Abstract: A technique to adaptively configure components of a converged infrastructure (CI). Component configuration information is collected from and representative of operating storage, compute, and network components of the CI. A pod descriptor is constructed from the collected information. The pod descriptor includes operating storage, compute, and network component configuration definitions for the CI based on the collected component configuration information. A package specification unit is generated based on the component configuration definitions of the pod descriptor. The package specification unit includes tasks that, when executed, automatically inventory, assess, and configure targeted ones of the CI components. The technique executes the tasks in the package specification unit to perform corresponding operations on targeted ones of the CI components.

Abstract: A technique to provision a converted infrastructure (CI) includes generating task definitions to configure respective ones of compute, storage, and network components of a converged infrastructure (CI) when invoked. Each task definition includes a task identifier (ID), one or more component configuration commands, and one or more task arguments through which one or more corresponding component configuration parameters are passed to corresponding ones of the one or more component commands. The technique further includes automatically invoking each of the task definitions by task ID according to an ordered sequence in order to configure the CI. The automatically invoking includes providing the one or more component configuration commands and the corresponding one or more passed configuration parameters of each invoked task definition to the respective ones of the CI components.

Abstract: A technique to bootstrap a converged infrastructure design includes receiving a package specification unit (PU) representative of a design of a converged infrastructure (CI) including compute, storage, network, and virtualization components, the PU including component readable tasks that perform operations on the CI components. The PU further includes an inventory task model associated with tasks to read inventory information from the CI components, an assessment task model associated with tasks to assess the CI components, a configuration task model associated with tasks to configure the CI components, and a user input model to generate prompts to solicit and receive CI component information from a user, and provide the received information to the other PU models. The technique displays a PU model menu from which the PU models may be selected, and receives a selection of one of the PU models through the PU model menu.

Abstract: A human-readable cable specification for a model converged infrastructure (CI) is converted to a machine-readable cable specification specifying model port mappings between model components of the model CI. The machine-readable cable specification is imported into a controller, which is in communication with an actual CI that includes operating components and actual connections between input/output (I/O) signal ports of the components. Port configurations are collected from the operating components, and actual port mappings are generated that identify the connections between the actual ports. The actual port mappings are compared against the model port mappings. A compliance report is generated indicating port mapping mismatches, if any, between the model and actual port mappings based on the comparing.

Abstract: Configuration models are accessed, each configuration model defining configuration attributes to be collected from a respective one of compute, storage, and network components of a converged infrastructure and collecting actual configuration attributes from each of the compute, storage, and network components of the converged infrastructure in accordance with the configuration models. A policy is accessed that defines configuration attribute rules corresponding to each of the configuration attributes collected from the compute, storage, and network components and comparing the collected configuration attributes to the configuration attribute rules for each of the compute, storage, and network components. Results of the comparing are reported, including which of the collected configuration attributes violate the corresponding configuration rules.

Abstract: A technique to adaptively configure components of a converged infrastructure (CI). Component configuration information is collected from and representative of operating storage, compute, and network components of the CI. A pod descriptor is constructed from the collected information. The pod descriptor includes operating storage, compute, and network component configuration definitions for the CI based on the collected component configuration information. A package specification unit is generated based on the component configuration definitions of the pod descriptor. The package specification unit includes tasks that, when executed, automatically inventory, assess, and configure targeted ones of the CI components. The technique executes the tasks in the package specification unit to perform corresponding operations on targeted ones of the CI components.

Abstract: A technique to bootstrap a converged infrastructure design includes receiving a package specification unit (PU) representative of a design of a converged infrastructure (CI) including compute, storage, network, and virtualization components, the PU including component readable tasks that perform operations on the CI components. The PU further includes an inventory task model associated with tasks to read inventory information from the CI components, an assessment task model associated with tasks to assess the CI components, a configuration task model associated with tasks to configure the CI components, and a user input model to generate prompts to solicit and receive CI component information from a user, and provide the received information to the other PU models. The technique displays a PU model menu from which the PU models may be selected, and receives a selection of one of the PU models through the PU model menu.

Abstract: A technique to provision a converted infrastructure (CI) includes generating task definitions to configure respective ones of compute, storage, and network components of a converged infrastructure (CI) when invoked. Each task definition includes a task identifier (ID), one or more component configuration commands, and one or more task arguments through which one or more corresponding component configuration parameters are passed to corresponding ones of the one or more component commands. The technique further includes automatically invoking each of the task definitions by task ID according to an ordered sequence in order to configure the CI. The automatically invoking includes providing the one or more component configuration commands and the corresponding one or more passed configuration parameters of each invoked task definition to the respective ones of the CI components.

Abstract: A first technique is provided for automatically building multiple signature patterns representative of corresponding converged infrastructures (CIs), and a second technique is provided for automatically detecting pattern matches between one or more of the multiple signature patterns (and thus the model CIs) built using the first technique and an operating converged infrastructure (CI). Each of the signature patterns includes a compilation of component signatures representative of model compute, storage, and network components of the corresponding model CI. The second technique includes collecting component signatures from, and representative of, each of compute, storage, and network components of an operating converged infrastructure (CI), and pattern matching each of the collected component signatures against one or more of the signature patterns that represent the model CIs. The second technique also includes declaring match results based on the pattern matching.

Abstract: Information flow between network elements in a network enables a management system to capture a security knowledge base and to perform a static analysis of the network. In one embodiment, a method for performing a network security audit based on information flows among network elements comprises the machine-implemented steps of obtaining a network inventory that identifies one or more network elements of a packet-switched network; determining how information packets flow through the one or more network elements; determining a first threat level for each of the one or more network elements; determining a second threat level for the network as a whole; and providing a report of a network security audit based on the first and second threat levels.

Abstract: Programmable network intelligence approaches as disclosed herein provide apparatus, methods and tools to achieve programmable interfaces to a device, or group of devices or a network where native programmable interfaces are not available.

Abstract: Programmable network intelligence approaches as disclosed herein provide apparatus, methods and tools to achieve programmable interfaces to a device, or group of devices or a network where native programmable interfaces are not available.

Abstract: Information flow between network elements in a network enables a management system to capture a security knowledge base and to perform a static analysis of the network. In one embodiment, a method for performing a network security audit based on information flows among network elements comprises the machine-implemented steps of obtaining a network inventory that identifies one or more network elements of a packet-switched network; determining how information packets flow through the one or more network elements; determining a first threat level for each of the one or more network elements; determining a second threat level for the network as a whole; and providing a report of a network security audit based on the first and second threat levels.