Vmware, Inc.

Lachlan T Coote

Gregory T Burk

Yanislav Yankov

Alain M Dumesny

Some embodiments provide method for managing a set of computing resources. The method receives information for a set of resources. The information for each resource indicates a set of policies bound to the resource. The policies as bound to the resources are for application by several policy engines. For each of several of the resources, the method determines whether the policies bound to the resource violate a set of policy validation rules. For a subset of the resources for which a violation exists, the method disables at least one of the policies from being applied to the resource by the several policy engines.

Policy validation

Some embodiments provide, for a policy framework that manages application of a plurality of policies to a plurality of resources in a computing environment, a method for providing a user interface. The method displays a first display area for viewing and editing policies imported by the policy framework from a first several heterogeneous sources. The method displays a second display area for viewing and editing information regarding computing resources imported by the policy framework from a second several heterogeneous sources. The method displays a third display area for viewing and editing binding rules for binding the policies to the computing resources.

Policy framework user interface

Some embodiments provide a method for managing a set of computing resources. The method imports descriptions of computing resources from several heterogeneous sources. The descriptions specify categories for the computing resources. The different sources use different types of categories for the resource descriptions. Based on the categories specified for the computing resources in the set, the method derives additional categories for at least a subset of the computing resources. The method stores each imported computing resource tagged according to its specified and derived categories, wherein the category tags are used for binding policies to the computing resources.

Resource categorization for policy framework

Some embodiments provide a method for managing policies for a set of computing resources. The method imports several sets of resource management policy rules from several heterogeneous sources. The method stores each set of imported policy rules as a primitive policy. The primitive policies are (i) applicable to resources in the set of computing resources and (ii) combinable into composite policies that are applicable to resources in the set of computing resources. Composite policies are combinable into additional composite policies with primitive policies and other composite policies.

Policy store

Some embodiments provide, for a policy framework, a method for managing policies for a set of resources in a computing environment. The method stores several imported policy rules as primitive policies, each of which includes a policy data structure that includes a set of fields. One of the fields of each primitive policy stores the imported policy rule for the primitive policy. The method defines several composite policies based at least in part on the primitive policies. The method stores the defined composite policies as policy data structures. Each policy data structure for a composite policy includes a set of fields and references at least one additional policy data structure.

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Lachlan T Coote