Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for automating deployment of service applications by exposing environmental constraints in a service model are provided. In general, the methods are performed in the context of a general purpose platform configured as a server cloud to run various service applications distributed thereon. Accordingly, the general purpose platform may be flexibly configured to manage varying degrees of characteristics associated with each of the various service applications. Typically, these characteristics are provided in the service model that governs the environmental constraints under which each component program of the service application operates. As such, hosting environments are selected and adapted to satisfy the environmental constraints associated with each component program.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for automating deployment of service applications by exposing environmental constraints in a service model are provided. In general, the methods are performed in the context of a general purpose platform configured as a server cloud to run various service applications distributed thereon. Accordingly, the general purpose platform may be flexibly configured to manage varying degrees of characteristics associated with each of the various service applications. Typically, these characteristics are provided in the service model that governs the environmental constraints under which each component program of the service application operates. As such, hosting environments are selected and adapted to satisfy the environmental constraints associated with each component program.

Abstract: Systems, methods and computer storage media for operating a scalable computing platform are provided. A service description describing a requested service is received. Upon receiving the service description a determination of the required resources and the available resources is made. An instance description is produced. The resources required to sustain the deployment of the service are mapped to the available resources of the computing platform so the service may be deployed. The instance description is amended with each deployment of the service to allow for sustained deployment of the service.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for monitoring information passed from instances of role(s) of a service application installed on a distributed computing platform and for indexing and analyzing the information within a data store are provided. Monitoring involves a monitoring agent that is integrated within an operating system of computing devices that make up the distributed computing platform. In operation, the monitoring agent retrieves information from the role instances and converts the information into parameters that are assembled to documents. Generally, the parameters are assembled to a uniform-structured format in accordance with a schema imposed by the distributed computing platform. Accordingly, each of the documents across the platform have a common format that promotes processing and analysis without a need for reconfiguration.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for monitoring information passed from instances of role(s) of a service application installed on a distributed computing platform and for indexing and analyzing the information within a data store are provided. Monitoring involves a monitoring agent that is integrated within an operating system of computing devices that make up the distributed computing platform. In operation, the monitoring agent retrieves information from the role instances and converts the information into parameters that are assembled to documents. Generally, the parameters are assembled to a uniform-structured format in accordance with a schema imposed by the distributed computing platform. Accordingly, each of the documents across the platform have a common format that promotes processing and analysis without a need for reconfiguration.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform methods in accordance with embodiments hereof, for managing component programs within a service application according to a service model. Initially, configuration settings, which can be administered to the component programs, are extracted from the service model. An instantiation process is initiated to manage the service application in accordance with the changes to a level of load on the service application and/or to specifications within the service model. The instantiation process includes deploying, or identifying as available, the component programs within the data center, and automatically propagating formalized values derived from the configuration settings throughout the deployed component programs. These derived formalized values are installed into the component programs, thereby providing for functionality of the service application consistent with the service model.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for expressing fault correlation constrains to a developer of a service application are provided. Initially, the fault correlation constraints are identified by inspecting an architecture of resources comprising a data center. Based on the resources, sets of nodes that become concurrently unavailable due to a failure mode or update scheme are aggregated. These fault correlation constraints, upon being communicated to the developer, then may be incorporated into a service model produced thereby. Accordingly, the service model is tailored to the specific characteristics of the data center and is provided with instructions as to how to partition instances of the service application throughout the distributed resources of the data center. Thus, the fault correlation constraints provide a developer with insight into rules and structures on which the data center is constructed and assurances of a certain level of fault tolerance upon deploying the service application.

Abstract: Systems, products, and methods are disclosed for performing a method of allocating services (functionalities of software applications) across several computing devices that make up various domains of a data center so that the functional aspects will continue to be available to remote users even when, from time to time, different sets of computing devices are unavailable.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for automating the expression of functional aspects of a target service to a client service via a vehicle referred to herein as a contract are provided. Generally, the methods are performed in the context of a distributed computing environment configured to underlie operations of service application(s). In embodiments, the contract is implemented and bound upon ascertaining that the expressed functional aspects satisfy dependencies of the client service. Generally, the contract defines interfaces and maintains properties that configure the interfaces during installation. During the implementation, one of the interfaces is established and parameterized in accordance with the properties associated therewith. During the binding, the target service and the client service are linked via communication channels that are routed through the established interface.

