Methods and apparatus to publish internal commands as an application programming interface in a cloud infrastructure

Methods and apparatus to publish internal commands as a programming interface in a cloud infrastructure are provided. An example apparatus includes a first virtual appliance including a management endpoint to coordinate task execution in a computing platform. The example apparatus includes a computing infrastructure interface including a programming interface, the programming interface to expose a subset of commands for the computing platform and to hide a remainder of the commands of the computing platform from a requester, the requester to execute a first command from the subset of commands via the programming interface. The management endpoint is to parse a first execution task generated from selection of the first command via the programming interface to determine a component of the computing platform to execute the first command associated with the first execution task and to route the first command from the first execution task to the component for execution.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to cloud computing and, more particularly, to systems and methods to publish internal commands as an application programming interface in a cloud infrastructure.

BACKGROUND

Virtualizing computer systems provides benefits such as an ability to execute multiple computer systems on a single hardware computer, replicating computer systems, moving computer systems among multiple hardware computers, and so forth.

“Infrastructure-as-a-Service” (also commonly referred to as “IaaS”) generally describes a suite of technologies provided as an integrated solution to allow for elastic creation of a virtualized, networked, and pooled computing platform (sometimes referred to as a “cloud computing platform”). Enterprises may use IaaS as a business-internal organizational cloud computing platform (sometimes referred to as a “private cloud”) that gives an application developer access to infrastructure resources, such as virtualized servers, storage, and networking resources. By providing ready access to the hardware resources required to run an application, the cloud computing platform enables developers to build, deploy, and manage the lifecycle of a web application (or any other type of networked application) at a greater scale and at a faster pace than ever before.

Cloud computing environments may include many processing units (e.g., servers). Other components of a cloud computing environment include storage devices, networking devices (e.g., switches), etc. Current cloud computing environment configuration relies on much manual user input and configuration to install, configure, and deploy the components of the cloud computing environment.

The figures are not to scale. Instead, to clarify multiple layers and regions, the thickness of the layers may be enlarged in the drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts. As used in this patent, stating that any part (e.g., a layer, film, area, or plate) is in any way positioned on (e.g., positioned on, located on, disposed on, or formed on, etc.) another part, indicates that the referenced part is either in contact with the other part, or that the referenced part is above the other part with one or more intermediate part(s) located therebetween. Stating that any part is in contact with another part means that there is no intermediate part between the two parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Virtualization technologies can be used for computing, storage, and/or networking, for example. Using virtualization, hardware computing resources and/or other physical resources can be replicated in software. One or more application programming interfaces (APIs) can be implemented to provide access to virtualized resources for users, applications, and/or systems while limiting or masking underlying software and/or hardware structure.

Cloud computing is based on the deployment of many physical resources across a network, virtualizing the physical resources into virtual resources, and provisioning the virtual resources to perform cloud computing services and applications. Example systems for virtualizing computer systems are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/903,374, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING VIRTUAL AND REAL MACHINES,” filed Sep. 21, 2007, and granted as U.S. Pat. No. 8,171,485, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/919,965, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING VIRTUAL AND REAL MACHINES,” filed Mar. 26, 2007, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/736,422, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR VIRTUALIZED COMPUTING,” filed Dec. 12, 2012, all three of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Cloud computing platforms may provide many powerful capabilities for performing computing operations. However, taking advantage of these computing capabilities manually may be complex and/or require significant training and/or expertise. Prior techniques to providing cloud computing platforms and services often require customers to understand details and configurations of hardware and software resources to establish and configure the cloud computing platform. Methods and apparatus disclosed herein facilitate the management of virtual machine resources in cloud computing platforms.

For example, a cloud computing infrastructure can be developed as a set of internal commands (e.g., shell scripts, etc.). In certain examples, rather than providing internal access (e.g., secure shell (SSH) access, etc.) to the cloud computing infrastructure, an API of commands is provided to interact with functionality of the cloud computing infrastructure. The API can be implemented as a set of configuration files (e.g., Extensible Markup Language (XML) files, etc.) in which each configuration file defines one or more commands to be exposed for interaction with the cloud infrastructure. While a configuration file names and defines a command and its expected input(s) and output(s) for execution by a user, application, system, etc., details of the command (e.g., operations and/or rules tying input(s) to output(s), etc.) can be hidden from an external entity such as a user, application, computing system, etc. Via the API, driven by the configuration files, virtual machine functionality can be instantiated, configured, and executed by one or more users, applications, systems, etc.

