International Business Machines Corporation

Craig M Lawton

Lorin Ullmann

Christopher Andrew Peters

John Patrick Whitfield

Vijay Kumar Aggarwal

Puthukode G Ramachandran

P G Ramachandran

David Werner Bachmann

Raymond Paul Pekowski

Uzi Hardoon

Martin T Moore

David E Cox

Sachin P Patel

Bethany Lyn Kessen

Michael S Brown

John Ferguson Linton

Jonathan Andrew Lewis

Karl D Gottschalk

Jesse B Overby, Iii

Near clones for a set of targeted computing systems are provided by determining a highest common denominator set of components among the computing systems, producing a pseudo-clone configuration definition, and realizing one or more pseudo-clone computing systems as partially configured backups for the targeted computing systems. Upon a planned failover, actual failure, or quarantine action on a targeted computing system, a difference configuration is determined to complete the provisioning of the pseudo-clone system to serve as a replacement system for the failed or quarantined system. Failure predictions can be used to implement the pseudo-clone just prior to an expected first failure of any of the targeted systems. The system can also interface to an on-demand provisioning management system to effect automated workflows to realize pseudo-clones and replacement systems automatically, as needed.

Creation of highly available pseudo-clone standby servers for rapid failover provisioning

A system for establishing and maintaining inventories of computing environment assets comprising one or more custom collector interfaces that detect movement of assets from one environment to another, and an inventory scanner which modifies inventories for each environment based on monitored asset movements. The present invention is of especial benefit to autonomic and on-demand computing architectures.

Identification of discrepancies in actual and expected inventories in computing environment having multiple provisioning orchestration server pool boundaries

A method for debugging client-side code includes a client receiving an application file set from a server in response to the client requesting an application. A singleton is generated on the client by executing a script in the application file set. The singleton monitors a data event generated by an application programming interface. The singleton writes a client data record to a cache memory in response to the application programming interface generating the data event. The client data record records an application event. The singleton flushes the contents of the cached memory in response to a flush event, and transfers the contents to the server for persistent storage.

Debugging client-side code

Near clones for a set of targeted computing systems are provided by evaluating different configurations of the targeted computing systems including lists of installed hardware components and installed software components; determining a subset of components in common among the different configurations; determining an initial pseudo-clone configuration including the subset of components and excluding components which are not in common among the different target hardware configurations; for each of the targeted computing systems, producing a finish-out workflow of installation steps and components to be installed into an incompletely configured computer system according to the pseudo-clone configuration to produce an operational clone system; and outputting the pseudo-clone configuration and the workflow to a provisioning management system for subsequent realization of a pseudo-clone backup computing system and further subsequent realization of one or more operational clone systems.

A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for sending a user's availability information to an instant messaging (IM) partner. A user predefines areas of the user's display and associates these predefined areas, or 'hotspots', with user defined messages. If the user is not available to immediately respond to an incoming message, the user may move the IM dialog window to a 'hotspot' in the display. Depending upon the user-defined message associated with the &#x201c;hotspot&#x201d;, the IM application generates an automated response indicating the user's availability to respond to the message, and sends the message to the IM partner. The user also may predefine and associate the user's IM status with a &#x201c;hotspot&#x201d;. Moving an IM dialog window into a &#x201c;hotspot&#x201d; automatically changes the user's status based on the associated &#x201c;hotspot&#x201d;. This change is communicated to only the particular IM dialog window partner while other IM partners are unaffected.

Method for determining availability of participation in instant messaging

Environment asset inventories of computing environment assets are arranged into computing environments, and at least one collector interface is disposed between the environments to detect movement of an asset and to produce asset movement reports. Upon receipt of a movement report, one or more backup copies of a environment asset inventory are accessed, and compared a modified environment asset inventory. A history of each asset in each inventory is maintained. A history report regarding the life of an asset from first introduction into an environment throughout movements between environments is produced, including any applicable patches and upgrades configured into an environment. A discrepancy report is generated including assets, locations, status, and a revision level indicators.

Enabling automated provisioning on a data processing network includes providing the network with access to an automated provisioning controller. The controller enables a user to specify resource allocation priorities and uses the user-specified priorities, in conjunction with a resource stabilization policy, to resolve conflicting resource requests. The resource allocation priorities include priorities for demand-based resource requests and maintenance-based resource requests. The stabilization policy includes a policy for constraining allocation of a resource based on forecasted demand and a policy for constraining allocation of a resource based on a scheduled maintenance task.

Enabling user control over automated provisioning environment

A method and software for fulfilling a resource request in a data processing network includes specifying characteristics of the requested resource responsive to detecting the resource request. A set of attributes is then derived from the specified characteristics. The specified characteristics indicate broad or general properties of the needed resource while the derived attributes preferably indicate the hardware and software components of a resource ideally suited to fulfill the resource request. Attribute information associated an available resource is then evaluated against the attributes derived from the specified characteristics. An available resource is then selected, based on the evaluation, to satisfy the resource request. The attributes of the selected resource best match the attributes derived from the specified characteristics. The requested resource may be a server resource and specifying the characteristics of the requested resource may includes specifying a server type from a constrained set of server types.

Provisioning manager for optimizing selection of available resources

In a network composed of communicating resources, the status of an aggregate resource may be determined by calculations based upon the status assumed by the real resources contained within the aggregate rather than being determined directly. The status of real resources may be propagated to still higher aggregate resources whose own status is based upon the status of the real resources contained within it. An aggregate resource may have multiple potential statuses and a decision as to which status to report for an aggregate resource at a given time is calculated based upon the status of the underlying real resources which it contains. Each real resource has associated with it another parameter which is its aggregation priority value indicating to what degree a change in its status will affect higher level nodes or aggregates in a network hierarchy. In assigning a new aggregate status to a given aggregate resource, the calculation for aggregate status determines the status of the real underlying resources that are descendents of the aggregate resource, retrieves the appropriate threshold levels for status change for the aggregate, and checks the aggregation priority of the real resources that are descendents of the aggregate and are currently in an unsatisfactory state and then assigns a new aggregate resource status.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Craig M Lawton