US 2008/0288622 A1 · Managing Server Farms

Abstract

Manual management of server farms is expensive. Low-level tools and the sheer complexity of the task make it prone to human error. By providing a typed interface using service combinators for managing server farms it is possible to improve automated server farm management. Metadata about a server farm is obtained, for example, from disk images, and this is used to generate a typed environment interface for accessing server farm resources. Scripts are received, from a human operator or automated process, which use the environment interface and optionally also pre-specified service combinators. The scripts are executed to assemble and link together services in the server farm to form and manage a running server farm application. By using typechecking server farm construction errors can be caught before implementation.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of managing a server farm comprising:

obtaining metadata about the server farm;
generating a typed environment interface using the metadata, the environment interface being an application programming interface to server farm resources;
receiving at least one script formed at least using the environment interface;
carrying out typechecking on the received script;
and
if typechecking is successful, executing the script in order to manage the server farm.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Managing Server Farms

Life of this patent

Managing Server Farms

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20