Semantic Resource Description Ontology for IT Infrastructure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current IT infrastructure management technologies, such as WSRF and WSDM, operate on a syntactical level, lacking explicit semantic descriptions of manageable resources, which limits client systems' ability to access and manipulate these resources effectively, as they rely on implicit assumptions about semantics.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for generating a machine-processable semantic description of manageable resources using an ontology that provides a terminology and rules for describing resource aspects semantically, allowing clients to request and receive semantic information about resource properties, operations, and relationships.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional web services standards (WSRF, WSDM) are used to manage IT resources, then resource management capability is provided, but semantic understanding of resources is lost due to operation on syntactical level only
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer (semantic annotation mechanism using RDF/SOWL) between the syntactical web services infrastructure and the application layer. This intermediary preserves and transmits semantic information about IT resources without disrupting the existing web services architecture, allowing machines to understand resource meanings while maintaining system compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the resource management system into distinct layers: the syntactical web services layer (WSRF/WSDM) and the semantic annotation layer (RDF/SOWL). This segmentation allows each layer to operate independently with its own concerns, preventing semantic information loss while avoiding direct modification of the complex underlying infrastructure.
2Ease of operation
If machines rely on implicit assumptions about resource semantics, then resource management can proceed without explicit semantic definitions, but client systems cannot effectively access and manipulate resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-annotating IT resources with semantic information (RDF/SOWL) before client systems attempt to access them. This advance preparation ensures that semantic meanings are already embedded and readily available, eliminating the need for machines to rely on implicit assumptions and enabling effective resource manipulation from the outset.
3Extent of automation
If no explicit semantic descriptions are provided for manageable resources, then the management system remains simple and standards-based, but automation and flexibility in resource management are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of resource description from purely syntactical (XML-based WSDL) to semantically enriched (RDF/SOWL annotations). This parameter change enables automated reasoning and flexible resource management by providing machines with understandable semantic meanings, while the modular annotation approach prevents excessive complexity in the underlying infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and associated apparatus is provided for generating a machine-processable semantic description of a first manageable resource of an application domain. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the first manageable resource is characterized by a set of aspects. Accordingly, an ontology is provided for the application domain that provides a terminology and rules for describing the set of aspects of the first manageable resources of the application domain in a semantic way. The semantic description of the first manageable resource is then generated compliant to the terminology and the rules of the ontology to describe semantically the set of aspects.