Indirect Device Control via State Transition Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automatic deployment systems lack efficient mechanisms to handle exceptional operations, such as software recovery for hardware failures, requiring manual intervention on individual target devices.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that enable indirect control of target devices by transitioning a directly controllable device to a service operative state, processing instructions to perform operations on indirectly controllable devices, and then returning to a normal operative state, using shadow Low-Level Managed Elements (LMEs) to execute temporary operations without altering the system's state machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If conventional automatic deployment systems are used, then standard operations can be automated, but exceptional operations require manual intervention on individual target devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a directly controllable target device as an intermediary between the automatic deployment system and indirectly controllable target devices. This intermediary device receives instructions from the deployment system and executes operations on behalf of devices that cannot be directly controlled, thereby automating exceptional operations while maintaining system architecture integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments target devices into two categories: directly controllable and indirectly controllable. This segmentation allows the deployment system to handle different device types through appropriate mechanisms - direct control for standard devices and intermediary-based control for exceptional cases, thus automating previously manual processes.
2Productivity
If manual intervention is used for exceptional operations, then individual device control is possible, but system productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The directly controllable target device automatically performs operations on indirectly controllable devices without requiring human intervention. The system configures the intermediary device to self-execute exceptional operations by processing instructions from the deployment system and applying them to target devices, thereby eliminating manual intervention and improving productivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a target device transitions between operative states, then exceptional operations can be performed, but system state management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates state management concerns by maintaining the existing well-defined state machine for normal operations while introducing a separate mechanism for handling exceptional operations. The directly controllable target device manages the complexity of state transitions internally, allowing indirectly controllable devices to remain in their original states without complicating the overall system state machine.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediary target device absorbs the complexity of state transitions and operative state management. By confining state changes to the directly controllable device rather than propagating them to indirectly controllable devices, the system maintains simplicity in the overall state machine while still enabling exceptional operations through the intermediary's state changes.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are described for a system for transitioning a target device to a first operative state, such as a service operating system. The target device in the first operative state then receives a set of one or more instructions, and processes the received set of one or more instructions to perform a set of one or more operations with regard to an indirect target device. Further, after processing of the set of one or more instructions, the target device transitions from the first operative state to a second operative state.