Abstract: Methods and arrangements for storing and retrieving nested structures. A nested structure is obtained. There are created slices containing arbitrary sub-structures of the nested structure. The content of slices is stored in one or more columns of a column-oriented data store. At least one access plan for accessing slices in the data store is developed, to be used when a projection query is received. The access plan is executed to construct a nested structure that answers the projection query. Other variants and embodiments are broadly contemplated herein.

Abstract: Techniques for co-relating at least one of a functional design and at least one implementation artifact of a solution with at least one infrastructure component of a target deployment environment for the solution are provided. The techniques include obtaining at least one of a functional design and at least one implementation artifact of a solution, obtaining at least one infrastructure component of a target deployment environment for the solution, and co-relating at least one of a functional design and at least one implementation artifact of a solution with at least one infrastructure component of a target deployment environment for the solution, wherein co-relating comprises discovering at least one system level dependency among the at least one of a functional design and at least one implementation artifact and the at least one infrastructure component.

Abstract: Methods and arrangements for storing and retrieving nested structures. A nested structure is obtained. There are created slices containing arbitrary sub-structures of the nested structure. The content of slices is stored in one or more columns of a column-oriented data store. At least one access plan for accessing slices in the data store is developed, to be used when a projection query is received. The access plan is executed to construct a nested structure that answers the projection query. Other variants and embodiments are broadly contemplated herein.

Abstract: A configuration model for an existing software solution, which is distributed over a plurality of existing machines, is discovered. The model includes a plurality of configuration items, which in turn include a plurality of independent attributes and a plurality of dependent attributes, with the plurality of dependent attributes being derivable from the plurality of independent attributes based on a plurality of constraints. The configuration model is stored in a repository, together with disk images, resource configuration details, and logical names of pertinent ones of the existing machines. Specifications of new values of the independent attributes are obtained, and new values of the dependent attributes are computed from the new values of the independent attributes, based on executing the constraints on the configuration model.

Abstract: A framework instantiates an application from its disk snapshots. The disk snapshots are taken from a different network environment and migrated to a virtualized environment. Modifications to operating systems and hypervisors are avoided, and no special network isolation support is required. The framework is extensible and plug-in based, allowing product experts to provide knowledge about discovering, updating, starting and stopping of software components. This knowledge base is compiled into a plan that executes various interleaved configuration discovery, updates and start tasks such that a required configuration model can be discovered with minimal start and update task execution. The plan generation automatically stitches together knowledge for the various products, thus significantly simplifying the knowledge specification.

Abstract: A plug-in-based templatization framework for automating the creation of open virtualization framework (OVF) virtual appliance (VA) is provided. According to one embodiment, a framework is stored which comprises a plurality of product-specific add-ons. Each of the plurality of product-specific add-ons comprises a discovery element, an activation logic template element, an open virtualization package envelope template element. The plurality of product-specific add-ons are executed against a first virtual composite application instance while said the virtual composite application instance is executing in a first virtualization platform environment to automatically generate an open virtualization package template. A second virtual composite application instance is then deployed within a second virtualization platform environment utilizing the open virtualization package template.

Abstract: A formula bar is used for receiving user input for entry/editing of formulas using touch input and/or a Soft Input Panel (SIP) designed for formula input. In response to a user initiating entry of a formula, a list of formulas is displayed based on the user's input. A formula may be selected and displayed within the formula bar with a parameter highlighted. The user may then enter the value for the parameter (e.g. a single value, a range, another formula, and the like) using touch input and/or SIP input. As the user enters the value for each parameter, the next parameter for the formula is automatically highlighted. The formula may be validated to determine if the parameters for the formula have been entered correctly. Tips may also be displayed in/near the display of the formula bar to provide assistance to the user entering the formula.

Abstract: Touch input is used for multi-selection of cells within a spreadsheet. For example, a user may drag a finger across the cells of the spreadsheet that they would like to select. The multi-selection of cells may include cells within one or more rows and one or more columns of the spreadsheet. The multi-selection may be adjusted to select more or fewer cells within the multi-selection. The multi-selection of cells may be used for different purposes. For example, the cells within the multi-selection may be used to display summary information related to the multi-selection (e.g. sum, average, median, min, max, count, and the like). The multi-selection may also be used to provide input to a formula that is currently being edited (e.g. a range of cells).

Abstract: Techniques for creating a virtual appliance in a virtualization environment are provided. The techniques include implementing a framework, wherein the framework comprises a knowledge representation scheme for describing library knowledge to specify one or more libraries that are used for interaction between two or more appliance components, and using the framework to instrument the one or more libraries via use of the library knowledge, record each of one or more communication parameter values in an original environment, and package one or more disk images, wherein the one or more disk images contain the one or more instrumented libraries, the one or more communication parameter values, and translation logic, to create a virtual appliance.

