Abstract: The present modeling technique allows context to be associated with structural elements. These structural elements are defined within a containing class (i.e., a context-supported class). Thus, knowledge that is captured about complex internal behavior of the structural elements (e.g., constraints) may be incorporated within the context-supported class without requiring business logic. The context-supported structure includes one or more parts associated with the context-supported structure through relationships. The context-supported structure may also include one or more connectors associated with the context-supported structure. The connectors connect two types of classes together to enforce a specific constraint. The two types of classes may be parts associated with the context-supported structure or other classes that are not part of the context-supported structure.

Abstract: Modeling operational policies of operating a business's or institution's actual or planned IT system. The IT system may include components such as applications, application hosts, one or more networks or components thereof, hardware, and interrelationships between the components. The IT system is to be operated in accordance with operational policies that govern existence or numerosity of components, how the components are interrelated, how the components and interrelationships are configured, and/or manual or automated processes for managing and maintaining the IT system. The modeling may involve generating code that conforms to a language by declaring abstractions using types that correspond to the components of the IT system, by declaring types of interrelationships that correspond to the interrelationships of the IT system, and by defining constraints upon and between the abstract types, where the constraints correspond to operational policies of operating the IT system.

Abstract: A multi-tiered server management architecture is employed including an application development tier, an application operations tier, and a cluster operations tier. In the application development tier, applications are developed for execution on one or more server computers. In the application operations tier, execution of the applications is managed and sub-boundaries within a cluster of servers can be established. In the cluster operations tier, operation of the server computers is managed without concern for what applications are executing on the one or more server computers and boundaries between clusters of servers can be established. The multi-tiered server management architecture can also be employed in co-location facilities where clusters of servers are leased to tenants, with the tenants implementing the application operations tier and the facility owner (or operator) implementing the cluster operations tier.

Abstract: A design tool includes a service definition model to enable abstract description of distributed computing systems and distributed applications. The design tool also includes a schema to dictate how functional operations within the service definition model are to be specified. The functional operations include design of distributed applications, deployment of distributed applications, and management of distributed applications.

Abstract: Model-based propagation of attributes allows a user to define one or more attributes, policies associated with the system and particular components, constraints associated with various components, and dependencies between components of the system. The user also defines the manner in which the attributes are to be propagated throughout a model of the system. The attributes are then propagated to the appropriate components in the model using information associated with the model of the system.

Abstract: A design tool includes a service definition model to enable abstract description of distributed computing systems and distributed applications. The design tool also includes a schema to dictate how functional operations within the service definition model are to be specified. The functional operations include design of distributed applications, deployment of distributed applications, and management of distributed applications.

Abstract: Model-based configuration management and modeling identifies violations of configuration constraints. A system includes multiple components and multiple applications defined by a model of the system. A process identifies configuration settings associated with the components and configuration settings associated with the applications. A configuration policy is created for the system based on information contained in the model of the system and the configuration settings.

Abstract: Model-based virtual system provisioning includes accessing a model of a workload to be installed on a virtual machine of a system as well as a model of the system. A workload refers to some computing that is to be performed, and includes an application to be executed to perform the computing, and optionally includes the operating system on which the application is to be installed. The workload model identifies a source of the application and operating system of the workload, as well as constraints of the workload, such as resources and/or other capabilities that the virtual machine(s) on which the workload is to be installed must have. An installation specification for the application is also generated, the installation specification being derived at least in part from the model of the workload and the model of the virtual system.

Abstract: A system facilitates the design and implementation of large-scale applications, such as Internet Services and Websites, for distributed computer systems, such as server data centers, Internet data centers (IDCs), Web farms, and the like. The system has a modeling system and a deployment system. The modeling system permits developers to architect the hardware and software used to implement the applications in an abstract manner. The modeling system defines a set of components used to describe the functionality of an application. The model components are arranged and interconnected to form a scale-independent logical model of the application. Once a logical model is created, the deployment system uses the logical model to automatically deploy various computer/software resources to implement the application. The deployment system converts each of the model components into one or more instances that correspond to physical resources.

Abstract: A design tool includes a service definition model to enable abstract description of distributed computing systems and distributed applications. The design tool also includes a schema to dictate how functional operations within the service definition model are to be specified. The functional operations include design of distributed applications, deployment of distributed applications, and management of distributed applications.

