IP Library Granted Patent US 10,382,278
Granted Patent B1
US 10,382,278 · App. 15/885,305 · Granted Aug 13, 2019

Processing platform with independent definition and mutual enforcement of operational and application policies

Inventors: Patrick Barry (Banteer, IE); Ryan Andersen (Belmont, MA); Nitin John (Sudbury, MA)
Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
H04L41/0893H04L41/04H04L41/0803H04L69/329
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,382,278
App. No.
15/885,305
Granted
Aug 13, 2019
Kind
B1
Abstract

An apparatus in one embodiment comprises a processing platform configured to implement multi-layer infrastructure comprising compute, storage and network resources at a relatively low level of the multi-layer infrastructure and an application layer at a relatively high level of the multi-layer infrastructure. The processing platform is further configured to determine operational policies for respective different ones of the layers of the multi-layer infrastructure other than the application layer, the operational policies defining operational rules and requirements relating to the corresponding layers, to determine an application policy for the application layer, the application policy defining application workload rules and requirements for an application to be executed in the multi-layer infrastructure, and to manage the multi-layer infrastructure in accordance with the operational policies and the application policy. The operational policies are defined independently of the application policy but mutually enforced with the application policy in conjunction with execution of the application in the multi-layer infrastructure.

Claims (45)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processing platform comprising a plurality of processing devices each comprising a processor coupled to a memory;

the processing platform being configured to implement multi-layer infrastructure comprising compute, storage and network resources at a relatively low level of the multi-layer infrastructure and a plurality of upper layers overlying the relatively low level;

the upper layers overlying the relatively low level comprising at least an application layer at a relatively high level of the multi-layer infrastructure and one or more additional upper layers underlying the application layer;

the processing platform being further configured:

to determine a plurality of operational policies for respective different ones of the layers of the multi-layer infrastructure other than the application layer, the operational policies defining operational rules and requirements relating to the corresponding layers of the multi-layer infrastructure;

to determine an application policy for the application layer, the application policy defining application workload rules and requirements for an application to be executed in the multi-layer infrastructure; and

to manage the multi-layer infrastructure in accordance with the operational policies and the application policy;

wherein the operational policies are defined independently of the application policy but mutually enforced with the application policy in conjunction with execution of the application in the multi-layer infrastructure of the processing platform.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the relatively low level of the multi-layer infrastructure comprising the compute, storage and network resources comprises a lowest level of the multi-layer infrastructure.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the additional upper layers of the multi-layer infrastructure comprise at least a subset of:

an execution venue layer;

a software-defined infrastructure layer;

a node partition layer; and

a node composer layer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the operational policies are defined by an information technology operations team that manages the multi-layer infrastructure.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the application policy is defined by an application development team that develops the application.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein different ones of the operational policies are ingested at respective different ones of the layers of the multi-layer infrastructure other than the application layer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the application policy is ingested at the application layer of the multi-layer infrastructure and distributed from layer to layer through each of the underlying layers of the multi-layer infrastructure.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein mutual enforcement of the operational and application policies is achieved in the multi-layer infrastructure by combining operational and application policies at respective policy control points of respective ones of the layers other than the application layer.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein combining operational and application policies at one of the policy control points of a given one of the layers comprises combining an operational policy ingested by the given layer with an application policy received by the given layer from an overlying layer to produce a combined policy for the given layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein in conjunction with combining the operational and application policies at the policy control point of the given layer a rule or requirement of the application policy that is in conflict with a rule or requirement of the operational policy is overridden by the rule or requirement of the operational policy.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the combined policy is enforced within the given layer by converting the combined policy into one or more infrastructure-specific management and orchestration actions to be carried out in the given layer.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least a subset of the operational policies are independently optimized with respect to the corresponding ones of the layers of the multi-layer infrastructure.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein updates to one or more of the operational policies do not necessitate any update to the application policy and updates to the application policy do not necessitate any updates to the operational policies.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a given one of the operational policies comprises a software-defined infrastructure operational policy that is ingested at a software-defined infrastructure layer of the multi-layer infrastructure and applied to all software-defined infrastructure of the processing platform that is subject to policy-based infrastructure management in the processing platform.

