Abstract: Techniques for deploying, maintaining and configuring complex hardware and software systems are provided. An abstract configuration of the system describes the system's desired state. Each component of the system declares the general form of the resources it requires and an abstract representation of the versions of the services it both requires and provides. A configuration process uses the abstract configuration of the system and the descriptions of each of the components in the system to validate that the system can operate effectively, ensures that each component is in the correct state and at the right version, and generates the necessary interconnections for the application components to interoperate with each other.

Abstract: Techniques for upgrading and/or downgrading a data resource deployed on a machine from one version to another version are provided. An application component that defines the data resource may provide an up/down tool for use in changing the data resource component from one version to another version. The up/down tool comprises an up/down process and one or more version conversion rules. The up/down process utilizes the provided version conversion rules to determine the ability of the up/down tool to deploy the data resource and to actually deploy the data resource.

Abstract: Techniques for determining a complete address of a test point of an application from a relative address of the test point and a configuration of a system are provided. An application component that defines the application includes a relative address of the test point. An abstract configuration of a system specifies a location where an instance of the application is to be deployed within the system. The complete address of the test point is then formulated using the relative address of the test point and the indication of the location where an instance of the application is to be deployed within the system. The complete address of the test point can then be used to perform a health check of the instance of the application.

Abstract: Techniques for deploying, maintaining and configuring complex hardware and software systems are provided. An abstract configuration of the system describes the system's desired state. Each component of the system declares the general form of the resources it requires and an abstract representation of the versions of the services it both requires and provides. A configuration process uses the abstract configuration of the system and the descriptions of each of the components in the system to validate that the system can operate effectively, ensures that each component is in the correct state and at the right version, and generates the necessary interconnections for the application components to interoperate with each other.

Abstract: Techniques for upgrading and/or downgrading a data resource deployed on a machine from one version to another version are provided. An application component that defines the data resource may provide an up/down tool for use in changing the data resource component from one version to another version. The up/down tool comprises an up/down process and one or more version conversion rules. The up/down process utilizes the provided version conversion rules to determine the ability of the up/down tool to deploy the data resource and to actually deploy the data resource.

Abstract: Techniques for determining a complete address of a test point of an application from a relative address of the test point and a configuration of a system are provided. An application component that defines the application includes a relative address of the test point. An abstract configuration of a system specifies a location where an instance of the application is to be deployed within the system. The complete address of the test point is then formulated using the relative address of the test point and the indication of the location where an instance of the application is to be deployed within the system. The complete address of the test point can then be used to perform a health check of the instance of the application.

Abstract: Optoelectronic materials are provided that are bistable organic tautomeric compositions that intraconvert dithio or diseleno carbamate esters and cyclic 1,3-dithia- or -diselena-2-iminium salts of ?-conjugated bis-anthracenyl compounds. Specifically disclosed are compounds having the formula: where X is sulfur or selenium; where the R and R1 groups are alkyl or alkyl that together form a ring of carbon atoms; where An is the anion of a strong acid; and where the Z element is a chiral ring-completing system of atoms that changes chirality on tautomerization. These molecules are in themselves molecular-sized optoelectronic switching devices.