IaaS Control Interface Using Graph and Metrics Databases
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Solution Overview
Problem
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) clients face limitations in monitoring and controlling their distributed applications due to lack of comprehensive information-presentation features and diagnostic tools in existing IaaS user interfaces, which hinder efficient optimization and automation of their execution environments.
Innovation Solution
An alternative control interface based on graph and metric databases is provided, allowing IaaS clients to monitor and optimize their distributed applications by storing infrastructure representations and continuously collecting metric values, enabling comprehensive monitoring and automation of control tasks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional IaaS user interfaces are used, then basic monitoring and control functions are provided, but comprehensive information-presentation features and diagnostic tools are lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The control interface is segmented into multiple specialized databases: a graph database for storing infrastructure topology and relationships, a metrics database for collecting and storing metric values, and a logs database for storing log data. This segmentation allows each database to handle specific types of information efficiently, providing comprehensive monitoring capabilities while managing complexity through modular organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components including a web server that receives client requests and coordinates data retrieval from multiple databases, and a process automation engine that acts as an intermediary between user actions and system responses. These intermediaries manage the complexity of interacting with multiple data sources while providing a unified interface to users.
2Reliability
If comprehensive monitoring features are added to IaaS interfaces, then diagnostic capabilities improve, but the interface becomes more complex and harder to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The control interface is designed as a universal system that can perform multiple functions through a single unified interface. The web server handles various types of requests (monitoring, control, diagnostics) through common endpoints, and the graph database provides a unified model for representing different infrastructure components and their relationships, enabling diverse diagnostic capabilities without requiring multiple specialized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates process automation capabilities that enable self-service monitoring and control. The process automation engine can automatically execute predefined workflows and responses based on monitored conditions, reducing the need for manual interface interaction while maintaining comprehensive diagnostic capabilities. This allows the system to serve itself for routine monitoring tasks.
Data Source
AI summary
The current document is directed to an alternative control interface provided to infrastructure-as-a-service (“IaaS”) clients that provides a comprehensive collection of monitoring and control features to allow IaaS clients to monitor their distributed applications running within execution environments provided by an IaaS and to optimize execution of their distributed applications using the control features provided by the alternative control interface. In addition, the alternative control interface provides process-automation features and services that allow IaaS clients to automate monitoring and control tasks. In the described implementations, the currently disclosed alternative control interface is based on a graph database and a metrics database. The graph database stores a current representation of the infrastructure leased from an IaaS system by an IaaS client and the metrics database continuously collects and stores metric values scraped from components of the infrastructure leased by the IaaS client.