Abstract: The present disclosure is related to managing virtual computing instances and physical servers. An example machine-readable medium may store instructions executable by a processing resource to cause a computer system to provide an application program interface (API) that provides a user with an ability to manage a virtual computing instance (VCI) deployed on a hypervisor and provisioned by a pool of physical computing resources and manage a physical server.

Abstract: The current document is directed to aggregation of computers into distributed computing systems and, in particular, to methods and systems that simulate computer-system aggregations to test computer-system-aggregation management subsystems. In a described implementation, a host-gateway appliance is modified to simulate host-server-computer responses to management commands and requests. In this implementation, a replicated and modified management-server database is used both by a management server under test as well as by the modified host-gateway appliance.

Abstract: The present disclosure is related to managing virtual computing instances and physical servers. An example machine-readable medium may store instructions executable by a processing resource to cause a computer system to provide an application program interface (API) that provides a user with an ability to manage a virtual computing instance (VCI) deployed on a hypervisor and provisioned by a pool of physical computing resources and manage a physical server.

Abstract: The present disclosure is related to managing virtual computing instances and physical servers. An example machine-readable medium may store instructions executable by a processing resource to cause a computer system to provide an application program interface (API) that provides a user with an ability to manage a virtual computing instance (VCI) deployed on a hypervisor and provisioned by a pool of physical computing resources and manage a physical server.

Abstract: A method for a processor to provide a user interface to manage entities in a software system domain includes, in response to receiving a command line, executing the command, receiving the output of the command where the output include metadata of an entity in the software system domain, preserving the metadata, converting the output to a text item, displaying the converted text item in the user interface, and associating the text item in the user interface with its metadata. The method further includes, in response to receiving a user interaction with the displayed text item from a pointing device or a keyboard, retrieving the metadata associated with the text item in the user interface and performing, based on the metadata associated with the text item, an entity-specific action for the selected item, such as generating an entity-specific contextual menu or invoking a command on the entity.

Abstract: The current document is directed to methods and systems for exchange of information between management servers and remote host systems managed by the management server. In disclosed implementations, a local proxy server associated with the management server and a remote proxy server associated with the remote host systems both locally store configuration data for the host systems and exchange configuration differences through a wide area network in order to synchronize the stored configuration data between the proxy servers. Requests generated by the management server for host configuration data are satisfied by the local proxy server and configuration-data synchronization efficiently employs exchanges of configuration-data differences, rather than repeated transmission of all or large portions of the configuration data.

Abstract: The current document is directed to methods and systems for testing and analyzing the operational characteristics of management servers that manage multiple host systems in distributed computing systems on which virtual data centers and other types of virtual infrastructure are implemented. Management servers are generally designed to manage host systems that include particular types of virtualization layers, referred to as “native host systems.” In a described implementation, a management server is connected to a host-gateway appliance that includes host-gateway control logic implemented within a server computer. The host-gateway appliance allows a management server to interface to the management interfaces of non-native host systems that include visualization layers to which the management server is not designed to interface.

Abstract: The current document is directed to aggregation of computers into distributed computing systems and, in particular, to methods and systems that simulate computer-system aggregations to test computer-system-aggregation management subsystems. In a described implementation, a host-gateway appliance is modified to simulate host-server-computer responses to management commands and requests. In this implementation, a replicated and modified management-server database is used both by a management server under test as well as by the modified host-gateway appliance.

Abstract: The present disclosure is related to managing virtual computing instances and physical servers. An example machine-readable medium may store instructions executable by a processing resource to cause a computer system to provide an application program interface (API) that provides a user with an ability to manage a virtual computing instance (VCI) deployed on a hypervisor and provisioned by a pool of physical computing resources and manage a physical server.

