Live Pipeline Templates for Cloud Service Deployment

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Solution Overview

Problem

The complexity of deploying and managing computing services in cloud environments leads to inefficient use of engineering resources, as engineers spend significant time configuring and updating systems, resulting in inconsistent results and a lack of standardization across deployment pipelines.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of live pipeline templates, which are inheritable and extensible source code templates that encapsulate best practices for configuring and deploying services, allowing for the automatic generation and management of continuous deployment pipelines, reducing configuration time and ensuring consistency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If engineers manually configure and provision each system and service for deployment pipelines, then customization and adaptability are achieved, but time consumption and complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecustomization capabilityVSAvoidconfiguration time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring deployment pipelines using inheritable templates that encapsulate best practices and standard configurations. These templates are prepared in advance and can be reused across multiple services, eliminating the need for engineers to manually configure each system from scratch. The templates include pre-defined stages, workflows, and parameters that can be directly applied to new deployment pipelines, significantly reducing configuration time while maintaining adaptability through customization options.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If engineers manually configure each deployment pipeline from scratch, then unique requirements are met, but consistency and standardization are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice-specific customizationVSAvoiddeployment consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies copying by using inheritable templates that can be replicated across multiple deployment pipelines. These templates serve as standardized blueprints that ensure consistency in configuration, stages, and workflows. When a new deployment pipeline is needed, engineers can copy an existing template and make minor service-specific adjustments, ensuring that all pipelines follow the same structural patterns and best practices while still accommodating unique requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies universality by designing templates with parameters and structures that can serve multiple services and deployment scenarios. The inheritable templates are constructed to be broadly applicable across different service types, with configurable parameters that allow customization for specific service requirements. This universal approach ensures consistency in deployment processes while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to diverse service needs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Adaptability or versatility

If deployment pipelines are updated through manual processes, then changes can be made, but the risk of errors and the time required for updates increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveupdate flexibilityVSAvoidupdate accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies feedback by implementing automated validation and verification mechanisms within the template-based update process. When templates are updated or modified, the system automatically validates the changes against defined criteria and provides feedback on potential errors or inconsistencies. This feedback loop ensures that updates maintain reliability by catching issues before they propagate through the deployment pipelines, while still allowing flexible customization of the updates themselves.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS10193961B2Building deployment pipelines for a production computing service using live pipeline templates
Publication Date: 2019.01.29 AMAZON TECH INC
  • US10193961B2 patent drawing
  • US10193961B2 patent drawing
  • US10193961B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Techniques are presented for managing a deployment pipeline using an inheritable and extensible source code template—generally referred to as a live pipeline template (LPT). As described, live pipeline templates may be used to manage deployment pipelines which, in turn, are used to launch, maintain, and update the services and systems used to host and provide computing services.