Federated Workflow Decomposition for Ecosystem Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
As device ecosystems grow in complexity, determining the optimal deployment of workflows across diverse devices becomes challenging due to increased data and connectivity complexity, making it difficult to inventory and characterize connectivity to support complex workflows effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a federated controller system that decomposes workflows into portions, identifies initial and additional platform controllers based on capabilities and locality, and initiates workflow execution using these controllers to efficiently deploy and execute workflows across the ecosystem.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If workflows are deployed in complex device ecosystems with more data and devices, then workflow capabilities and ecosystem coverage are improved, but deployment complexity and difficulty of determining optimal execution environments increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex device ecosystem into multiple domains, each managed by a domain controller. The workflow is decomposed into workflow portions that can be independently deployed to different domains. This segmentation allows the system to handle complexity by breaking it into manageable units while maintaining overall workflow capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces domain controllers as intermediary components between the workflow management system and individual devices/domains. These domain controllers abstract the complexity of individual domains, providing a standardized interface for workflow deployment. The intermediary layer shields the overall system from ecosystem complexity while enabling versatile workflow deployment.
2Productivity
If the ecosystem size and data volume increase, then workflow processing capability is improved, but the time and computational resources required for workflow deployment increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-identifying suitable domains and domain controllers before workflow execution. The system evaluates domain capabilities and matches them with workflow requirements in advance, creating a prepared deployment environment. This preliminary matching reduces deployment time when workflows need to be executed, as the suitable execution environment is already identified.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service mechanisms where domain controllers automatically advertise their capabilities and workflows automatically select appropriate domains based on capability matching. This automated self-service approach eliminates manual intervention in the deployment process, significantly reducing deployment time while handling large ecosystem sizes and data volumes.
3Reliability
If more platform controllers are identified to handle remaining workflow portions, then workflow completion capability is improved, but computational burden and monetary costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by having each domain controller evaluate and express its specific capabilities locally. Instead of a centralized system analyzing all possible domain combinations, each domain controller independently assesses its own ability to handle workflow portions. This distributed local evaluation reduces the overall computational burden while ensuring reliable workflow completion through capability-based matching.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of capability assessment from a centralized exhaustive search to a distributed capability advertisement model. Domain controllers change their state by advertising their capabilities, and the workflow management system uses these capability parameters to make deployment decisions. This parameter change from centralized analysis to distributed advertising significantly reduces computational burden while maintaining workflow completion reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques described herein relate to a method for deploying workflows. The method may include receiving, at a service controller of a federated controller, a request to deploy a workflow in a device ecosystem; decomposing, the workflow into a plurality of workflow portions; identifying an initial platform controller for a domain associated with an anchor point; making a determination that the domain associated with the initial platform controller is not able to perform remaining workflow portions of the plurality of workflow portions; in response to the determination: identifying a plurality of additional platform controllers for additional domains that previously expressed capabilities corresponding to the remaining workflow portions of the plurality of workflow portions; selecting, based on a locality associated with the anchor point, an additional platform controller of the plurality of additional platform controllers; and initiating performance of the workflow using the initial platform controller and the additional platform controller.