Unified Configuration Tracking for Live System Services
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current configuration management systems cannot distinguish between user and system configurations, leading to difficulties in reverting to a desired state, especially when managing legacy system services, and fail to persist configuration tasks over time, making it hard to manage complex systems at scale.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to differentiate between user and system configurations by storing them in a configuration schema, allowing for the retrieval and comparison of actual and desired configurations, and replacing actual configurations that are not system configurations with the desired ones, while persisting user configurations across reboots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the system persists all configuration changes in a database, then configuration tracking improves, but system complexity increases due to managing multiple services separately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines configuration tracking for multiple different system services into a single unified database table structure. Instead of maintaining separate tracking mechanisms for each service, the invention merges them into one centralized configuration table that can store and manage configurations for NTP, SSH, authentication, firewall, network, storage, keyboard and other services collectively, thereby reducing system management complexity while maintaining comprehensive configuration tracking
2Ease of operation
If the system treats all configuration changes equally, then configuration management simplifies, but the ability to remediate to desired state deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments configuration changes into distinct categories within the unified database structure, specifically separating user-initiated configurations from system-initiated configurations. The database includes fields to track the source and type of each configuration change, allowing the system to differentiate between user configurations that should be preserved and system configurations that may need remediation. This segmentation enables reliable state remediation by identifying which configurations should be maintained versus which can be corrected to match the desired state
3Manufacturing precision
If the system reverts to desired state for all configurations, then configuration compliance improves, but system functionality deteriorates due to deletion of system configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments configurations into user configurations and system configurations with distinct markers in the database. When remediation is performed to revert to the desired state, the system selectively applies changes only to user configurations while preserving system configurations. This segmented approach ensures configuration compliance for user-defined states while maintaining the functionality required by system-generated configurations
4Measurement precision
If configuration schemas are defined for all services, then configuration management precision improves, but system adaptability deteriorates for legacy services
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal configuration table structure that can accommodate both services with defined schemas and legacy services without schemas. The unified database design includes flexible fields that can store structured configuration data for services with schemas while also accommodating unstructured or semi-structured data for legacy services. This universal structure maintains configuration management precision for modern services while preserving adaptability and compatibility with legacy system services
Data Source
AI summary
A method of remediating configurations of a plurality of system services running in each of a plurality of hosts, wherein each of the hosts is configured with a virtualization software for supporting execution of virtual machines therein, includes the steps of: retrieving actual configurations of the system services, wherein the actual configurations are stored in accordance with a configuration schema of the system services and include a user configuration, which is a configuration initiated by the user, and a system configuration, which is a configuration initiated by the host in response to the user configuration; retrieving desired configurations of the system services from a desired configuration file; comparing each of the actual configurations with a corresponding one of the desired configurations; and upon determining that at least one actual configuration, which is not a system configuration, is different from a corresponding one of the desired configurations, replacing the at least one actual configuration with the corresponding desired configuration.