Automated Converged Infrastructure Deployment with Dynamic Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual and time-consuming process of configuring converged infrastructure components, which often have unknown operational configurations, complicates interactions between users and components, leading to increased complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
An automated system that collects component configuration information, constructs a pod descriptor, and generates a package specification unit with machine-readable tasks to inventory, assess, and configure CI components, allowing for automated operation and user control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual procedures are used to configure CI components according to design blueprints, then configuration accuracy can be maintained, but user time and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automated self-service configuration where the CI controller automatically collects component configuration information, constructs pod descriptors, generates package specification units, and executes tasks to inventory, assess, and configure components without requiring manual user intervention through blueprint procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of following blueprint procedures with an automated electronic system that uses software agents to collect configuration data, generate deployment packages, and execute configuration tasks automatically, substituting human manual operations with automated computational processes
2Reliability
If design blueprints assume fixed CI configurations, then validated procedures can be provided, but adaptability to actual varying component configurations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static fixed configuration assumptions in blueprints to dynamic configuration detection where the CI controller automatically discovers and adapts to the actual operational configurations of components, allowing the deployment process to adjust dynamically based on real component states
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the configuration parameters from fixed predetermined values in blueprints to dynamically detected actual configuration values by having the CI controller collect real configuration information from components and use those actual parameters for deployment
3Measurement precision
If manual detection of configuration differences is required, then accuracy in identifying deviations can be achieved, but operational complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated feedback mechanisms where the CI controller continuously collects configuration information from components, compares actual configurations with deployment requirements, and automatically adjusts the deployment process based on detected differences, eliminating manual detection while maintaining accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary CI controller that acts as a mediator between the deployment system and CI components, automatically collecting configuration data and translating actual component states into deployment-ready information, thereby eliminating the need for manual configuration difference detection
Data Source
AI summary
A technique to adaptively configure components of a converged infrastructure (CI). Component configuration information is collected from and representative of operating storage, compute, and network components of the CI. A pod descriptor is constructed from the collected information. The pod descriptor includes operating storage, compute, and network component configuration definitions for the CI based on the collected component configuration information. A package specification unit is generated based on the component configuration definitions of the pod descriptor. The package specification unit includes tasks that, when executed, automatically inventory, assess, and configure targeted ones of the CI components. The technique executes the tasks in the package specification unit to perform corresponding operations on targeted ones of the CI components.