Abstract: Embodiments include methods to perform an operation for managing different virtual machine images as a single virtual machine image. The operation generally includes generating a representation of a virtual machine (VM) image, and generating a first VM instance from the VM image. The representation of the VM image includes a set of artifacts associated with the VM image. The operation also includes receiving an indication of an available software update. Upon determining that the software update is applicable to the representation of the VM image, the operation further includes applying the software update to the first VM instance image.

Abstract: Embodiments include systems and computer program products to perform an operation for managing different virtual machine images as a single virtual machine image. The operation generally includes generating a representation of a virtual machine (VM) image, and generating a first VM instance from the VM image. The representation of the VM image includes a set of artifacts associated with the VM image. The operation also includes receiving an indication of an available software update. Upon determining that the software update is applicable to the representation of the VM image, the operation further includes applying the software update to the first VM instance image.

Abstract: A method and system for creating a software image of a software application. The software application is installed on a computing machine. One or more changes of the computing machine resulting from the installation of the software application are detected. The one or more changes include one or more artifacts being added to the computing machine and one or more updates being applied to the computing machine. One or more activation procedures and activation information according to the updates are determined. The activation procedures are configured to apply the updates when running the activation procedures according to the activation information. The software image are created by copying the artifacts from the computing machine to a virtual disk and by adding the activation procedures and the activation information obtained from the activation procedures to the virtual disk.

Abstract: An approach is described with respect to conversational agent learning model service selection in response to a client service request. According to such approach, a model advisor may predict which model service(s) may most appropriately address a client issue. A method pertaining to such approach may include receiving a client service request associated with a client system and data associated with the client service request, wherein the data associated with the client service request includes at least one keyword extracted from the client service request and context information. The method further may include, based upon the data associated with the client service request, selecting at least one model service among a plurality of model services associated with a conversational agent learning model. The method further may include providing the selection of the at least one model service to the client system in response to the client service request.

Abstract: An approach is described with respect to dynamically constructing and configuring a conversational agent learning model. Various aspects of the conversational agent learning model may be constructed and updated without continuous intervention of a domain administrator. A method pertaining to such approach may include retrieving a corpus of information. The corpus of information may include records from a set of repositories and external data, including data from social networks or applications. The method further may include configuring the conversational agent learning model based upon the retrieved corpus of information. The method further may include deploying the conversational agent learning model by facilitating interaction between the conversational agent learning model and a plurality of clients. The method further may include updating the conversational agent learning model to address any modification to the corpus of information.

Abstract: Controlling usage of virtual disks in a data-processing center hosting a set of virtual machines is described where each virtual disk comprises a set of software artifacts. A corresponding method comprises detecting a request of adding a new virtual disk comprising a set of new software artifacts to a selected one of the virtual machines, determining composition information of the new virtual disk, which includes an indication of the new software artifacts, retrieving an indication of usage entitlements of the new software artifacts in the data-processing center, enabling or preventing the attachment of the new virtual disk to the selected virtual machine according to a comparison between the composition information and the usage entitlements, attaching the new virtual disk to the selected virtual machine in response to the enabling thereof, and updating the usage entitlements in response to the attachment of the new virtual disk.

Abstract: A method for dynamic presentations management of electronic presentations including multiple slides, wherein each slide has at least one presentation constraint parameter assigned thereto, and wherein a presentation software is used for generating and displaying the presentation can include gathering metadata regarding the presentation by the presentation software, evaluating the metadata regarding the presentation and determining at least one presentation constraint parameter by the presentation software, and automatically arranging and/or selecting slides and/or modifying a content of slides according to the determined at least one presentation constraint parameter to be presented by use of the presentation software.

Abstract: A method for determining a deployment configuration of multiple micro services that interact with each other is provided. The method includes the steps of determining a metric describing an amount of communication traffic between at least two of the micro services. Based on the metric, an execution environment may be determined for at least one of the micro services. Deployment information specifying that the at least one micro service shall be deployed on the determined execution environment may be generated.

Abstract: A virtual scan group manager (VSGM) can receive a plurality of respective sets of data from a plurality of respective devices. The VSGM can allocate respective portions of the plurality of respective sets of data to respective virtual scan groups (VSGs). The VSGs can be processed by storing the data contained in each VSG in a data repository. Respective sets of data stored in the data repository can be catalogued in a VSGM logfile.

Abstract: A method for managing assets including receiving a task across a network to be performed by a set of assets, identifying a subset of assets owned by an owner, transmitting a personalized direct communication across the network to the owner, wherein the personalized direct communication requests approval for use of the subset of assets to execute the task, and responsive to receiving an approval communication across the network from the owner indicating respective approved assets from the subset of assets producing a set of approved assets, automatically transmitting a set of communications across the network to the set of approved assets for execution of the task.

