Cooperative naming for configuration items in a distributed configuration management database environment
View Patent ↗Disclosed are methods and systems to provide coordinated identification of data items across a plurality of distributed data storage repositories (datastores). In one disclosed embodiment, a single configuration management database (CMDB) controls identification rights for all CIs as they are first identified in a master/slave relationship with all other CMDBs in the distributed environment. In a second embodiment, a plurality of CMDBs divide identification rights based upon coordination identification rules where certain CMDBs are assigned authoritative identification rights for CIs matching the rules of a particular CMDB in the distributed environment. In a third embodiment, one or more of the plurality of CMDBs may also have advisory identification rights for CIs which do not already have an identifiable unique identity and can coordinate with an authoritative CMDB to establish an identity for CIs.
1. A method for improving distributed configuration management databases (CMDBs) that include a plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores, the method comprising:
establishing an authoritative and absolute identification of a configuration item (CI), the authoritative and absolute identification being an identification that is persistent in the distributed CMDBs irrespective of any configuration status of the CI, the establishing by:
receiving, for a first time at a first communicatively-coupled datastore, an indication of a presence of the CI on a network, the CI not having a recognizable unique identifier across the distributed CMDBs, the first communicatively-coupled datastore having no advisory or authoritative and absolute identification rights for the CI;
applying rules to the indication received at the first communicatively-coupled datastore to select a second communicatively-coupled datastore, the second communicatively-coupled datastore having authoritative and absolute identification rights for the CI,
sending information regarding the CI from the first communicatively-coupled datastore to the second communicatively-coupled datastore;
determining, by the second datastore, an identifier for the CI as being the recognizable unique identifier of the CI across the distributed CMDBs and being the persistent, authoritative and absolute identification of the CI in the distributed CMDBs irrespective of any configuration status of the configuration item;
receiving, at the first communicatively-coupled datastore the unique identifier for the CI as determined by the second communicatively-coupled datastore; and
populating the first communicatively-coupled datastore with the unique identifier as the persistent, authoritative and absolute identification of the CI in the distributed CMDBs irrespective of any configuration status of the CI.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first communicatively-coupled datastore and the second communicatively-coupled datastore comprise a CMDB.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the act of applying rules to the indication received at the first communicatively-coupled datastore comprises applying rules for selecting the second communicatively-coupled datastore based on a class of the CI.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the act of applying rules to the indication received at the first communicatively-coupled datastore further comprises applying rules for selecting the second communicatively-coupled datastore based on a subclass of the class of the CI.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the act of applying rules to the indication received at the first communicatively-coupled datastore comprises applying rules for selecting the second communicatively-coupled datastore based on logical, physical, or geographical location of the CI.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the act of applying rules to the indication received at the first communicatively-coupled datastore comprises applying rules for selecting the second communicatively-coupled datastore based on an attribute of a class of the CI.
7. A computer network linking distributed configuration management databases (CMDBs) that include a plurality of communicatively-coupled datastores, the computer network comprising:
a plurality of processing units; and
at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the plurality of processing units, causes the computer network to:
establish an authoritative and absolute identification of a configuration item (CI), the authoritative and absolute identification being an identification that is persistent in the distributed CMDBs irrespective of any configuration status of the CI, by:
receiving for a first time an indication of the CI at a first communicatively-coupled datastore, the CI not having a recognizable unique identifier across the distributed CMDBs, the first communicatively-coupled datastore having no advisory or authoritative and absolute identification rights for the CI;
applying rules to the indication received at the first communicatively-coupled datastore to select a second communicatively-coupled datastore, the second datastore having authoritative and absolute identification rights for the CI as determined by the applied rules;
sending information regarding the CI from the first communicatively-coupled datastore to the second communicatively-coupled datastore;
determining, by the second communicatively-coupled datastore, an identifier for the CI as being the recognizable unique identifier of the CI across the distributed CMDBs and being the persistent, authoritative and absolute identification of the CI in the distributed CMDBs irrespective of any configuration status of the CI;
receiving, at the first communicatively-coupled datastore the unique identifier for the CI as determined by the second communicatively-coupled datastore; and
populating the first communicatively-coupled datastore with the unique identifier as the persistent, authoritative and absolute identification of the CI in the distributed CMDBs irrespective of any configuration status of the CI.
8. The computer network of claim 7 , wherein the first communicatively-coupled datastore and the second communicatively-coupled datastore comprise a CMDB.
9. The computer network of claim 7 , wherein the act of applying rules to the indication received at the first communicatively-coupled datastore comprises applying rules for selecting the second communicatively-coupled datastore based on a class of the CI.
10. The computer network of claim 9 , wherein the act of applying rules to the indication received at the first communicatively-coupled datastore further comprises applying rules for selecting the second communicatively-coupled datastore based on a subclass of the class of the CI.
11. The computer network of claim 7 , wherein the act of applying rules to the indication received at the first communicatively-coupled datastore comprises applying rules for selecting the second communicatively-coupled datastore based on logical, physical, or geographical location of the CI.
12. The computer network of claim 7 , wherein the act of applying rules to the indication received at the first communicatively-coupled datastore comprises applying rules for selecting the second communicatively-coupled datastore based on an attribute of a class of the CI.