Patents Assigned to BMC Software
  • Publication number: 20110295788
    Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments of systems and methods to derive a semantic network from a CMDB relationship graph which can then be queried in a natural way from a linguistic standpoint (i.e., using natural language queries). Because disclosed embodiments combine natural language queries with an inferencing engine the disclosed systems and methods automatically “connect the dots” between disparate pieces of information and can allow for a richer user experience. In general, CMDB graph relationships can be converted into semantic networks. Once a semantic network is created, queries can be phrased to leverage the inferential relationships between objects in the semantic network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicant: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventor: Vincent Joseph Kowalski
  • Publication number: 20110271327
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods to provide a persistent authorized server address space (ASAS). The ASAS can host components from product suites that are not able to execute in an authorized state. To host other product's components, the ASAS receives “messages” from the unauthorized product components in the form of a generic eXtensible Markup Language (XML) protocol. These messages may request product initialization/administration or performance of a function by the ASAS on behalf of the requesting product. Security constraints are also provided to ensure system and data integrity. Further, the ASAS is not tightly coupled to any requesting product so that flexibility of product update or update to the ASAS itself may not be unnecessarily constrained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Chris Palmer, Michel Laviolette, Benton Thomas Porter
  • Patent number: 8050890
    Abstract: A system and method for visualization of the components of an enterprise system and the rendering of information about the health or status of the enterprise system, its components, and/or its subcomponents. The invention uses a combination of color codes or other indicators and a combination of algorithms and/or rules-based systems to control the computation of status/severities to associate to components and setup the color codes and indicators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: BMC Software, Inc.
    Inventors: Jean-Marc Trinon, Olivier Pignault
  • Patent number: 8051164
    Abstract: Service impact data is efficiently propagated in a directed acyclic graph with restricted views. One or more service components, impact rules and business rules are grouped together into a directed acyclic graph and a related metadata array. Impact propagation uses related metadata array to minimize traversal of the graph. As nodes of the graph are updated to propagate impact data, a determination is made as to when no further impact propagation is required. Subsequently, calculations are terminated without having to traverse the entire graph. This method allows a system or business administrator to view and receive real-time notification of the impacted state of all nodes in the graph that are available to their permitted view. Restricted views ensure that available service impact data is only displayed to end users having the proper authorization to view the underlying impact model data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: BMC Software, Inc.
    Inventors: Geert De Peuter, David Bonnell
  • Publication number: 20110246585
    Abstract: Systems and methods for enriching events using data correlation are described herein. At least some embodiments include a method for enriching events reflecting the state of a plurality of computer systems, the method including storing a plurality of event messages and system metric data that includes service metric data, determining a degree of correlation between a system metric and at least one of a plurality of service metrics, and enriching an event message of the plurality of event messages based at least in part on the degree of correlation. At least one system metric data value triggers the event message. The degree of correlation is based at least in part on the system metric data and the service metric data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Joseph A. Scarpelli, Sridhar Sodem
  • Publication number: 20110234595
    Abstract: A graphical representation of a service model provides a full view of a portion of the graphical representation. A sub graph view may be displayed for nodes of the graphical representation of the service model that are associated with a selected node, including nodes that may not be visible in the full view. The sub graph view may be interactive, providing additional information regarding the nodes displayed in the sub graph view, and allowing making nodes in the sub graph view visible or invisible in the full view. Information may be displayed in the sub graph view about the status of the components being modeled by the service model corresponding to nodes displayed in the sub graph view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: BMC Software, Inc.
    Inventor: Ricky L. Poston
  • Publication number: 20110238691
    Abstract: A system allows pre-defining CI scope definitions for use by users of a CMDB system. The pre-defined CI scope definitions may be used to expand a starting CI in a graph displaying a portion of the CMDB according to the types of CIs and relationships between CIs defined in the scope definition. The scope definition is converted into one or more CMDB queries that are restricted to a chain of CIs related to the starting CI. The system restricts the visibility of scope definitions to only those applicable to the starting CI.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Wesley Gere, Olivier Pignault
  • Publication number: 20110239190
    Abstract: Techniques for overlaying objects of a software application with other objects allow modification and customization of the application by one or more users in different ways, without storing multiple modified copies of the application. The technique allows configuring the software application to execute using overlaid objects instead of the base objects contained in the software application. In some embodiments, the base objects for the software application and the overlaid objects are stored in a datastore, and a runtime embodiment causes execution of the overlaid objects instead of the base objects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Douglas Mueller, Charles A. Mousseau
  • Publication number: 20110238377
    Abstract: A baseline adjusting technique allows automatically adjust the baselines of metrics affected by a configuration change a monitored system. If a configuration change is detected, a performance management system retrieves linkages between the changed configuration parameter and one or more metrics. The performance management system then adjusts the baselines of the metric using the baseline adjusting algorithm retrieved from the linkage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Joseph A. Scarpelli, Alex Lefaive, Derek Dang, Sridhar Sodem
  • Publication number: 20110238637
    Abstract: A system for reconciling object for a configuration management databases employs statistical rules to reduce the amount of manual identification required by conventional reconciliation techniques. As users manually identify matches between source and target datasets, statistical rules are developed based on the criteria used for matching. Those statistical rules are then used for future matching. A threshold value is adjusted as the statistical rules are used, incrementing the threshold value when the rule successfully matches source and target objects. If the threshold value exceeds a predetermined acceptance value, the system may automatically accept a match made by a statistical rule. Otherwise, suggestions of possibly applicable rules may be presented to a user, who may use the suggested rules to match objects, causing adjustment of the threshold value associated with the suggested rules used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2010
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Vitaly Morozov, Eric Humphrey
  • Publication number: 20110239275
    Abstract: Systems, methods and computer readable media for centrally managed impersonation are described. Examples include a system having a central server and a remote shell daemon running on a remote machine, wherein a trust relationship is established between the central server and the remote shell daemon. Examples also include a method wherein a user sends the management system a request to act upon a remote machine. The management system determines whether the user is authenticated for the requested action. Upon authentication, the management system identifies an impersonation policy based on user profile and the remote machine. The management system connects to the remote machine, impersonates an elevated privilege account if required, and executes the user action on the remote machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: BMC Software Inc.
