Automated Site Selection for Replicated Enterprise Applications

Solution Overview

Problem

Establishing geographic redundancy for enterprise applications involves significant manual tasks and time overhead in assessing and configuring secondary sites, which can be inefficient and prone to errors.

Innovation Solution

A site assessment server captures resource availability and external factor data from multiple geographically dispersed computing systems, calculates suitability scores, and selects the best site to host a replicated application, automating the configuration of logical environments and resource provisioning.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual assessment and configuration of geographically redundant sites is performed, then reliability of enterprise application deployment is improved, but loss of time and productivity deteriorates due to significant manual tasks and time overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereliability of enterprise application deploymentVSAvoidtime overhead for site assessment and configuration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service automated site selection and configuration. The site selection module automatically evaluates candidate sites using captured data and suitability criteria, while the configuration module automatically provisions selected sites with required software and hardware settings, eliminating the need for manual human intervention in routine assessment and configuration tasks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary automated assessment of candidate sites by capturing resource availability data, performance metrics, and compliance information before deployment decisions are made. This preliminary evaluation includes pre-checking suitability criteria and pre-configuring selected sites, reducing the time required during actual deployment operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If manual assessment and configuration of geographically redundant sites is performed, then reliability of enterprise application deployment is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to significant manual tasks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereliability of enterprise application deploymentVSAvoidproductivity of site deployment process

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service automated site selection and configuration. The site selection module automatically evaluates candidate sites using captured data and suitability criteria, while the configuration module automatically provisions selected sites with required software and hardware settings, eliminating the need for manual human intervention in routine assessment and configuration tasks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces manual mechanical assessment and configuration processes with automated computational systems. The site selection module uses automated algorithms to evaluate sites, and the configuration module uses automated provisioning tools to set up infrastructure, substituting human manual labor with computerized automation throughout the deployment workflow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If comprehensive site assessment is performed manually, then measurement precision of site suitability is improved, but loss of time increases due to detailed evaluation requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprecision of site suitability assessmentVSAvoidtime for detailed site evaluation

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary automated assessment of candidate sites by capturing resource availability data, performance metrics, and compliance information before deployment decisions are made. This preliminary evaluation includes pre-checking suitability criteria and pre-configuring selected sites, reducing the time required during actual deployment operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements automated feedback loops where site assessment results are continuously evaluated against suitability criteria, and configuration outcomes are monitored to verify deployment success. This automated feedback mechanism ensures precise measurement of site suitability while maintaining rapid evaluation speeds through systematic data collection and analysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS11381451B2Methods, systems, and computer readable mediums for selecting and configuring a computing system to support a replicated application

Publication Date: 2022.07.05 EMC IP HLDG CO LLC

AI summary

Methods, systems, and computer readable mediums for selecting and configuring a computing system to support a replicated application are disclosed. According to one example, a method includes capturing resource availability data associated with a plurality of computing systems, wherein each of the plurality of computing systems resides at a separate and distinct geographical site. The method further includes determining, for each of the plurality of computing systems, a suitability score based on the captured resource availability data and at least one external factor associated with the computing system, selecting one of the plurality of computing systems to host the replicated application based on the determined suitability scores, and establishing a logical environment on the selected computing system to support the enterprise application.