Information Handling System Configuration Rollback

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Managing enterprise-class information handling systems poses challenges in ensuring proper deployment, operation, and performance, particularly in converged and hyper-converged infrastructure systems, where resources are not fully optimized for building, deployment, and ongoing management.

Innovation Solution

A system and method generate a baseline configuration manifest for information handling systems, allowing for sequential updates and automated rollback mechanisms to maintain performance and compliance, using a solution configuration module that includes state validation and update/rollback functionalities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If automated update mechanisms are implemented for information handling systems, then deployment efficiency and resource utilization are improved, but system complexity and difficulty of managing update dependencies increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment efficiencyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the information handling system into discrete modules, each with its own configuration manifest. This allows independent tracking and updating of each module while maintaining overall system coherence through the orchestration service that coordinates updates across all modules.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

An intermediary orchestration service is introduced to manage update sequences and dependencies between modules. This mediator handles the complexity of coordinate updates, dependency resolution, and rollback management, shielding users from the underlying system complexity while maintaining high deployment efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If configuration updates are applied to information handling systems, then system functionality and performance are improved, but risk of deployment failures and loss of system stability increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem functionalityVSAvoidsystem stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary validation of configuration manifests before applying updates. Configuration files are validated against schemas and dependencies are resolved in advance, preventing invalid configurations from being deployed and maintaining system stability while enabling functional improvements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements rollback capabilities that preserve previous working configurations. If an update fails or causes instability, the system can automatically rollback to the prior stable state, cushioning against deployment failures and maintaining reliability while allowing aggressive functional updates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Reliability

If manual management of information handling systems is used, then system stability is maintained, but resource utilization and operational efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem stabilityVSAvoidoperational efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service automation through the orchestration service that automatically manages module updates, validates configurations, handles dependencies, and performs rollbacks when necessary. This eliminates manual intervention while maintaining stability through automated validation and error handling, thereby improving operational efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

4Reliability

If sequential module updates are implemented, then update reliability and system integrity are improved, but update time and deployment duration increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveupdate reliabilityVSAvoidupdate time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary validation of all configuration manifests and resolves dependencies before actual deployment. This upfront preparation ensures that sequential updates can proceed smoothly without rework or validation failures, maintaining high reliability while minimizing total update time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10620941B2Updating and rolling back known good states of information handling systems

Publication Date: 2020.04.14 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

A disclosed system generates a baseline configuration manifest indicative of a known good state of a plurality of information handling modules. Configuration update information indicating updates to the modules and dependencies between or among the information handling modules is received. The information handling system may then be updated in accordance with the configuration update information. The baseline configuration manifest may include a plurality of module manifests corresponding to the plurality of information handling modules and updating the information handling system may include updating the one or more information handling modules in a sequence determined by update sequence information. The configuration update information may include one or more update payloads corresponding to one or more of the information handling modules. In such cases, updating the information handling system may include providing each of update payload to its corresponding information handling module.