Using content aggregation to build administration consoles

US8140976B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Joseph A. Bohn · Durham, US
• Kathryn H. Britton · Chapel Hill, US
• Samar Choudhary · Morrisville, US
• Donald F. Ferguson · Port Jefferson Station, US
• Carol A. Jones · Raleigh, US
• Richard A. King · Cary, US
• Jason R. McGee · Apex, US
• Christopher C. Mitchell · Raleigh, US
• Vijay Pandiarajan · Apex, US
• Douglas R. Petty · Rochester, US
• Elizabeth A. Schreiber · Cary, US
• Timothy G. Shortley · Raleigh, US
• Shikha Srivastava · Cary, US
• John W. Sweitzer · Austin, US
• Robert T. Uthe · Morrisville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 27, 2008
• Grant date: Mar 20, 2012
• Expiry date: Jan 3, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04L12/6418
• WIPO field: Digital communication
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Content aggregation is used to build administration consoles. Preferred embodiments enable providing a solution-based approach to information technology (“IT”) administration, whereby content can be flexibly arranged to provide a content view that is adapted for the IT solution deployed in a particular IT environment. In preferred embodiments, portal technology is used for the aggregation framework, and portlets are used for creating content. Alternatively, other approaches such as struts and tiles may be used. Preferred embodiments deploy an administration console as a Web-accessible application, and this console consolidates the administration interfaces for an arbitrary set of management operations, including administration of an arbitrary collection of hardware and/or software resources. Roles/permissions may be used when rendering content for the console, thereby customizing a view to individual end users (or user groups).