Automated Deployment Tool for Heterogeneous Cloud Platforms

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing deployment tools face challenges in configuring heterogeneous cloud environments, assessing platform readiness, handling deployment complexities, ensuring connectivity and security, and managing post-deployment issues, especially during simultaneous deployment of software applications across multiple PaaS environments.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for deploying software applications that includes obtaining configuration data on interdependencies, checking platform readiness, performing selective deployment, and conducting post-deployment assessments, utilizing an integrated software deployment tool with modules for communication, deployment, and monitoring across multiple cloud environments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual deployment process is used for heterogeneous cloud environments, then deployment can be performed without automated tools, but deployment is prone to error, inefficient, and depends on individual skill and knowledge

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment success rateVSAvoiddeployment complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The deployment tool performs self-assessment of platform readiness, automatically detecting compatibility issues and configuration problems between source and target platforms without requiring manual verification by operators

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides real-time feedback during deployment by monitoring platform readiness, detecting compatibility issues, and reporting deployment status to enable automated decision-making for resumption, rollback, or abortion of deployment processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Extent of automation

If existing deployment tools are used for heterogeneous cloud environments, then deployment can be automated to some extent, but tools lack support for assessing platform readiness and handling interoperability compatibility issues

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment automation levelVSAvoidplatform compatibility handling

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary assessment of platform readiness before deployment by evaluating interoperability and compatibility between source and target platforms, identifying potential issues in advance to prevent deployment failures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts deployment parameters and configurations based on detected platform compatibility characteristics, modifying deployment strategies to accommodate heterogeneous cloud environment differences

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If simultaneous deployment to multiple heterogeneous PaaS environments is performed, then deployment throughput increases, but complexity of handling connectivity, security, availability, and controllability issues increases drastically

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment throughputVSAvoiddeployment process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the simultaneous deployment process into independent, manageable units by deploying applications to different target platforms as separate deployment tasks that can be monitored and controlled individually while maintaining overall coordination

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The deployment tool provides universal handling of connectivity, security, availability, and controllability issues across multiple heterogeneous PaaS environments through standardized mechanisms that work across different platform types

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Loss of time

If existing deployment tools are used for post-deployment assessment, then basic deployment can be completed, but tools are inadequate for checking successful deployment, performing sanity checks, and dry-runs due to large number of dependencies

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepost-deployment verification timeVSAvoiddeployment validation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary sanity checks and dry-runs during the deployment process itself, validating application functionality and configuration before declaring deployment complete, thereby reducing the need for extensive post-deployment verification

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8997088B2Methods and systems for automated deployment of software applications on heterogeneous cloud environments

Publication Date: 2015.03.31 PALO ALTO NETWORKS INC

AI summary

A method and system of deploying at least one software application from at least one source platform to at least one target platform is provided. The method may include obtaining configuration data on interdependency between the at least one target platform and the at least one software application. The method may further include checking a readiness of the at least one source platform for initiating deployment of the at least one software application. The method may further include checking a readiness of the at least one target platform for initiating deployment of the at least one software application and performing a selective deployment of the at least one software application after the readiness check. The method may further include performing a post-deployment assessment of the selectively deployed at least one software application after the selective deployment, wherein the post-deployment assessment includes checking a status parameter of the selectively deployed at least one software application.