# US 10,872,120 B2 · Visualizing data center inventory and entity relationships

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- Number: US 10,872,120 B2
- Document ID: US10872120B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/995,109
- Filed: 2018-05-31
- Published: 2019-12-05
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-31
- Assignees: VMware, Inc.
- Applicants: Vmware, Inc.
- Inventors: Chandrashekhar Jha; Kumar Gaurav; Sushil Verma; Vishal Gupta; Aditya Gopisetti
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10872120B2

## CPC

- G06F 16/904: Browsing; Visualisation therefor (for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957)
- G06Q 10/06: Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
- G06F 16/284: {Relational databases}
- G06F 16/9027: {Trees}
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A system can provide a visual representation of an inventory of data entities for a distributed computing system. Inventory data including cost and operational data for data entities such as data centers, servers, and virtual machines, can be converted into a format file. The format file can be used to create a tree of nodes and node summaries corresponding to the data entities. A user interface can display hierarchical and isolated views of the tree revealing parent child relationships between data entities within a computing system infrastructure. Node summaries including cost and utilization data can be displayed to reveal how specific sub-costs such as labor and licensing, are driven by data entities in one level of the infrastructure and pushed to respective parent or child data entities in other levels. Views of the tree can be used to determine areas of inefficiency or reduced value within the computing system.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for visualizing an infrastructure of a computing system, comprising:
converting cost and utilization data for data entities of the infrastructure into a format file;
from the format file, creating a tree structure of nodes that correspond to the data entities;
from the format file, populating node summaries that correspond to the data entities with associated cost and utilization data;
displaying in a user interface, a first view of the infrastructure, including:
a hierarchical view of the tree structure; and
a first node summary including at least one of cost and utilization data for a first data entity;
receiving a selection of a first node corresponding to the first data entity and displayed in the hierarchical view; and
displaying at least one of an updated hierarchical view and a second node summary, according to a node selection type,
wherein the first node summary is displayed in a review pane of the user interface,
wherein the first node summary includes cost values for cost components included in the format file for the first data entity, the cost components including a total cost and at least one sub-cost associated with the first data entity, and
wherein the cost values for the cost components are determined by summing values for data entities supported by the first data entity.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the tree structure defines an arrangement of nodes corresponding to a hierarchy of corresponding data entities within the infrastructure, wherein the hierarchical view includes a first portion of the tree structure including the first node and the updated hierarchical view includes a second portion of the tree structure different than the first portion, wherein the second portion includes children nodes expanded from the first node, and wherein the children nodes correspond to data entities supported by the first data entity.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection includes receiving a first selection type for accessing nodes, and wherein the user interface displays the updated hierarchical view in response to receiving the first selection type.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the second node summary comprises the stages of:
displaying the second node summary in a location adjacent to the first node;
displaying node summaries for ancestor nodes of the first node, the ancestor nodes corresponding to data entities that support the first data entity; and
displaying the second node summary and the node summaries additionally in the review pane.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection includes receiving a second selection type based on hovering over the first node, and wherein the user interface displays the updated hierarchical view in response to receiving the second selection type.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first node summary includes a cost flow component with an indicator pointing in a direction, wherein the direction indicates the cost components are one of pushed down from a supporting data entity, pushed up from a supported data entity, and originating from the first data entity.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising the stages of:
receiving a search query in a search field of the user interface;
comparing the search query to a list of identifiers for the data entities of the infrastructure;
displaying at least one identifier that is one of a match and a partial match in a list of search results to the search query;
receiving a selection of the one of the search results; and
displaying a second view of the infrastructure including an isolated view of the tree structure,
wherein the isolated view includes a second node, for a second data entity corresponding to the selected search result, displayed as an end node extending from ancestor nodes.

