Configuration File Change Tracking via CMDB Probes
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Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed computing environments, it is challenging to efficiently track changes to configuration files across numerous devices and applications due to the large volume of data and geographical dispersion, making it difficult to determine which files have changed and where these changes occurred.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a cloud service and a configuration management database (CMDB) with a discovery process and a management, instrumentation, and discovery (MID) server to track configuration files by storing relevant information and using probes to periodically discover and update the CMDB, enabling the identification of changes and relationships between devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If configuration files are tracked across numerous devices in distributed computing environments, then the ability to detect changes and maintain device maps is improved, but the complexity of managing and reviewing the large volume of data increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system comprising a configuration management database (CMDB) and a discovery server that acts as a mediator between distributed devices and the tracking system. The discovery server periodically probes devices to collect configuration file information and stores it in the CMDB, which then serves as a centralized repository for change detection. This intermediary architecture simplifies the complexity of directly managing and monitoring configuration files across numerous distributed devices by providing a centralized point of control and data aggregation.
2Loss of information
If all configuration file data is collected and stored centrally, then the completeness of tracking information is improved, but the time and resources required to review and manage the data increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and stores only the essential configuration file information (file paths, checksums, and metadata) in the CMDB rather than storing complete configuration file contents. The discovery server calculates checksums of configuration files and stores these digest values centrally, enabling change detection without requiring central storage or review of the entire configuration data. This extraction approach maintains tracking information completeness for change detection purposes while dramatically reducing the time and resources needed to manage and review the data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms configuration file data into a different parameter representation by calculating and storing checksums (hash values) of the configuration files. Instead of storing and reviewing the actual configuration file contents, the system stores these transformed parameter values (checksums) that uniquely represent each configuration file state. Change detection is then performed by comparing these parameter values over time, which is computationally efficient and requires minimal review time while maintaining complete tracking capability.
3Loss of time
If periodic discovery probes are used to update the CMDB, then the currency of configuration data is improved, but the use of computing resources and network bandwidth increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic discovery probes that are scheduled at predetermined intervals to update the CMDB with current configuration file information. Instead of continuously monitoring configuration files, the discovery server performs discovery operations at periodic intervals, collecting configuration file paths and calculating checksums only at these scheduled times. This periodic action maintains data currency by ensuring the CMDB is regularly updated while avoiding the continuous resource consumption that would result from real-time monitoring, thus optimizing the balance between data freshness and resource usage.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and media for tracking configuration file changes are presented. Tracking configuration file changes include receiving a definition of a pattern used to identify a configuration file to be tracked. Horizontal discovery is performed using the pattern to discover the configuration file based at least in part on the pattern. If an entry in a configuration management database corresponds to a previously discovered configuration file has not been discovered during the horizontal discovery, the entry is deleted from the configuration management database. With discovered configuration files, the configuration management database is updated with the discovered configuration file as a configuration item. Using the configuration management database changes to the configuration file are tracked and displayed in a timeline and history of the discovered configuration file.