Application Virtualization System for Server Conflict Isolation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Virtualizing server applications, such as web applications, is challenging due to conflicts like overlapping application pool names, making it difficult to run multiple applications independently on the same server without conflicts.

Innovation Solution

An application virtualization system that monitors and captures configuration information during application preparation, stores metadata, and reconstitutes it during deployment to isolate conflicts and ensure correct placement of web applications into virtual environments, allowing multiple server applications to run side-by-side on the same physical hardware.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple server applications are virtualized on the same server, then application deployment flexibility and server utilization are improved, but conflicts between applications (e.g., application pool name conflicts) occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapplication deployment flexibilityVSAvoidapplication conflict prevention
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the application pool naming space by introducing application virtualization containers. Each virtualized application receives a unique application pool name that includes its container identifier, effectively dividing the global naming space into isolated segments. This allows multiple applications to run simultaneously without name conflicts while maintaining deployment flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an application virtualization system as an intermediary layer between the physical server and the applications. This intermediary manages application deployment, isolation, and resource allocation, preventing direct conflicts between applications while enabling flexible deployment scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If server applications are virtualized to enable easy migration between servers, then maintenance overhead is reduced, but configuration management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveserver maintenance efficiencyVSAvoidconfiguration management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary action by capturing application configuration information during the application preparation phase. Configuration metadata is extracted, stored, and packaged with the application before deployment. This preliminary capture of configuration data simplifies subsequent migration and deployment operations, reducing maintenance overhead despite initial packaging complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal application packaging format that can be deployed across different server environments. The virtualized application package includes all necessary configuration information and can be migrated between servers with different underlying configurations, making the deployment process environment-agnostic and reducing long-term management complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Manufacturing precision

If application configuration information is captured during preparation, then deployment accuracy is improved, but processing time during preparation increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedeployment accuracyVSAvoidapplication preparation time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs configuration information capture during the application preparation phase, which is a preliminary action before actual deployment. By extracting and packaging configuration metadata upfront, the system ensures deployment accuracy is achieved during the initial packaging process, and subsequent deployments use this pre-prepared information without additional processing overhead.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2542966B1Virtual environment for server applications, such as web applications
Publication Date: 2022.06.29 SERVICENOW INC
  • EP2542966B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2542966B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2542966B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An application virtualization system enables server applications, such as web applications to be easily deployable, separates an application and its state from the system, and allows applications to be easily moved to another server. The application virtualization system provides a way to isolate conflicts and allow multiple applications that provide conflicting information to run independently and avoid conflicts. The application virtualization system receives notification of an application preparation session and monitors the session to collect configuration information that the application uses to run on a client. The application virtualization system stores the collected information until the application to be virtualized is deployed. When an administrator later deploys the application, the system retrieves the stored information and uses the information and information from the client to reconstitute the metadata and virtualize the application.