### Claim 8

A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform stages for visualizing an infrastructure of a computing system, the stages comprising:
converting cost and utilization data for data entities of the infrastructure into a format file;
from the format file, creating a tree structure of nodes that correspond to the data entities;
from the format file, populating node summaries that correspond to the data entities with associated cost and utilization data;
displaying in a user interface, a first view of the infrastructure, including:
a hierarchical view of the tree structure; and
a first node summary including at least one of cost and utilization data for a first data entity;
receiving a selection of a first node corresponding to the first data entity and displayed in the hierarchical view; and
displaying at least one of an updated hierarchical view and a second node summary, according to a node selection type,
wherein the first node summary is displayed in a review pane of the user interface,
wherein the first node summary includes cost values for cost components included in the format file for the first data entity, the cost components including a total cost and at least one sub-cost associated with the first data entity, and
wherein the cost values for the cost components are determined by summing values for data entities supported by the first data entity.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the tree structure defines an arrangement of nodes corresponding to a hierarchy of corresponding data entities within the infrastructure, wherein the hierarchical view includes a first portion of the tree structure including the first node and the updated hierarchical view includes a second portion of the tree structure different than the first portion, wherein the second portion includes children nodes expanded from the first node, and wherein the children nodes correspond to data entities supported by the first data entity.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein displaying the second node summary comprises the stages of:
displaying the second node summary in a location adjacent to the the first node;
displaying node summaries for ancestor nodes of the first node, the ancestor nodes corresponding to data entities that support the first data entity; and
displaying the second node summary and the node summaries additionally in the review pane.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first node summary includes a cost flow component with an indicator pointing in a direction, wherein the direction indicates the cost components are one of pushed down from a supporting data entity, pushed up from a supported data entity, and originating from the first data entity.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, the stages further comprising:
receiving a search query in a search field of the user interface;
comparing the search query to a list of identifiers for the data entities of the infrastructure;
displaying at least one identifier that is one of a match and a partial match in a list of search results to the search query;
receiving a selection of the one of the search results; and
displaying a second view of the infrastructure including an isolated view of the tree structure;
wherein the isolated view includes a second node, for a second data entity corresponding to the selected search result, displayed as an end node extending from ancestor nodes.

### Claim 13

A system for visualizing infrastructure of a computing system, comprising:
a memory storage including a non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions; and
a backend including a processor that executes the instructions to carry out stages comprising:
converting cost and utilization data for data entities of the infrastructure into a format file;
from the format file, creating a tree structure of nodes that correspond to the data entities;
from the format file, populating node summaries that correspond to the data entities with associated cost and utilization data;
displaying in a user interface, a first view of the infrastructure, including:
a hierarchical view of the tree structure; and
a first node summary including at least one of cost and utilization data for a first data entity;
receiving a selection of a first node corresponding to the first data entity and displayed in the hierarchical view; and
displaying at least one of an updated hierarchical view and a second node summary, according to a node selection type,
wherein the first node summary is displayed in a review pane of the user interface,
wherein the first node summary includes cost values for cost components included in the format file for the first data entity, the cost components including a total cost and at least one sub-cost associated with the first data entity, and
wherein the cost values for the cost components are determined by summing values for data entities supported by the first data entity.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the tree structure defines an arrangement of nodes corresponding to a hierarchy of corresponding data entities within the infrastructure, wherein the hierarchical view includes a first portion of the tree structure including the first node and the updated hierarchical view includes a second portion of the tree structure different than the first portion, wherein the second portion includes children nodes expanded from the first node, and wherein the children nodes correspond to data entities supported by the first data entity.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein displaying the second inventory summary comprises the stages of:
displaying the second node summary in a location adjacent to the first node;
displaying node summaries for ancestor nodes of the first node, the ancestor nodes corresponding to data entities that support the first data entity; and
displaying the second node summary and the node summaries additionally in the review pane.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the first node summary includes a cost flow component with an indicator pointing in a direction, wherein the direction indicates the cost components are one of pushed down from a supporting data entity, pushed up from a supported data entity, and originating from the first data entity.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, the stages further comprising:
receiving a search query in a search field of the user interface;
comparing the search query to a list of identifiers for the data entities of the infrastructure;
displaying at least one identifier that is one of a match and a partial match in a list of search results to the search query;
receiving a selection of the one of the search results; and
displaying a second view of the infrastructure including an isolated view of the tree structure;
wherein the isolated view includes a second node, for a second data entity corresponding to the selected search result, displayed as an end node extending from ancestor nodes.