System and method for configuration tagging in a multitenant application server environment

1. A system for supporting the use of configuration tagging in an application server environment, comprising:

one or more computers, each of the one or more computers including a processor and a memory,

wherein the one or more computers provide an application server environment that enables deployment and execution of software applications, wherein the application server environment includes a domain configuration that is used at runtime to define a domain for execution of the software applications, one or more partitions, and one or more resource groups,

wherein each partition, of the one or more partitions, is associated with a partition identifier and a partition configuration, and provides an administrative and runtime subdivision of the domain, and

wherein each resource group, of the one or more resource groups, is a collection of deployable applications or resources that are defined at one of domain or partition level; and

a user interface that displays a domain structure and enables components of the domain including one or more target systems to be associated with user-specified tags, to indicate tagged domain components for use with the one or more partitions, wherein the tags are stored and queried and a result of the query used as an input to an administrative operation associated with one or more components of the domain;

wherein, during at least one of creation or definition of a particular partition for use with the domain, at least one or more of the tagged domain components are determined and associated with the particular partition, for use with the particular partition.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the application server environment includes a Java EE application server.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more partition templates are labeled with user-specified tags, so that a partition created from a particular template inherits a copy of the tags from that template, and wherein the partition template and the tags control how partitions are at least one of created or distributed within the application server environment.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is provided within a cloud environment, to support multiple tenants operating within the cloud environment, including that the system associates one or more partitions with a tenant, for use by the tenant.

5. A method for supporting the use of configuration tagging in an application server environment, comprising:

providing, at one or more computers, an application server environment that enables deployment and execution of software applications, wherein the application server environment includes a domain configuration that is used at runtime to define a domain for execution of the software applications, one or more partitions, and one or more resource groups,

wherein each partition, of the one or more partitions, is associated with a partition identifier and a partition configuration, and provides an administrative and runtime subdivision of the domain, and

wherein each resource group, of the one or more resource groups, is a collection of deployable applications or resources that are defined at one of domain or partition level; and

providing a user interface that displays a domain structure and enables components of the domain including one or more target systems to be associated with user-specified tags, to indicate tagged domain components for use with the one or more partitions, wherein the tags are stored and queried and a result of the query used as an input to an administrative operation associated with one or more components of the domain;

wherein, during at least one of creation or definition of a particular partition for use with the domain, at least one or more of the tagged domain components are determined and associated with the particular partition, for use with the particular partition.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the application server environment includes a Java EE application server.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein one or more partition templates are labeled with user-specified tags, so that a partition created from a particular template inherits a copy of the tags from that template, and wherein the partition template and the tags control how partitions are at least one of created or distributed within the application server environment.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the method is performed within a cloud environment, to support multiple tenants operating within the cloud environment, including associating one or more partitions with a tenant, for use by the tenant.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, including instructions stored thereon which when read and executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform the method comprising:

providing an application server environment that enables deployment and execution of software applications, wherein the application server environment includes a domain configuration that is used at runtime to define a domain for execution of the software applications, one or more partitions, and one or more resource groups,

wherein each partition, of the one or more partitions, is associated with a partition identifier and a partition configuration, and provides an administrative and runtime subdivision of the domain, and

wherein each resource group, of the one or more resource groups, is a collection of deployable applications or resources that are defined at one of domain or partition level; and

providing a user interface that displays a domain structure and enables components of the domain including one or more target systems to be associated with user-specified tags, to indicate tagged domain components for use with the one or more partitions, wherein the tags are stored and queried and a result of the query used as an input to an administrative operation associated with one or more components of the domain;

wherein, during at least one of creation or definition of a particular partition for use with the domain, at least one or more of the tagged domain components are determined and associated with the particular partition, for use with the particular partition.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the application server environment includes a Java EE application server.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein one or more partition templates are labeled with user-specified tags, so that a partition created from a particular template inherits a copy of the tags from that template, and wherein the partition template and the tags control how partitions are at least one of created or distributed within the application server environment.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the method is performed within a cloud environment, to support multiple tenants operating within the cloud environment, including associating one or more partitions with a tenant, for use by the tenant.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein a resource group can selectively reference a resource group template, and wherein a partition operates as a binding of deployable resources defined in the resource group template, for use with the partition.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is provided within a cloud environment.

15. The method of claim 5 , wherein a resource group can selectively reference a resource group template, and wherein a partition operates as a binding of deployable resources defined in the resource group template, for use with the partition.

16. The method of claim 5 , wherein the method is performed within a cloud environment.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein a resource group can selectively reference a resource group template, and wherein a partition operates as a binding of deployable resources defined in the resource group template, for use with the partition.