A virtual machine is a software computer that, like a physical computer, runs an operating system and applications. An operating system installed on a virtual machine is referred to as a guest operating system. Because each virtual machine is an isolated computing environment, virtual machines (VMs) can be used as desktop or workstation environments, as testing environments, to consolidate server applications, etc. Virtual machines can run on hosts or clusters. The same host can run a plurality of VMs, for example.

As disclosed in detail herein, methods and apparatus disclosed herein provide for automation of management tasks such as provisioning multiple virtual machines for a multiple-machine computing system (e.g., a group of servers that inter-operate), linking provisioned virtual machines and tasks to desired systems to execute those virtual machines or tasks, and/or reclaiming cloud computing resources that are no longer in use. The improvements to cloud management systems (e.g., the vCloud Automation Center (vCAC) from VMware®, the vRealize Automation Cloud Automation Software from VMware®), interfaces, portals, etc. disclosed herein may be utilized individually and/or in any combination. For example, all or a subset of the described improvements may be utilized.

As used herein, availability refers to the level of redundancy required to provide continuous operation expected for the workload domain. As used herein, performance refers to the computer processing unit (CPU) operating speeds (e.g., CPU gigahertz (GHz)), memory (e.g., gigabytes (GB) of random access memory (RAM)), mass storage (e.g., GB hard drive disk (HDD), GB solid state drive (SSD)), and power capabilities of a workload domain. As used herein, capacity refers to the aggregate number of resources (e.g., aggregate storage, aggregate CPU, etc.) across all servers associated with a cluster and/or a workload domain. In examples disclosed herein, the number of resources (e.g., capacity) for a workload domain is determined based on the redundancy, the CPU operating speed, the memory, the storage, the security, and/or the power requirements selected by a user. For example, more resources are required for a workload domain as the user-selected requirements increase (e.g., higher redundancy, CPU speed, memory, storage, security, and/or power options require more resources than lower redundancy, CPU speed, memory, storage, security, and/or power options).

Example Virtualization Environments

Many different types of virtualization environments exist. Three example types of virtualization environment are: full virtualization, paravirtualization, and operating system virtualization.

Full virtualization, as used herein, is a virtualization environment in which hardware resources are managed by a hypervisor to provide virtual hardware resources to a virtual machine. In a full virtualization environment, the virtual machines do not have direct access to the underlying hardware resources. In a typical full virtualization environment, a host operating system with embedded hypervisor (e.g., VMware ESXi®) is installed on the server hardware. Virtual machines including virtual hardware resources are then deployed on the hypervisor. A guest operating system is installed in the virtual machine. The hypervisor manages the association between the hardware resources of the server hardware and the virtual resources allocated to the virtual machines (e.g., associating physical random access memory (RAM) with virtual RAM). Typically, in full virtualization, the virtual machine and the guest operating system have no visibility and/or direct access to the hardware resources of the underlying server. Additionally, in full virtualization, a full guest operating system is typically installed in the virtual machine while a host operating system is installed on the server hardware. Example full virtualization environments include VMware ESX®, Microsoft Hyper-V®, and Kernel Based Virtual Machine (KVM).

Paravirtualization, as used herein, is a virtualization environment in which hardware resources are managed by a hypervisor to provide virtual hardware resources to a virtual machine and guest operating systems are also allowed direct access to some or all of the underlying hardware resources of the server (e.g., without accessing an intermediate virtual hardware resource). In a typical paravirtualization system, a host operating system (e.g., a Linux-based operating system) is installed on the server hardware. A hypervisor (e.g., the Xen® hypervisor) executes on the host operating system. Virtual machines including virtual hardware resources are then deployed on the hypervisor. The hypervisor manages the association between the hardware resources of the server hardware and the virtual resources allocated to the virtual machines (e.g., associating physical random access memory (RAM) with virtual RAM). In paravirtualization, the guest operating system installed in the virtual machine is configured also to have direct access to some or all of the hardware resources of the server. For example, the guest operating system may be precompiled with special drivers that allow the guest operating system to access the hardware resources without passing through a virtual hardware layer. For example, a guest operating system may be precompiled with drivers that allow the guest operating system to access a sound card installed in the server hardware. Directly accessing the hardware (e.g., without accessing the virtual hardware resources of the virtual machine) may be more efficient, may allow for performance of operations that are not supported by the virtual machine and/or the hypervisor, etc.

