Service delivery using profile based management

A data processing system for managing a plurality of servers using profiles, the data processing system comprising:

• a bus;
• a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer usable code;
• at least one managed device connected to the bus;
• a communications unit connected to the bus;
• and
• a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to perform an action on the plurality of servers, wherein in executing the computer usable code to perform the action the processor unit executes the computer usable code to run a security scan on the plurality of servers;
• automatically create a profile based on results of the actions performed on the plurality of servers in response to performing the action on the plurality of servers, wherein the profile includes a set of search criteria comprising one or more server attributes, wherein the profile is a dynamic profile, wherein at least one of the set of search criteria for the dynamic profile comprises one or more user-definable server attribute variables, and wherein in executing the computer usable code to automatically create the profile the processor unit executes the computer usable code to create, responsive to running a security scan on the plurality of servers, the profile based on results of the security of scan, wherein a first profile is created for servers in the plurality of servers that passed the security scan and a second profile is created for servers in the plurality of servers that failed the security scan;
• obtain a list of attributes of each server in the data processing system;
• group servers in the plurality of servers whose attributes meet the set of search criteria specified in the profile to form a profile group, wherein the servers are grouped into a hierarchy of profiles, with all servers being members of a root profile, and each server being a member of its own profile at a leaf;
• and perform an administrative action on all of the servers in the profile group simultaneously, wherein the administrative action comprises a single action that creates configuration updates specific to each server in the profile group.

A computer program product for managing a plurality of servers using profiles, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable storage device having computer usable program code stored thereon, the computer usable program code comprising:
• computer usable program code for performing an action on the plurality of servers wherein the computer usable program code for performing the action comprises computer usable program code for running a security scan on the plurality of servers;
• computer usable program code for, responsive to performing the action on the plurality of servers, automatically creating a profile based on results of the actions performed on the plurality of servers, wherein the profile includes a set of search criteria comprising one or more server attributes, and wherein the profile is a dynamic profile, wherein at least one of the set of search criteria for the dynamic profile comprises one or more user-definable server attribute variables, and wherein the computer usable program code for automatically creating the profile comprises computer usable program code for, responsive to running a security scan on the plurality of servers, creating the profile based on results of the security of scan, wherein a first profile is created for servers in the plurality of servers that passed the security scan and a second profile is created for servers in the plurality of servers that failed the security scan;
• computer usable program code for obtaining a list of attributes of each server in the data processing system;
• computer usable program code for grouping servers in the plurality of servers whose attributes meet the set of search criteria specified in the profile to form a profile group, wherein the servers are grouped into a hierarchy of profiles, with all servers being members of a root profile, and each server being a member of its own profile at a leaf;
• and computer usable program code for performing an administrative action on all of the servers in the profile group simultaneously, wherein the administrative action comprises a single action that creates configuration updates specific to each server in the profile group.