System and method for automatically managing IT-resources in a heterogeneous environment

US8260897B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Thomas Graser · Leonberg, DE
• Norbert Lenz · Eppelheim, DE
• Markus Mueller · Heilbronn, DE
• Juergen Schneider · Althengstett, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 3, 2006
• Grant date: Sep 4, 2012
• Expiry date: Mar 5, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q10/10
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for automatically managing IT-resources in a heterogeneous environment on each level of resource abstraction and resource hierarchy by using the concept of the resource-reference object. The resource-reference object represents the link to a referenced resource on a lower level in the hierarchy and may include a priority value assigned by the respective level of hierarchy as well as all information to build a remote request to that referenced resource which may be a single resource or a resource group. Concurrently each resource-reference object itself is accessible from the higher level of hierarchy as an own resource by additional providing a name and a desired state which can differ from desired state of the referenced resource as well as making it externally visible. Resource-reference objects can be grouped to resource groups on the higher level of hierarchy, wherein those resource groups are addressable as own resource-reference object from the next higher level of hierarchy.By using the inventive concept of the resource-reference object conflicts between different levels of hierarchies in the system management are resolved b…