Abstract: The current document is directed to methods for aggregating host computers into distributed computing systems and to distributed computing systems created by the methods. In a described implementation, host computers are aggregated into two or more clusters, at a first distributed-computing-system level, each managed by a second-level management server. The two or more clusters are then, in turn, aggregated into a hierarchical distributed computing system managed by a top-level management server. The top-level management server is interconnected to, and accesses, the second-level management servers through a host-gateway appliance that includes host-gateway control logic implemented within a server computer. In order to achieve scalability and efficiency, the top-level management server provides a subset of the native management commands to system administrators and other users who access a management interface provided by the top-level management server.

Abstract: The current document is directed to methods for aggregating host computers into distributed computing systems and to distributed computing systems created by the methods. In a described implementation, host computers are aggregated into two or more clusters, at a first distributed-computing-system level, each managed by a second-level management server. The two or more clusters are then, in turn, aggregated into a hierarchical distributed computing system managed by a top-level management server. The top-level management server is interconnected to, and accesses, the second-level management servers through a host-gateway appliance that includes host-gateway control logic implemented within a server computer. In order to achieve scalability and efficiency, the top-level management server provides a subset of the native management commands to system administrators and other users who access a management interface provided by the top-level management server.

Abstract: A method for a processor to provide a user interface to manage entities in a software system domain includes, in response to receiving a command line, executing the command, receiving the output of the command where the output include metadata of an entity in the software system domain, preserving the metadata, converting the output to a text item, displaying the converted text item in the user interface, and associating the text item in the user interface with its metadata. The method further includes, in response to receiving a user interaction with the displayed text item from a pointing device or a keyboard, retrieving the metadata associated with the text item in the user interface and performing, based on the metadata associated with the text item, an entity-specific action for the selected item, such as generating an entity-specific contextual menu or invoking a command on the entity.

Abstract: The current document is directed to methods for aggregating host computers into distributed computing systems and to distributed computing systems created by the methods. In a described implementation, host computers are aggregated into two or more clusters, at a first distributed-computing-system level, each managed by a second-level management server. The two or more clusters are then, in turn, aggregated into a hierarchical distributed computing system managed by a top-level management server. The top-level management server is interconnected to, and accesses, the second-level management servers through a host-gateway appliance that includes host-gateway control logic implemented within a server computer. In order to achieve scalability and efficiency, the top-level management server provides a subset of the native management commands to system administrators and other users who access a management interface provided by the top-level management server.

Abstract: The current document is directed to methods and systems for exchange of information between management servers and remote host systems managed by the management server. In disclosed implementations, a local proxy server associated with the management server and a remote proxy server associated with the remote host systems both locally store configuration data for the host systems and exchange configuration differences through a wide area network in order to synchronize the stored configuration data between the proxy servers. Requests generated by the management server for host configuration data are satisfied by the local proxy server and configuration-data synchronization efficiently employs exchanges of configuration-data differences, rather than repeated transmission of all or large portions of the configuration data.

Abstract: The current document is directed to methods for aggregating host computers into distributed computing systems and to distributed computing systems created by the methods. In a described implementation, host computers are aggregated into two or more clusters, at a first distributed-computing-system level, each managed by a second-level management server. The two or more clusters are then, in turn, aggregated into a hierarchical distributed computing system managed by a top-level management server. The top-level management server is interconnected to, and accesses, the second-level management servers through a host-gateway appliance that includes host-gateway control logic implemented within a server computer. In order to achieve scalability and efficiency, the top-level management server provides a subset of the native management commands to system administrators and other users who access a management interface provided by the top-level management server.

Abstract: The current document is directed to methods and systems for testing and analyzing the operational characteristics of management servers that manage multiple host systems in distributed computing systems on which virtual data centers and other types of virtual infrastructure are implemented. Management servers are generally designed to manage host systems that include particular types of virtualization layers, referred to as “native host systems.” In a described implementation, a management server is connected to a host-gateway appliance that includes host-gateway control logic implemented within a server computer. The host-gateway appliance allows a management server to interface to the management interfaces of non-native host systems that include visualization layers to which the management server is not designed to interface.