Unified Control Interface for Hybrid Cloud Resource Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Enterprise IT departments are reluctant to transition legacy applications to cloud-based architectures due to the complexity of managing physical computing resources and the need for different control interfaces for on-premise and cloud environments, leading to increased training costs and reluctance to move applications to the cloud.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a common set of programmatic control interfaces at a provider network to manage client resources both within and outside the network, allowing clients to register external resources for control operations, verify capabilities, and establish secure connections, thereby extending the provider network's control plane into client networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If clients use separate control interfaces for on-premise and cloud resources, then each interface can be optimized for its specific environment, but device complexity increases and training costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal control interface that can manage both on-premise and cloud resources through a single standardized API. The provider network service accepts resource descriptions in a unified format and routes control operations to appropriate targets, eliminating the need for separate control interfaces while maintaining optimization for each environment through standardized protocol support.
2Ease of operation
If clients transition completely to cloud-based architectures, then management complexity is simplified, but security risks and competitive disadvantages increase for legacy applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables dynamic resource placement where applications can be deployed to either on-premise or cloud resources based on workload characteristics and organizational requirements. The control interface allows flexible routing of control operations to appropriate resource locations, enabling organizations to maintain legacy applications on-premise while gradually migrating suitable workloads to the cloud, thus balancing simplicity with security and competitive considerations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If providers extend control planes into client networks, then resource management unification is achieved, but network security complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a provider network service as an intermediary between the control interface and client resources. This service receives standardized control operations, validates them against security policies, and routes them to appropriate client resources through established secure channels. The intermediary handles security concerns centrally while maintaining unified control, reducing the security complexity burden on individual network segments.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for managing pooled client-premise resources via provider-defined interfaces are described. A pool management request is received from a client via a programmatic interface implemented at a provider network, indicating at least one resource located at a data center external to the provider network. An activation status of the resource within a pool is to be managed by a service of the provider network. A network connection between an administrative resource of the service, located within the provider network, and a control module instantiated on behalf of the service at the external data center is established. A command is transmitted from the administrative resource to the control module to activate the particular resource.