15. A method comprising:

implementing multi-layer infrastructure comprising compute, storage and network resources at a relatively low level of the multi-layer infrastructure and a plurality of upper layers overlying the relatively low level;

the upper layers overlying the relatively low level comprising at least an application layer at a relatively high level of the multi-layer infrastructure and one or more additional upper layers underlying the application layer;

determining a plurality of operational policies for respective different ones of the layers of the multi-layer infrastructure other than the application layer, the operational policies defining operational rules and requirements relating to the corresponding layers of the multi-layer infrastructure;

determining an application policy for the application layer, the application policy defining application workload rules and requirements for an application to be executed in the multi-layer infrastructure; and

managing the multi-layer infrastructure in accordance with the operational policies and the application policy;

wherein the operational policies are defined independently of the application policy but mutually enforced with the application policy in conjunction with execution of the application in the multi-layer infrastructure of the processing platform; and

wherein the method is performed in at least one processing platform comprising a plurality of processing devices each comprising a processor coupled to a memory.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein different ones of the operational policies are ingested at respective different ones of the layers of the multi-layer infrastructure other than the application layer and further wherein the application policy is ingested at the application layer of the multi-layer infrastructure and distributed from layer to layer through each of the underlying layers of the multi-layer infrastructure.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein mutual enforcement of the operational and application policies is achieved in the multi-layer infrastructure by combining operational and application policies at respective policy control points of respective ones of the layers other than the application layer.

18. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, wherein the program code when executed by at least one processing platform comprising a plurality of processing devices causes the processing platform:

to implement multi-layer infrastructure comprising compute, storage and network resources at a relatively low level of the multi-layer infrastructure and a plurality of upper layers overlying the relatively low level;

the upper layers overlying the relatively low level comprising at least an application layer at a relatively high level of the multi-layer infrastructure and one or more additional upper layers underlying the application layer;

to determine a plurality of operational policies for respective different ones of the layers of the multi-layer infrastructure other than the application layer, the operational policies defining operational rules and requirements relating to the corresponding layers of the multi-layer infrastructure;

to determine an application policy for the application layer, the application policy defining application workload rules and requirements for an application to be executed in the multi-layer infrastructure; and

to manage the multi-layer infrastructure in accordance with the operational policies and the application policy;

wherein the operational policies are defined independently of the application policy but mutually enforced with the application policy in conjunction with execution of the application in the multi-layer infrastructure of the processing platform.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein different ones of the operational policies are ingested at respective different ones of the layers of the multi-layer infrastructure other than the application layer and further wherein the application policy is ingested at the application layer of the multi-layer infrastructure and distributed from layer to layer through each of the underlying layers of the multi-layer infrastructure.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein mutual enforcement of the operational and application policies is achieved in the multi-layer infrastructure by combining operational and application policies at respective policy control points of respective ones of the layers other than the application layer.

Assignments (12)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (051302/0528) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); SECUREWORKS CORP.
Reel/Frame 060438/0593 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (045482/0131) Recorded May 20, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.)
Reel/Frame 061749/0924 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 045482 FRAME 0395 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 058298/0314 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 051449 FRAME 0728 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; SECUREWORKS CORP.; EMC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058002/0010 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 31, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; SECUREWORKS CORP.; EMC CORPORATION
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 051449/0728 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Dec 16, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; SECUREWORKS CORP.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 051302/0528 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049452/0223 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (CREDIT) Recorded Mar 1, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 045482/0395 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Mar 1, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 045482/0131 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 31, 2018
From: BARRY, PATRICK; ANDERSEN, RYAN; JOHN, NITIN
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 044789/0706 →