Vmware, Inc.

Kevin Xie

Vijay Raghavan

Douglas Wesley Cook

Yahya Cahyadi

Julie Ann Pickhardt

An information-technology (IT) blueprint is an executable document that, when executed, can be used to create an IT application such as an e-commerce site. An IT lifecycle blueprint can further be used to manage (e.g., modify) and, ultimately, destroy such an IT application. To this end, an IT lifecycle blueprint can include idempotent methods that achieve the same result whether starting from a blank (real or virtual) infrastructure or from a previously populated infrastructure. In other words, the same method that created an IT application can be used to modify it. A request for a post-deployment modification can be made using a topological representation of a blueprint and highlighting the representations of components to which a selected modification could be applied.

Post-deployment modification of information-technology application using lifecycle blueprint

Topological lifecycle-blueprint interface for modifying information-technology application

An information-technology (IT) blueprint is an executable document that, when executed, can be used to create an IT application such as an e-commerce site. An IT lifecycle blueprint can further be used to manage (e.g., modify) and, ultimately, destroy such an IT application. To this end, an automation engine for the blueprint can include idempotent methods to generate workflows that achieve the same result whether starting from a blank (real or virtual) infrastructure or from a previously populated infrastructure. If a workflow task fails, the workflow that included the task can be re-executed; alternatively, a new workflow can be generated based in part on the application configuration following a fix for the failure.

Failure handling for lifecycle blueprint workflows

An information-technology (IT) blueprint is an executable document that, when executed, can be used to create an IT application such as an e-commerce site. An IT lifecycle blueprint can further be used to manage (e.g., modify) and, ultimately, destroy such an IT application. To this end, an IT lifecycle blueprint can include idempotent methods that achieve the same result whether starting from a blank (real or virtual) infrastructure or from a previously populated infrastructure. To effect a modification that is not within the scope of the blueprint that created the IT application, a new lifecycle blueprint can be created, if necessary, and executed to effect the modification. In a sense, the new lifecycle blueprint replaces the old lifecycle blueprint as a manager tool for the IT application.

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Kevin Xie