Automated deployment and configuration of applications in an autonomically controlled distributed computing system

A computer-implemented method comprising:

• receiving status data for a distributed computing system having a plurality of application nodes interconnected via a communications network, wherein the status data represents an actual state of the application nodes, wherein the application nodes provide execution environments in which an image of a software application is executable;
• processing the status data with rules in a set of rule engines to determine operations for reducing any difference between an expected state and the actual state of the distributed computing system;
• maintaining a set of application image objects associated with images of software applications, wherein each of the application image objects implements a set of methods to control deployment of images of a software application, and wherein an application programming interface common to each of the application image objects defines the set of methods;
• and
• directing, in accordance with the determined operations, an application governor to deploy an image of a software application to one of the application nodes by invoking one or more of the methods of the application image objects associated with the software application.

A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, the instructions causing a programmable processor to:

• receive status data for a distributed computing system having a plurality of application nodes interconnected via a communications network, wherein the status data represents an actual state of the application nodes, wherein the application nodes provide execution environments in which an instance of a software application is executable;
• process the status data with rules in a set of rule engines to determine operations for reducing any difference between an expected state and the actual state of the distributed computing system;
• maintain a set of application image objects associated with images software applications, wherein each of the application image objects implements a set of methods to control deployment of images of a software application, and wherein an application programming interface common to each of the application image objects defines the set of methods;
• and
• direct, in accordance with the determined operations, an application governor to deploy an image of a software application to one of the application nodes by invoking one or more of the methods of the application image objects associated with the software application.