Abstract: As disclosed herein a computer-implemented method includes receiving a delta scan from an endpoint system comprising changes to a baseline inventory, and determining if the delta scan can be processed. The method further includes responsive to determining that the delta scan can be processed, processing the delta scan to produce a synchronized baseline inventory, and responsive to determining that the delta scan cannot be processed, indicating that the delta scan is unable to be processed. The method further includes responsive to indicating the delta scan is unable to be processed, receiving a most recent full system scan from the endpoint system to provide a new synchronized baseline inventory. A computer program product and a computer system corresponding to the above method are also disclosed herein.

Abstract: Controlling usage of virtual disks in a data-processing center hosting a set of virtual machines is described where each virtual disk comprises a set of software artifacts. A corresponding method comprises detecting a request of adding a new virtual disk comprising a set of new software artifacts to a selected one of the virtual machines, determining composition information of the new virtual disk, which includes an indication of the new software artifacts, retrieving an indication of usage entitlements of the new software artifacts in the data-processing center, enabling or preventing the attachment of the new virtual disk to the selected virtual machine according to a comparison between the composition information and the usage entitlements, attaching the new virtual disk to the selected virtual machine in response to the enabling thereof, and updating the usage entitlements in response to the attachment of the new virtual disk.

Abstract: A method for managing assets including receiving a task across a network to be performed by a set of assets, identifying a subset of assets owned by an owner, transmitting a personalized direct communication across the network to the owner, wherein the personalized direct communication requests approval for use of the subset of assets to execute the task, and responsive to receiving an approval communication across the network from the owner indicating respective approved assets from the subset of assets producing a set of approved assets, automatically transmitting a set of communications across the network to the set of approved assets for execution of the task.

Abstract: A solution for running a software application on a computing machine is provided, which includes registering a capability of a delegation component to execute at least one action on the computing machine, each one defined by at least one characteristic thereof, receiving a request for executing the at least one action from the software application by the delegation component, the request being bound to the delegation component at run-time according to the capability registration thereof, and delegating, by the delegation component, the execution of the at least one action to at least one local component of the computing machine being capable of executing at least part of the at least one action and/or to at least one remote component of at least one remote computing machine being capable of executing at least part of the at least one action according to an availability of the at least one local component.

Abstract: A solution for managing a computing system comprising a plurality of client computing machines to be managed and at least one server computing machine for controlling the managing of the client computing machines, wherein each client computing machine has at least one of a plurality of roles in a deployment infrastructure for deploying management data from said at least one server computing machine to the client computing machines. A corresponding method comprises monitoring one or more operative parameters of each client computing machine against one or more reference policies, detecting a non-compliance of the operative parameters to the reference policies, and changing the role of at least one of the client computing machines in response to the non-compliance of the operative parameters to the reference policies for restoring a compliance thereto.

Abstract: A method for determining a deployment configuration of multiple micro services that interact with each other is provided. The method includes the steps of determining a metric describing an amount of communication traffic between at least two of the micro services. Based on the metric, an execution environment may be determined for at least one of the micro services. Deployment information specifying that the at least one micro service shall be deployed on the determined execution environment may be generated.

Abstract: A virtual scan group manager (VSGM) can receive a plurality of respective sets of data from a plurality of respective devices. The VSGM can allocate respective portions of the plurality of respective sets of data to respective virtual scan groups (VSGs). The VSGs can be processed by storing the data contained in each VSG in a data repository. Respective sets of data stored in the data repository can be catalogued in a VSGM logfile.

Abstract: A solution for running a software application on a computing machine is provided, which includes registering a capability of a delegation component to execute at least one action on the computing machine, each one defined by at least one characteristic thereof, receiving a request for executing the at least one action from the software application by the delegation component, the request being bound to the delegation component at run-time according to the capability registration thereof, and delegating, by the delegation component, the execution of the at least one action to at least one local component of the computing machine being capable of executing at least part of the at least one action and/or to at least one remote component of at least one remote computing machine being capable of executing at least part of the at least one action according to an availability of the at least one local component.

Abstract: A container deployment system for managing the installation of virtual containers in a cloud computing system is disclosed. The container deployment system retrieves runtime information of a plurality of virtual machines and containers installed in a cloud computing system. The retrieved runtime information includes information of a plurality of read-only layers in the plurality of virtual machines and containers. The container deployment system retrieves a policy requesting one or more of the plurality of read-only layers for installation of a new container in the cloud computing system. The container deployment system determines a virtual environment in the cloud computing system including the one or more of the plurality of read-only layers requested in the policy based on the retrieved runtime information, and installs the new container in the virtual environment.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for identifying installed software components in a container running in a virtual execution environment. The container is created by instantiating image data. The method includes determining a respective identifier for each of individual layers of a layered structure of the image data. The method further includes retrieving from a repository storage arrangement, information identifying at least one of the installed software components in the container, based on the respective identifier for at least one of the individual layers.