Application Footprint Management for Enterprise Configuration Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Managing enterprise application configurations across multiple servers is challenging due to frequent changes, incompatibilities, and system instability, which can lead to user frustration and revenue loss, as administrators struggle to identify configuration changes causing issues and restore optimal performance.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for collecting and generating an application footprint of configuration information, stored in a source control format, allowing for comparison with previous configurations to identify root causes of issues and automatically restore settings to a previous working state.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If configuration information is manually managed across multiple servers, then flexibility in customization is maintained, but system stability deteriorates due to frequent changes and incompatibilities

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem stabilityVSAvoidconfiguration management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a virtual copy of the entire application configuration state (application footprint) that can be captured, stored, and restored. This copy mechanism allows administrators to snapshot configurations at specific points in time, enabling rapid restoration to previous stable states without manually tracking individual configuration changes across multiple servers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the configuration management process into distinct components: configuration collection, footprint generation, storage, comparison, and restoration. This segmentation allows each component to be independently managed and automated, reducing the overall complexity of managing configurations across distributed servers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If configuration changes are made frequently to adapt to changing business needs, then adaptability improves, but system stability deteriorates due to incompatibilities and issues

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconfiguration adaptabilityVSAvoidsystem stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary action by capturing the application footprint at specific points in time before changes are made. This allows administrators to have pre-prepared snapshots of known-good configurations ready for rapid restoration if problems arise, enabling safe experimentation with new configurations while maintaining the option to revert to stable states.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms by comparing current application footprints with previous versions to identify configuration changes that caused issues. This feedback loop enables administrators to learn from past configuration changes and make more informed decisions about future modifications, balancing adaptability with stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of time

If administrators manually identify and restore configuration issues, then control over the restoration process is maintained, but time consumption increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverestoration timeVSAvoidrestoration operation ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables self-service by automatically generating application footprints, comparing them with previous versions, identifying configuration changes, and facilitating restoration without requiring manual intervention in each step. The system automatically tracks configuration states and can restore applications to previous versions with minimal administrator input, significantly reducing restoration time and effort.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical process of manually checking configurations, identifying issues, and restoring settings with an automated system that uses configuration footprints and comparison algorithms. This substitution eliminates repetitive manual tasks and accelerates the restoration process while maintaining operational ease through automated decision-making.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If configuration information is collected and stored for analysis, then ability to identify root causes improves, but storage requirements and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveroot cause identification difficultyVSAvoidconfiguration management system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential configuration information needed to identify root causes and store it in the application footprint. By selectively capturing relevant configuration data rather than storing all possible system information, the system reduces storage requirements and complexity while maintaining the ability to detect and measure configuration changes that cause issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS9621415B1Automated configuration collection and management using source control

Publication Date: 2017.04.11 GEN DIGITAL INC

AI summary

A computer-implemented method for managing enterprise application configurations is described. Configuration information of an enterprise application deployed across multiple servers at a single point in time is collected. An application footprint of the configuration information is generated. The application footprint is stored in a source control format.