Cooperative Identification for Distributed Configuration Items
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Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed CMDB environments, ensuring that configuration items (CIs) are identified consistently across multiple datastores is challenging, as CIs can exist in multiple repositories with different identification authorities, leading to inconsistencies and difficulties in seamless data integration and management.
Innovation Solution
A cooperative identification system is implemented, where datastores can have authoritative, advisory, or no identification rights, applying logical rules to determine the identification authority for new CIs and ensuring consistent unique identifiers across all datastores through processes like master-slave relationships and advisory-authoritative interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If CIs are stored in multiple distributed datastores, then data availability and accessibility are improved, but identification consistency and data integration reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the identification authority across multiple datastores by assigning different types of identification rights (authoritative, advisory, none) to different datastores based on their role and capability. This allows each datastore to independently manage CIs within its scope while maintaining overall system consistency through the hierarchical identification framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary identification mechanism that mediates between multiple datastores. When a CI exists across multiple datastores, the system uses advisory and authoritative identification rights as intermediaries to resolve conflicts and establish consistent unique identifiers, preventing duplication while maintaining data accessibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple datastores maintain independent identification authorities, then data autonomy and flexibility are improved, but data integration and coordination difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different datastores to have different identification characteristics based on their local needs and capabilities. Each datastore can be configured with appropriate identification rights (authoritative, advisory, or none) according to its specific role, maintaining data autonomy while enabling coordination through the unified framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic identification rights that can be assigned and modified based on the specific CI and datastore context. The identification authority is not static but can be dynamically determined through rules and policies, allowing the system to adapt to changing requirements while maintaining coordination.
3Reliability
If a unified identification system is implemented across distributed datastores, then identification consistency is improved, but system complexity and implementation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses parameter changes by introducing a set of identification right parameters (authoritative, advisory, none) that can be applied to different datastores. This parameter-based approach allows the system to achieve unified identification consistency through configurable parameters rather than complex hard-coded logic, simplifying implementation while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A first datastore discovers a configuration item (CI), without a persistent unique identifier in a distributed datastores environment. When the first datastore has authoritative naming rights, it determines an authoritative identification for the CI. When the first datastore has advisory naming rights, it suggests a name for the CI to a second datastore having authoritative naming rights. The second datastore determines that a pre-existing identification for the CI in the second datastore is the authoritative identification for the CI. If there is no pre-existing identification for the CI in the second data store, the second data store accepts the suggested name as the authoritative identification for the CI. When the first datastore has no naming rights for the CI, it sends the CI to a third data store having authoritative naming rights for the CI to get an authoritative identification for the CI.