International Business Machines Corporation

John Patrick Whitfield

Craig M Lawton

Lorin Ullmann

Christopher Andrew Peters

Vijay Kumar Aggarwal

Puthukode G Ramachandran

P G Ramachandran

Paul Franklin McMahan

David Werner Bachmann

Sachin P Patel

Peter H Klenk

Raymond Paul Pekowski

David B Colasurdo

Monica Luke

Serge Lucio

Uzi Hardoon

David E Cox

Billy R Rowe, Jr

John Ferguson Linton

Radhika Ramakrishnan

Karl D Gottschalk

Scott C Brown

Edward C Satler

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

Described are an apparatus and method for managing test artifacts. A test plan is selected for a product having a plurality of test artifacts comprising one selected from a group consisting of an execution record and a product requirement. One of the test artifacts is selected for a snapshot at a current time. The snapshot includes a storage record that includes information associated with the selected test artifact and its relationship with other test artifacts at the current time. The snapshot of the selected test artifact is acquired. A current state of the selected test artifact is stored as an element of the snapshot. A current state of relationships of the selected test artifact to the other test artifacts is stored. A current state of the other test artifacts having a relationship with the selected test artifact is stored. A type of snapshot is determined, comprising cascading through artifacts of the test plan to capture all information and relationships associated with the test artifact, its child artifacts, and the group consisting of the execution record and the product requirement.

Management of test artifacts using cascading snapshot mechanism

A method, computer program product, and computer system for defining, at a computing device, one or more channels for executing one or more test scenarios. One or more keyword keywords, each with one or more associated keyword implementations for at least one channel of the one or more channels, are defined. One or more test scenarios is defined, wherein at least one test scenario of the one or more test scenarios includes at least one keyword implementation of the one or more keywords.

Defining multi-channel tests system and method

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

Described is a method for managing test artifacts. According to an embodiment of the method, a test plan for a product is selected by a user. The test plan has multiple test artifacts that include the test plan and at least one of a test case, an execution record defining a configuration of the product, and a product requirement. One of the test artifacts is selected for a snapshot and the snapshot is acquired. The snapshot acquisition includes storing a current state of the selected test artifact, storing a current state of relationships of the selected test artifact to the other test artifacts, and storing a current state of the other test artifacts that have a relationship with the selected test artifact.

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.

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

A system and method for automatically selecting a translator to translate a component request using semantic typing is presented. A mediator receives a component request from a first component that requests to invoke a second component. The mediator retrieves a launch target identifier and a requester provided property type identifier from the component request. The requester provided property type identifier includes semantic typing corresponding to a data value. The mediator retrieves a recipient input property type identifier corresponding to the launch target identifier, and uses the requester provided property type identifier and the recipient input property type identifier to select a translator. The mediator passes a data value included in the component request to the selected translator, and receives a translated data value from the translator. The mediator constructs a property using the translated data value and includes the constructed property in a call that is sent to the second component.

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Cary, NC, United States of America

John Patrick Whitfield