IT Blueprint Deployment with Compatibility Checks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) providers face increased burdens in configuring and managing virtual infrastructures to meet diverse customer requirements, necessitating expertise in multiple disciplines and complex coordination of subject matter experts, while enterprises seek to focus on core business operations rather than IT management.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of IT blueprints that allow for the creation, management, and deployment of virtual infrastructures using modular, customizable components, enabling developers to reference and instantiate parameters from child blueprints within parent blueprints, thereby allowing for flexible configuration and customization without direct modification of the child blueprints, and incorporating policy-driven enhancements and entitlement checks for secure and compliant deployments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If IaaS providers manually configure and manage virtual infrastructures to meet diverse customer requirements, then customization and adaptability are improved, but device complexity and coordination effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the infrastructure configuration into reusable blueprints that can be independently developed and maintained. Each blueprint represents a modular unit of infrastructure configuration (e.g., web server, database server) that can be combined through blueprint inclusion to create complete customer solutions, eliminating the need for manual coordination of individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested blueprints where child blueprints can be included within parent blueprints. This allows complex infrastructure configurations to be built by nesting simpler blueprints together (e.g., a complete e-commerce blueprint includes web server blueprints, database blueprints, and application blueprints), enabling hierarchical organization and reuse of configuration patterns.
2Reliability
If blueprints are updated to incorporate improvements, then reliability and security are improved, but deployment consistency and compatibility may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary compatibility checking during the blueprint deployment process. Before applying updates, the system checks whether updated blueprints are compatible with existing parent blueprints and customer configurations, preventing incompatible updates from being applied and maintaining deployment consistency while still allowing security improvements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms that monitor blueprint updates and their impact on deployed infrastructures. The system tracks which blueprints have been updated, checks compatibility with parent blueprints, and provides feedback to ensure that updates maintain or improve reliability without compromising deployment consistency.
3Ease of operation
If enterprises manage their own IT infrastructure directly, then control and customization are improved, but productivity and focus on core business operations decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables self-service deployment where customers can independently select and deploy blueprints from a catalog without requiring provider expertise. Customers can configure their own virtual infrastructures by choosing from pre-defined blueprints and customizing parameters, maintaining control while eliminating the need to hire and coordinate infrastructure experts.
4Adaptability or versatility
If IaaS providers coordinate multiple subject matter experts to meet customer requirements, then adaptability and expertise are improved, but loss of time and coordination overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates reusable blueprint templates that capture expert knowledge and configuration patterns. Instead of coordinating multiple experts for each customer request, the system copies and applies proven blueprint patterns that have been previously developed and validated, dramatically reducing coordination time while maintaining expertise quality.
Data Source
AI summary
A blueprint is an executable document that describes a real object and includes the expertise to create and operate that object. A “parent” blueprint can include a “child” blueprint, e.g., by reference. When the parent blueprint is deployed to configure a computing architecture for a customer application, the child blueprint is requested for deployment. A check of an update table is made. If there is an update of the child blueprint that is compatible with the parent blueprint, then the most-recent compatible update of the child blueprint is deployed in lieu of the requested child blueprint.