Automated Parallel Command Execution for System Administration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual system administration in large enterprises is time-consuming and prone to errors, requiring multiple administrators and taking many hours or days to complete administrative tasks across hundreds or thousands of computer systems.
Innovation Solution
An automated administration mechanism that allows for parallel execution of commands across multiple computer systems, using child processes to execute commands concurrently and aggregate output and error information, with parameters for controlling the number of active processes, retry attempts, and logging configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual administration is used across multiple computer systems, then administrators can perform tasks with full control and monitoring, but the process becomes time-consuming and requires multiple administrators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the administrative task execution by forking child processes for each target computer system, allowing parallel execution of commands across multiple systems. This segmentation enables one administrator to simultaneously manage multiple systems, dramatically improving productivity while reducing the time loss associated with manual sequential administration.
2Productivity
If parallel execution of commands is implemented across multiple computer systems, then administrative tasks can be completed faster by a single administrator, but system complexity and resource management increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary administration mechanism that manages the complexity of parallel execution. This mechanism handles process forking, output aggregation, and error management, shielding the administrator from the underlying complexity while enabling parallel productivity improvements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of the administration process through child processes, where each child process handles a specific target computer system. This copying approach allows the same administration logic to be replicated across multiple systems simultaneously, improving productivity without requiring the administrator to manage each system individually.
3Loss of time
If commands are executed in parallel against multiple target computer systems, then task completion time is reduced, but error aggregation and output management become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the output and error streams from multiple child processes into unified aggregated output and aggregated error information. This merging approach consolidates the complex parallel execution results into manageable single outputs, reducing the complexity of error aggregation while maintaining fast parallel execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where output information and error information from each child process are collected and aggregated back to the parent process. This feedback loop enables efficient management of parallel execution results, allowing the system to monitor and control multiple simultaneous operations without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for automating the administration of computer systems. In one set of embodiments, information can be received specifying one or more commands and a list of target computer systems. Upon receiving this information, the one or more commands can be automatically executed in parallel against the target computer systems. In certain embodiments, executing the one or more commands in parallel can include forking a child process for each target computer system, and executing the one or more commands against that target computer system in the context of the child process. Output and error information that is collected by each child process as a result of executing the one or more commands can be aggregated and made available to a system administrator upon completion. Further, error information that is generated as a result of the automated administration process itself can be stored and made available to the system administrator for review.