Abstract: A multi-tiered server management architecture is employed including an application development tier, an application operations tier, and a cluster operations tier. In the application development tier, applications are developed for execution on one or more server computers. In the application operations tier, execution of the applications is managed and sub-boundaries within a cluster of servers can be established. In the cluster operations tier, operation of the server computers is managed without concern for what applications are executing on the one or more server computers and boundaries between clusters of servers can be established. The multi-tiered server management architecture can also be employed in co-location facilities where clusters of servers are leased to tenants, with the tenants implementing the application operations tier and the facility owner (or operator) implementing the cluster operations tier.

Abstract: A multi-tiered server management architecture is employed including an application development tier, an application operations tier, and a cluster operations tier. In the application development tier, applications are developed for execution on one or more server computers. In the application operations tier, execution of the applications is managed and sub-boundaries within a cluster of servers can be established. In the cluster operations tier, operation of the server computers is managed without concern for what applications are executing on the one or more server computers and boundaries between clusters of servers can be established. The multi-tiered server management architecture can also be employed in co-location facilities where clusters of servers are leased to tenants, with the tenants implementing the application operations tier and the facility owner (or operator) implementing the cluster operations tier.

Abstract: Model-based capacity planning includes accessing a model of a planned system that includes multiple components. Relationships among the multiple components are identified based on the model of the system. Transactions to be performed by the planned system are identified along with a cost associated with each of the identified transactions. Operation of the planned system is simulated using the model of the planned system and the identified costs.

Abstract: Model-based system monitoring includes accessing a model of a system that includes multiple components and executing a monitoring policy to monitor performance of the system. A notification of a problem is received from a first component. A determination is made regarding the cause of the problem. The determination is made, at least in part, based on the model of the system. At least one component associated with the cause of the problem is then identified.

Abstract: Model-based system monitoring includes accessing a model of a system that includes multiple components and identifying relationships among the multiple components based on the model of the system. A proposed change to at least one of the multiple components is identified. A determination is made regarding an expected impact on the system caused by the proposed change. This determination is made, at least in part, based on the model of the system.

Abstract: Model-based system monitoring includes identifying multiple monitors configured to monitor multiple components in a system, and accessing multiple health models associated with the multiple monitors. A monitoring policy is generated to monitor the system. The monitoring policy is derived, at least in part, from the multiple health models.

Abstract: A modeling system permits developers of applications for distributed computer system, such as those used in server data centers or Internet data centers (IDCs), to architect their hardware and software in an abstract manner. The modeling system defines a set of components that represent abstract functional operations of the application that will eventually be physically implemented by one or more computers and one or more software programs executing on the computers. Associated with the model components is a schema that dictates how the functional operations are to be specified. From the model components, the developers can create logical, scale-independent models of the applications that may be implemented by the distributed computer system. The application is scale-independent in that the application is invariant in respect to the number of computers and software programs that my eventually be used to implement it.

Abstract: Systems and methods to enforce policy in a multi-computer service application are described. In one aspect, a scale-independent logical model of an application is generated. The application is for implementation in a distributed computing system. The scale-independent logical model includes multiple components representing logical functions of the application and intercommunication protocols. The model components are converted into one or more instances representative of physical resources used to implement the logical functions. The instances specify information such as communication ports on the physical resources and communication paths that link the physical resources.

Abstract: A network mediator corresponding to a computing device uses packet filters to restrict network communications. The network mediator includes a set of one or more filters, each filter having parameters that are compared to corresponding parameters of a data packet to be passed through the network mediator. The network mediator determines whether to allow the data packet through based on whether the data packet parameters match any filter parameters. The set of filters can be modified by a remote device, but cannot be modified by the computing device whose communications are being restricted. When a data packet is sent from the computing device, the data packet will include the virtual address which is changed to the network address by the network mediator prior to forwarding the packet on the network, and vice versa. By virtualizing the addresses, the computing device is restricted in accessing other devices over the network.

Abstract: Systems and methods to enforce policy in a multi-computer service application are described. The application includes multiple software modules that execute on multiple computers. The multi-computer service application has access to a communications medium that allows data communications between different ones of the computers. The software modules have logical input and output ports and logical data connections between modules. Each logical port is defined by port software. In one aspect, a particular module sends a notification to a policy module. Responsive to the notification, the policy module (a) determines a request for one or more destination modules, and (b) provides the request to an output port of the policy module. The output port forwards the request to input ports of a plurality of the modules in accordance with the logical data connections.