Abstract: Systems, products, and methods are disclosed for performing a method of allocating services (functionalities of software applications) across several computing devices that make up various domains of a data center so that the functional aspects will continue to be available to remote users even when, from time to time, different sets of computing devices are unavailable.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for automating deployment of service applications by exposing environmental constraints in a service model are provided. In general, the methods are performed in the context of a general purpose platform configured as a server cloud to run various service applications distributed thereon. Accordingly, the general purpose platform may be flexibly configured to manage varying degrees of characteristics associated with each of the various service applications. Typically, these characteristics are provided in the service model that governs the environmental constraints under which each component program of the service application operates. As such, hosting environments are selected and adapted to satisfy the environmental constraints associated with each component program.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for monitoring information passed from instances of role(s) of a service application installed on a distributed computing platform and for indexing and analyzing the information within a data store are provided. Monitoring involves a monitoring agent that is integrated within an operating system of computing devices that make up the distributed computing platform. In operation, the monitoring agent retrieves information from the role instances and converts the information into parameters that are assembled to documents. Generally, the parameters are assembled to a uniform-structured format in accordance with a schema imposed by the distributed computing platform. Accordingly, each of the documents across the platform have a common format that promotes processing and analysis without a need for reconfiguration.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for expressing fault correlation constrains to a developer of a service application are provided. Initially, the fault correlation constraints are identified by inspecting an architecture of resources comprising a data center. Based on the resources, sets of nodes that become concurrently unavailable due to a failure mode or update scheme are aggregated. These fault correlation constraints, upon being communicated to the developer, then may be incorporated into a service model produced thereby. Accordingly, the service model is tailored to the specific characteristics of the data center and is provided with instructions as to how to partition instances of the service application throughout the distributed resources of the data center. Thus, the fault correlation constraints provide a developer with insight into rules and structures on which the data center is constructed and assurances of a certain level of fault tolerance upon deploying the service application.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for automating the expression of functional aspects of a target service to a client service via a vehicle referred to herein as a contract are provided. Generally, the methods are performed in the context of a distributed computing environment configured to underlie operations of service application(s). In embodiments, the contract is implemented and bound upon ascertaining that the expressed functional aspects satisfy dependencies of the client service. Generally, the contract defines interfaces and maintains properties that configure the interfaces during installation. During the implementation, one of the interfaces is established and parameterized in accordance with the properties associated therewith. During the binding, the target service and the client service are linked via communication channels that are routed through the established interface.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods and computer storage media for transforming data defining a first data schema to data defining a second data schema by way of a declarative transformation. The transformation includes identifying data defining the first data schema. A declarative transformation is generated to transform the data defining the first data schema to data defining the second data schema. The declarative transformation additionally transforms data instantiated in the first data schema into a data structure of the second data schema. The declarative transformation is generated prior to the second data schema being defined. The declarative transformation, in an embodiment, is utilized to generate the second data schema. The data is transformed utilizing a migration code that is derived from the declarative transformation. In an exemplary embodiment, the declarative transformation is expressed in textual form by a person, and/or utilizing a graphical computer application.

Abstract: Systems, methods and computer storage media for operating a scalable computing platform are provided. A service description describing a requested service is received. Upon receiving the service description a determination of the required resources and the available resources is made. An instance description is produced. The resources required to sustain the deployment of the service are mapped to the available resources of the computing platform so the service may be deployed. The instance description is amended with each deployment of the service to allow for sustained deployment of the service.

Abstract: The database (namespace) for storing component metadata for an application that is to be run in an isolated environment is isolated by an operating system by storing the component metadata in a local set of information associated with the isolated application instead of in a global namespace. The operating system utilizes this local metadata instead of the global database when components are employed. Registration data for components is placed within a manifest, enabling the operating system to determine the relationship between an application and a component or set of components used by the application.

Abstract: The operating system manages software entities by creating a construct called a context that organizes and manages software-related state and configuration settings of applications. A context may comprise an installation service, a configuration service and an activation service. Contexts can be linked or arranged hierarchically to form parent-child relationships. Hierarchies may be used to affect accessibility of software items, to satisfy dependencies, to control the visibility/invisibility of software items, to provide access to configuration settings and to override software availability, dependencies and configuration settings. An override may be applied to set policy when more than one context has a configuration setting, dependency or access to a software entity.

Abstract: The operating system organizes software so the set of extensions for an extendable application can be dynamically discovered and the extension can be run securely. Extensions are run as separate applications instead of within the extendable application's process. Extensions are discoverable to an activated extendable application by querying a category catalog. A category provides at least a partial description of a contract between an activating software entity and a software entity that is activated by the activating software entity. The category may enumerate a set of configuration settings associated with the contract that may be used to set up an isolated execution environment for the activated software entity. The category may also specify one or more extension points to be used for communication between the activating and activated software entities. The category may also include a list of software entities that implement the category.

Abstract: Software typically changes over its useful lifetime. New versions of software are created to change or improve functionality, to add functionality, to correct coding errors, improve performance, to adapt to new hardware and for many other well-known reasons. The process of delivering new versions of software to users is called servicing the software. The operating system decides which version(s) of a piece of software satisfy dependencies of other software by creation of a context. The context may be used to organize and manage versions of software, to declare activation policies concerning the use of different versions of software and to service the versioned software. The context may include an activation service that maintains and manages resolution polices, resolves dependencies, constructs the environment in which an application runs and initiates the running of the software.