Server Provisioning via Partial Software Installation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing server provisioning methods fail to meet the demand for rapid on-demand provisioning of servers with specific software sets, either due to inefficient installation processes or unavailability of pre-installed software sets, leading to performance issues and inefficiencies in server cluster environments.
Innovation Solution
An administrator system that maintains setup data on available servers and their pre-installed software sets, allowing for the selection and partial installation of only the necessary software differences on a server from a free pool to quickly add it to a cluster, optimizing the provisioning process by leveraging pre-installed software sets in free server pools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all softwares in a desired software set are installed on a server during provisioning, then the server is ready to process requests with the complete software set, but the provisioning time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Servers are pre-installed with specific software sets and maintained in a free pool before provisioning requests occur. This preliminary preparation allows rapid fulfillment of provisioning requests by selecting from pre-configured servers rather than installing software from scratch during the provisioning process.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of installing all software in the desired software set during provisioning, the system performs only partial installation by selecting servers that already have the required software pre-installed. This reduces the provisioning action to merely allocating and configuring the server rather than complete software installation.
2Loss of time
If servers are pre-installed with specific software sets to enable rapid provisioning, then provisioning time is reduced, but servers with the specific software set may not be available even when other servers are free
Solution Approach 1:
The free pool of servers is designed to be multi-functional, capable of serving multiple different software set requirements. By maintaining a pool of servers with various pre-installed software sets and implementing a selection mechanism that matches server capabilities with provisioning requirements, the system achieves both rapid provisioning and adaptability to different software needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the parameter of server selection based on the specific software requirements of each provisioning request. Rather than having fixed server assignments, the system adapts its selection criteria to match the desired software set with appropriate servers from the free pool, optimizing both speed and availability.
3Productivity
If servers are kept ready with pre-installed software sets, then on-demand provisioning can be processed quickly, but the device complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The server infrastructure is segmented into distinct pools based on pre-installed software sets, with each pool containing servers configured for specific software requirements. This segmentation allows the system to manage complexity by organizing servers into manageable groups rather than maintaining a single undifferentiated pool, facilitating easier tracking and allocation.
Solution Approach 2:
An administrator system acts as an intermediary between provisioning requests and the free pool of servers. This intermediary manages the complexity of matching software requirements with available servers, handling the coordination and selection logic while presenting a simplified interface for provisioning operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An administrator system provided according to an aspect of the present invention facilitates efficient provisioning of servers for specific software sets. In an embodiment containing clusters of servers requiring execution of corresponding set of software, an administrator system selects a server from a free server pool and installs on the selected server only those of the required set of softwares that are not already installed on the selected server. As a result, the selected server can quickly be added to a desired cluster. Such a feature is particularly useful in an environment where different application environments are provided in different cluster of systems and many servers are available in the form of free server pools for addition to the desired clusters.