    Inventors: Geert De Peuter, David Solin
  • Publication number: 20110238376
    Abstract: An improved performance management technique allows automatic determination dynamic thresholds of a metric based on a baseline of the matching pattern. A pattern matching process is conducted against a set of baseline patterns to find the matching pattern. If a matching pattern is found, the baseline of the matching pattern is used as the dynamic threshold. A series of sanity checks are performed to reduce any false alarms. If the metric does not follow any pattern, a composite of baselines is selected as the dynamic threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: BMC Software, Inc.
    Inventors: Derek Dang, Alex Lefaive, Joe Scarpelli, Sridhar Sodem
  • Publication number: 20110214024
    Abstract: A technique for collecting and correlating locking data collects and correlates information on a plurality of programs waiting on or holding a plurality of resources in a multi-computer database system. The technique identifies a program executing on one computer of the multi-computer database system that is waiting on a resource. The technique also identifies a second program, executing on another computer, as the ultimate holder of the resource. An operator display screen displays information corresponding to the first program and the second program. The operator display screen may be switched between a multiline display format and a single line display format. The collection, identification, and display of the locking data is performed periodically, to allow the operator to discover locking problems and take a desired corrective action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Loc D. Tran, Gary B. Genest, Dale J. Stroyick
  • Publication number: 20110213886
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems for intelligent resource pool management of heterogeneous datacenter resources. In one embodiment, intelligent resource pool management is utilized to assist in application provisioning performed based upon a blueprint and deployment model defining requirements of the provisioned application. In other embodiments, intelligent resource pool managers are configured to work in concert with other intelligent resource pool managers and/or a centralized provisioning engine. Resource pools may also be configured in a hierarchical manner whereby higher level resource pools may automatically draw resources from lower level resource pools as directed by one or more intelligent resource pool managers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2010
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Suhas A. Kelkar, Karanbir Gujral, Monish Darda
  • Publication number: 20110213885
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems to automate the provisioning and deployment of application instances within a heterogeneous data center. In one embodiment, the application provisioning is performed based upon a blueprint and deployment model defining requirements of the provisioned application. In another embodiment, the totality of available resources for provisioning is divided into different segments. When resources are requested and assigned to an incoming provisioning request, the resource pool may be refreshed or augmented as defined by thresholds or forecasting of user needs. The resource pool may be refreshed by recapturing allocated resources that are no longer in use or by configuring resources taken from the reserve. Further, when reserve resources are not available or are below a minimum reserve threshold, capacity planning actions may be initiated or advised.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Suhas A. Kelkar, Monish Darda, Manikantan Narender Nath
  • Patent number: 8000932
    Abstract: A method using statistical parameters (e.g. mean, standard deviation, exceptional values) of performance monitoring metrics to substantially reduce the quantity of performance monitoring data collected and reported, make system performance monitoring scalable and enhance the readability of the system performance display. The number of metrics monitored may be reduced by monitoring only one of any two metrics that are closely correlated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: BMC Software, Inc.
    Inventors: Yiping Ding, Kenneth W. Newman
  • Patent number: 7996515
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a computer implemented technique for discovering the information technology resources that are involved in a particular networked business transaction. The system comprises three basic components. A robotic transaction playback client records the various steps in a particular transaction and can repetitively execute these steps to analyze the results. A network record collector observes the traffic throughout the network in response to the repeated instances of the transaction executed by the robotic transaction playback client. A backend processor analyzes the observations of network traffic to determine which ones are possibly tied to the transaction, and from this information determine which network components are part of the transaction being analyzed. Event timing information from a plurality of executions of a particular transaction are used to determine resource usage and paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: BMC Software, Inc.
    Inventor: Theodore Russell Ernst
  • Patent number: 7996501
    Abstract: A system and method updates a device by storing into nondisk nonvolatile storage such as flash memory, the files used to update the device, using data structures that are swapped, a portion at a time, into available RAM of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: BMC Software, Inc.
    Inventors: Johan Eriksson, Simon Wynn, Arthur A. van Hoff
  • Patent number: 7996500
    Abstract: Systems and methods for extensible distributed configuration management of computer resources are described. Examples include a computer system including a processing unit and a storage device that stores a model definition and one or more asset plug-ins (each of the one or more asset plug-ins configured to expose at least one asset object that represents a computer resource). The computer system further includes memory that stores an asset model created based at least in part on the model definition, and a network interface configured to deploy to at least one managed system a compatible asset plug-in (the model definition including at least one conditional reference to the compatible asset plug-in). If a condition specified within the asset model is satisfied the processing unit selects the compatible asset plug-in for deployment, the condition being defined within the model definition and designated as applicable to the at least one conditional reference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: BMC Software, Inc.
    Inventors: Hayim Kobi, Jon Whitney
  • Publication number: 20110161465
    Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments of a method and system to convert an existing web services request from a first web services implementation type to a second web services implementation type. Example implementation types include SOAP-based and Representational State Transfer (RESTful). Conversion may be achieved through use of a generic web services adaptor. The generic web services adaptor can provide a plurality of interface types and convert requests to a request type supported by an existing web service provider endpoint. In some embodiments, requests not requiring a conversion may be forwarded directly to an existing web service provider endpoint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicant: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventor: Vincent Joseph Kowalski