Patent ID: 8463923
Filing Date: 2013-06-11
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for managing a computing environment using a processor device, comprising: gathering a plurality of information, including information for each of an available plurality of devices, hosts and virtual devices, an interconnected plurality of communication paths, and quality of service (QoS) information for at least one of the available plurality of devices, hosts, virtual devices and the interconnected plurality of communication paths; organizing the plurality of information into a plurality of zones according to a zoning methodology; performing one of an availability of checking operations to verify consistency of the plurality of information, including one of a real-time zone checking operation to determine that at least one of the plurality of zones is at least one of functional and not in conflict with at least one additional zone of the plurality of zones, a checking operation against the at least one additional zone to determine the at least one additional zone is unaffected by a change to the at least one of the plurality of zones, an assist mode operation to provide a response to a user input, and a suggestion mode operation to provide a suggested response to the user input; and displaying the plurality of information, including the at least one of the plurality of zones, to the user via a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein organizing the plurality of information into the plurality of zones according to the zoning methodology includes creating a path selection zone including a specific path of the interconnected plurality of communication paths between a starting point device and an end device by assigning an Nth value to a starting point device wherein the Nth value is 1, displaying the Nth starting point device and available links to the Nth starting point device, receiving a user selection for one or more of the available links to the Nth starting point device, saving the user selection of the one or more of the available links to the Nth starting point device, determining whether all links to the end device are selected, and incrementing the Nth value to N+1 and evaluating a next starting point device after the Nth starting point device, if all of the links to the end device are not selected.