appended claims.
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