Autonomic computing: management agent utilizing action policy for operation

A method for managing a server, comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a set of policies containing, for each application supported, respective information regarding an associated management element, preferred practices, preferred configurations, and a need for a license;
• installing an agent on the server, said agent being configured to contact an agent manager;
• providing, on request from said agent, a scanning program capable of providing an inventory, said inventory containing a list of applications installed on the server;
• using said inventory and said set of policies to determine a needed management element, preferred practices, preferred configurations, and a need for a license for the server;
• forwarding said preferred practices and preferred configurations and, if not already present, said needed management element, to said agent for instantiation on the server.

A computer program product on a computer-readable media, said computer program product comprising:

• first instructions for maintaining a set of policies used in conjunction with a plurality of applications, said set of policies containing, for each application supported, respective information regarding management elements, preferred practices, preferred configurations, and a need for a license;
• second instructions for installing an agent on the server, said agent being configured to contact an agent manager;
• third instructions for providing, on request from said agent, a scanning program capable of providing an inventory, said inventory containing a list of applications installed on the server;
• fourth instructions for using said inventory and said set of policies to determine needed management elements, preferred practices, preferred configurations, and a need for a license for the server;
• fifth instructions for forwarding said needed management elements, preferred practices, preferred configurations, and a need for a license to said agent for instantiation on the server.