Abstract: A method for preventing deadlock in a distributed computing system includes the steps of: receiving as input a sorted set of containers defining a unique global sequence of containers for servicing process requests; populating at least one table based at least in part on off-line analysis of call graphs defining corresponding transactions for a given order of the containers in the sorted set; storing within each container at least a portion of the table; and allocating one or more threads in a given container according to at least a portion of the table stored within the given container.

Abstract: Configuration parameter name-value pairs are obtained for each of a plurality of component instances in a deployed software solution. A candidate set of configuration dependencies between different ones of the plurality of component instances in the deployed software solution is identified, based on the configuration parameter name-value pairs. The candidate set of configuration dependencies includes true dependencies and false dependencies. The candidate set of configuration dependencies is rank-ordered to obtain a rank-ordered list, such that a probability of the true dependencies getting a higher rank is greater than a probability of the false dependencies getting a higher rank.

Abstract: A framework instantiates an application from its disk snapshots taken from a different network environment and migrated to a virtualized environment. Modifications to operating systems and hypervisors are avoided, and no special network isolation support is required. The framework is extensible and plug-in based, allowing product experts to provide knowledge about discovering, updating, starting and stopping of software components. This knowledge base is compiled into a plan that executes various interleaved configuration discovery, updates and start tasks such that a required configuration model can be discovered with minimal start and update task execution. The plan generation automatically stitches together knowledge for the various products, thus significantly simplifying the knowledge specification. Once discovery is complete, the framework utilizes the discovered model to update stale network configurations across software stack and customize configurations beyond network settings.

Abstract: A system and method for problem determination using probe collections and problem classification for the technical support services monitor and collect data associated with a computer system, raise an alarm based on the monitored and collected data, probe the computer system for additional information, filter the monitored and collected data based on the additional information established from probing, and use the filtered data to label a problem associated with the raised alarm.

Abstract: A system for preventing deadlock in a distributed computing system includes a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The processor is operative: to receive as input a sorted set of containers defining a unique global sequence of containers for servicing process requests; to populate at least one table based at least in part on off-line analysis of call graphs defining corresponding transactions for a given order of the containers in the sorted set; to store within each container at least a portion of the at least one table; and to allocate one or more threads in a given container according to at least a portion of the at least one table stored within the given container.

Abstract: A system for preventing deadlock in a distributed computing system includes a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The processor is operative: to receive as input a sorted set of containers defining a unique global sequence of containers for servicing process requests; to populate at least one table based at least in part on off-line analysis of call graphs defining corresponding transactions for a given order of the containers in the sorted set; to store within each container at least a portion of the at least one table; and to allocate one or more threads in a given container according to at least a portion of the at least one table stored within the given container.

Abstract: A method for preventing deadlock in a distributed computing system includes the steps of: receiving as input a sorted set of containers defining a unique global sequence of containers for servicing process requests; populating at least one table based at least in part on off-line analysis of call graphs defining corresponding transactions for a given order of the containers in the sorted set; storing within each container at least a portion of the table; and allocating one or more threads in a given container according to at least a portion of the table stored within the given container.

Abstract: Techniques for creating a virtual appliance in a virtualization environment are provided. The techniques include implementing a framework, wherein the framework comprises a knowledge representation scheme for describing library knowledge to specify one or more libraries that are used for interaction between two or more appliance components, and using the framework to instrument the one or more libraries via use of the library knowledge, record each of one or more communication parameter values in an original environment, and package one or more disk images, wherein the one or more disk images contain the one or more instrumented libraries, the one or more communication parameter values, and translation logic, to create a virtual appliance.

Abstract: A system and method for problem determination using probe collections and problem classification for the technical support services monitor and collect data associated with a computer system, raise an alarm based on the monitored and collected data, probe the computer system for additional information, filter the monitored and collected data based on the additional information established from probing, and use the filtered data to label a problem associated with the raised alarm.

Abstract: Configuration parameter name-value pairs are obtained for each of a plurality of component instances in a deployed software solution. A candidate set of configuration dependencies between different ones of the plurality of component instances in the deployed software solution is identified, based on the configuration parameter name-value pairs. The candidate set of configuration dependencies includes true dependencies and false dependencies. The candidate set of configuration dependencies is rank-ordered to obtain a rank-ordered list, such that a probability of the true dependencies getting a higher rank is greater than a probability of the false dependencies getting a higher rank.

Abstract: Techniques for co-relating at least one of a functional design and at least one implementation artifact of a solution with at least one infrastructure component of a target deployment environment for the solution are provided. The techniques include obtaining at least one of a functional design and at least one implementation artifact of a solution, obtaining at least one infrastructure component of a target deployment environment for the solution, and co-relating at least one of a functional design and at least one implementation artifact of a solution with at least one infrastructure component of a target deployment environment for the solution, wherein co-relating comprises discovering at least one system level dependency among the at least one of a functional design and at least one implementation artifact and the at least one infrastructure component.