Dynamic Parameter Replacement in Infrastructure Templates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Infrastructure development and engineering teams face challenges in maintaining a large number of infrastructure templates for various implementations, requiring significant maintenance efforts and lacking flexibility in replacement logic.
Innovation Solution
Implementing dynamic parameter replacement in infrastructure templates, where placeholder values are replaced using values from a parameter-property mapping, allowing for flexible and efficient maintenance of templates without the need for extensive re-coding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a new specific system property value is to be added to distinguish systems, then a new and separate infrastructure template may need to be created, but this increases the number of templates and maintenance effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by introducing dynamic parameters that can be substituted in template definitions. Instead of creating separate templates for different system property values, the template uses parameter placeholders (e.g., {{systemProperty}}) that are replaced at runtime based on the specific system properties. This allows a single template to adapt to multiple configurations by changing parameter values rather than creating multiple template copies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universality by designing a single infrastructure template that can serve multiple system configurations through parameter substitution. The template is made multi-functional by incorporating parameter placeholders that can be replaced with different system property values, allowing the same template to provision infrastructure for various system types (e.g., different database systems, application servers) without requiring separate specialized templates for each.
2Manufacturing precision
If separate infrastructure templates are created for different system implementations, then each implementation can be precisely configured, but the maintenance effort increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by using parameter substitution to maintain configuration precision while reducing maintenance effort. The template contains parameter placeholders that are replaced with implementation-specific values during provisioning. When system requirements change, only the parameter values need to be updated rather than modifying the entire template, significantly reducing maintenance time while preserving precise configuration control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies copying by using a single master template definition that is copied and instantiated multiple times with different parameter values. Instead of maintaining separate template files for each system implementation, the system creates instances by copying the base template and substituting parameters, which reduces maintenance effort since changes need to be made only in the master template rather than in multiple separate templates.
3Ease of operation
If infrastructure templates contain hardcoded values for different systems, then provisioning is straightforward, but flexibility to add or change properties is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transforming static, hardcoded values in templates into dynamic parameter placeholders. The template structure remains simple and straightforward for provisioning, but it gains adaptability through parameters that can be dynamically replaced with different values based on system requirements. This allows the template to be both easy to operate with and flexible enough to accommodate new or changed system properties without requiring template modifications.
Data Source
AI summary
Before performing dynamic parameter replacement, an object and a parameter-property mapping are obtained. The object may be an infrastructure template for provisioning physical or virtual computer systems. The object includes a plurality of properties and the plurality of properties include a plurality of placeholders. Each particular placeholder of the plurality of placeholders is a portion of a particular value of a particular property. The parameter-property mapping includes a plurality of key-value pairs where each key value pair includes a property key and a property value. To perform dynamic parameter replacement, the plurality of properties of the object (e.g., infrastructure template) are looped over using generic classes to identify and replace placeholders of the plurality of placeholders which match the property key with the property value.