Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Distributed data processing – Processing agent
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-03
2003-04-15
Maung, Zarni (Department: 2142)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Distributed data processing
Processing agent
C709S223000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06549932
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to managing a large distributed computer enterprise network and, more particularly, to performing discovery operations therein preferably using software components that are deployed in the network and adapted to be executed in local runtime environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today, companies desire to place all of their computing resources on the company network. To this end, it is known to connect computers in a large, geographically-dispersed network environment and to manage such an environment in a distributed manner. One such management framework comprises a server that manages a number of nodes, each of which has a local object database that stores object data specific to the local node. Each managed node typically includes a management framework, comprising a number of management routines, that is capable of a relatively large number (e.g., hundreds) of simultaneous network connections to remote machines. As the number of managed nodes increases, the system maintenance problems also increase, as do the odds of a machine failure or other fault.
The problem is exacerbated in a typical enterprise as the node number rises. Of these nodes, only a small percentage are file servers, name servers, database servers, or anything but end-of-wire or “endpoint” machines. The majority of the network machines are simple personal computers (“PC's”) or workstations that see little management activity during a normal day.
System administrators typically manage such environments through system and network tasks that are configured by the administrator on some local machine and then distributed or deployed into the network. A machine that is to receive the task is referred to as a deployment “target”. The locations and characteristics of the target machines, however, are typically determined by the administrator manually. Thus, for example, if the task to be deployed is a database management application, the administrator must specify the particular database servers in the network. This process is cumbersome and time-consuming, especially as the size of the network increases to include thousands of connected machines. If the system administrator does not specify all target machines, the system administration task may be implemented incorrectly. Alternatively, if the number and location of targets is over-specified, network resources are consumed unnecessarily.
In addition, there are many other reasons why network administrators have an interest in performing so-called “discovery” operations in such a large managed environment. As one example, an administrator may desire to determine how many and which machines in the environment presently support a given version of a software program. Discovery may also be required to determine whether a particular machine has sufficient resource (e.g., available disk storage) to support a software upgrade. Yet another reason to perform a discovery operation might simply involve a need or desire to perform system or resource inventory to facilitate planning for future enterprise expansion. The nature and types of discovery: operations are thus quite varied.
Known distributed management architectures do not afford the system administrator the ability to issue a distribution request and deploy a task without having to manually associate the tasks with given groups of machines. Likewise, such known techniques have not been readily adapted to facilitate a wide range of basic discovery operations that are desired to facilitate system administration, management and maintenance in such an environment, especially as the network grows to include thousands of connected, managed machines.
The present invention addresses these and other associated problems of the prior art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus a primary object of this invention to perform discovery operations in a distributed computer enterprise environment in which a large number of machines are connected and managed.
It is another primary object of this invention to deploy discovery agents in the distributed computer network that are executed in local runtime environments to perform such discovery operations.
Another primary objective of this invention is to provide software components that are readily deployed into a distributed, managed environment for discovering given facts (e.g., machine and/or source identity, characteristics, state, status, attributes, and the like) that are then useful in controlling a subsequent operation (e.g., a task deployment).
A more specific object of this invention is to provide a mechanism by which a dispatcher may identify particular machines that are candidates to receive a task deployment so that an administrator or other user need not manually associate the task with given groups of machines.
It is a particular object of this invention to deploy a Java-based software “discovery agent” into a distributed computer network environment to discover particular machines or resources that are to be targeted to receive a particular task deployment within the network.
A further object of this invention to launch a set of one or more discovery agents into a large, distributed computer network in response to a given request for the purpose of identifying and locating suitable target machines or resources for receipt of a given task. The task may be an administrative task, a management task, a configuration task, or any other application.
A further specific object of this invention is to customize or tailor the software agent dispatched in the network for discovery purposes as a function of the type of task to be subsequently deployed. Thus, the software agent may more readily determine whether a candidate machine may qualify as a potential target for the deployment.
Yet another more general object of this invention is to more fully automate the discovery of distribution targets in a large, distributed computing network and thereby reduce the expense and complexity of system administration.
Another object of the present invention is to initially dispatch a minimum amount of code that may be necessary to discover distribution targets for a subsequent task deployment in a large computer network.
It is a further object of this invention to deploy a self-routing software agent into a distributed computer network to discover workstations that satisfy a given criteria. During a particular search, a given agent may “clone” itself at a particular node to continue the search along a new network path.
Yet another more general object of the present invention is to collect information about workstations in a large computer networked environment as mobile discovery agents are dispatched and migrated throughout the network.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by the disclosed system, method and computer product for discovery in a large, distributed computer networking environment. A management infrastructure supported in the networking environment includes a dispatch mechanism, which is preferably located at a central location (e.g., an administrative server), and a runtime environment supported on given nodes of the network. In particular, the runtime environment (e.g., an engine) is preferably part of a distributed framework supported on each managed node of the distributed enterprise environment.
One preferred method begins upon a distribution request. The distribution request is not limited to any particular type of system or network administration, configuration or management task. In response to the request, the dispatch mechanism determines whether the machines targeted for the deployment (namely, the “target machines”) can be identified from local sources (e.g., a local repository of previously-collected or generated configuration information). If such information is not available or it otherwise not useful, the dispatch mechanism deploys into the network a set of one or more “discovery agents” that are tasked to locate and identify suitable target(s) for the
McNally Michael
Vetter Brian Jay
Cardone Jason D.
International Business Machines - Corporation
LaBaw Jeffrey S.
Maung Zarni
Tkacs Stephen R.
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