Operating system virtualization is also referred to herein as container virtualization. As used herein, operating system virtualization refers to a system in which processes are isolated in an operating system. In a typical operating system virtualization system, a host operating system is installed on the server hardware. Alternatively, the host operating system may be installed in a virtual machine of a full virtualization environment or a paravirtualization environment. The host operating system of an operating system virtualization system is configured (e.g., utilizing a customized kernel) to provide isolation and resource management for processes that execute within the host operating system (e.g., applications that execute on the host operating system). The isolation of the processes is known as a container. Several containers may share a host operating system. Thus, a process executing within a container is isolated the process from other processes executing on the host operating system. Thus, operating system virtualization provides isolation and resource management capabilities without the resource overhead utilized by a full virtualization environment or a paravirtualization environment. Alternatively, the host operating system may be installed in a virtual machine of a full virtualization environment or a paravirtualization environment. Example operating system virtualization environments include Linux Containers LXC and LXD, Docker™, OpenVZ™, etc.

In some instances, a data center (or pool of linked data centers) may include multiple different virtualization environments. For example, a data center may include hardware resources that are managed by a full virtualization environment, a paravirtualization environment, and an operating system virtualization environment. In such a data center, a workload may be deployed to any of the virtualization environments.

FIG. 1depicts an example system100constructed in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure for managing a cloud computing platform. The example system100includes an application director106and a cloud manager138to manage a cloud computing platform provider110as described in more detail below. As described herein, the example system100facilitates management of the cloud provider110and does not include the cloud provider110. Alternatively, the system100could be included in the cloud provider110.

The cloud computing platform provider110provisions virtual computing resources (e.g., virtual machines, or “VMs,”114) that may be accessed by users of the cloud computing platform110(e.g., users associated with an administrator116and/or a developer118) and/or other programs, software, device. etc.

An example application102ofFIG. 1includes multiple VMs114. The example VMs114ofFIG. 1provide different functions within the application102(e.g., services, portions of the application102, etc.). One or more of the VMs114of the illustrated example are customized by an administrator116and/or a developer118of the application102relative to a stock or out-of-the-box (e.g., commonly available purchased copy) version of the services and/or application components. Additionally, the services executing on the example VMs114may have dependencies on other ones of the VMs114.

As illustrated inFIG. 1, the example cloud computing platform provider110may provide multiple deployment environments112, for example, for development, testing, staging, and/or production of applications. The administrator116, the developer118, other programs, and/or other devices may access services from the cloud computing platform provider110, for example, via REST (Representational State Transfer) APIs (Application Programming Interface) and/or via any other client-server communication protocol. REST defines computer architectural principles to facilitate Web services involving system resources and resource states. A REST API can expose uniform resource indicators (URIs) to enable client applications to address system resources, for example. Example implementations of a REST API for cloud computing services include a vCloud Administrator Center™ (vCAC) and/or vRealize Automation™ (vRA) API and a vCloud Director™ API available from VMware, Inc. The REST API can provide access to user operations, user elements, user types, extension operations, extension elements, extension types, administrator types, administrator elements, administrator operations, etc.

The example cloud computing platform provider110provisions virtual computing resources (e.g., the VMs114) to provide the deployment environments112in which the administrator116and/or the developer118can deploy multi-tier application(s). One particular example implementation of a deployment environment that may be used to implement the deployment environments112ofFIG. 1is vCloud DataCenter cloud computing services available from VMware, Inc.

In some examples disclosed herein, a lighter-weight virtualization is employed by using containers in place of the VMs114in the development environment112. Example containers114aare software constructs that run on top of a host operating system without the need for a hypervisor or a separate guest operating system. Unlike virtual machines, the containers114ado not instantiate their own operating systems. Like virtual machines, the containers114aare logically separate from one another. Numerous containers can run on a single computer, processor system and/or in the same development environment112. Also like virtual machines, the containers114acan execute instances of applications or programs (e.g., an example application102a) separate from application/program instances executed by the other containers in the same development environment112.

The example application director106ofFIG. 1, which may be running in one or more VMs, orchestrates deployment of multi-tier applications onto one of the example deployment environments112. As illustrated inFIG. 1, the example application director106includes a topology generator120, a deployment plan generator122, and a deployment director124.

The example topology generator120generates a basic blueprint126that specifies a logical topology of an application to be deployed. The example basic blueprint126generally captures the structure of an application as a collection of application components executing on virtual computing resources. For example, the basic blueprint126generated by the example topology generator120for an online store application may specify a web application (e.g., in the form of a Java web application archive or “WAR” file including dynamic web pages, static web pages, Java servlets, Java classes, and/or other property, configuration and/or resources files that make up a Java web application) executing on an application server (e.g., Apache Tomcat application server) that uses a database (e.g., MongoDB) as a data store. As used herein, the term “application” generally refers to a logical deployment unit, including one or more application packages and their dependent middleware and/or operating systems. Applications may be distributed across multiple VMs. Thus, in the example described above, the term “application” refers to the entire online store application, including application server and database components, rather than just the web application itself. In some instances, the application may include the underlying hardware and/or virtual computing hardware utilized to implement the components.

The example basic blueprint126ofFIG. 1may be assembled from items (e.g., templates) from a catalog130, which is a listing of available virtual computing resources (e.g., VMs, networking, storage, etc.) that may be provisioned from the cloud computing platform provider110and available application components (e.g., software services, scripts, code components, application-specific packages) that may be installed on the provisioned virtual computing resources. The example catalog130may be pre-populated and/or customized by an administrator116(e.g., IT (Information Technology) or system administrator) that enters in specifications, configurations, properties, and/or other details about items in the catalog130. Based on the application, the example blueprints126may define one or more dependencies between application components to indicate an installation order of the application components during deployment. For example, since a load balancer usually cannot be configured until a web application is up and running, the developer118may specify a dependency from an Apache service to an application code package.

The example deployment plan generator122of the example application director106ofFIG. 1generates a deployment plan128based on the basic blueprint126that includes deployment settings for the basic blueprint126(e.g., virtual computing resources' cluster size, CPU, memory, networks, etc.) and an execution plan of tasks having a specified order in which virtual computing resources are provisioned and application components are installed, configured, and started. The example deployment plan128ofFIG. 1provides an IT administrator with a process-oriented view of the basic blueprint126that indicates discrete actions to be performed to deploy the application. Different deployment plans128may be generated from a single basic blueprint126to test prototypes (e.g., new application versions), to scale up and/or scale down deployments, and/or to deploy the application to different deployment environments112(e.g., testing, staging, production). The deployment plan128is separated and distributed as local deployment plans having a series of tasks to be executed by the VMs114provisioned from the deployment environment112. Each VM114coordinates execution of each task with a centralized deployment module (e.g., the deployment director124) to ensure that tasks are executed in an order that complies with dependencies specified in the application blueprint126.

The example deployment director124ofFIG. 1executes the deployment plan128by communicating with the cloud computing platform provider110via a cloud interface132to provision and configure the VMs114in the deployment environment112. The example cloud interface132ofFIG. 1provides a communication abstraction layer by which the application director106may communicate with a heterogeneous mixture of cloud provider110and deployment environments112. The deployment director124provides each VM114with a series of tasks specific to the receiving VM114(herein referred to as a “local deployment plan”). Tasks are executed by the VMs114to install, configure, and/or start one or more application components. For example, a task may be a script that, when executed by a VM114, causes the VM114to retrieve and install particular software packages from a central package repository134. The example deployment director124coordinates with the VMs114to execute the tasks in an order that observes installation dependencies between VMs114according to the deployment plan128. After the application has been deployed, the application director106may be utilized to monitor and/or modify (e.g., scale) the deployment.

The example cloud manager138ofFIG. 1interacts with the components of the system100(e.g., the application director106and the cloud provider110) to facilitate the management of the resources of the cloud provider110. The example cloud manager138includes a blueprint manager140to facilitate the creation and management of multi-machine blueprints and a resource manager144to reclaim unused cloud resources. The cloud manager138may additionally include other components for managing a cloud environment.

The example blueprint manager140of the illustrated example manages the creation of multi-machine blueprints that define the attributes of multiple virtual machines as a single group that can be provisioned, deployed, managed, etc. as a single unit. For example, a multi-machine blueprint may include definitions for multiple basic blueprints that make up a service (e.g., an e-commerce provider that includes web servers, application servers, and database servers). A basic blueprint is a definition of policies (e.g., hardware policies, security policies, network policies, etc.) for a single machine (e.g., a single virtual machine such as a web server virtual machine and/or container). Accordingly, the blueprint manager140facilitates more efficient management of multiple virtual machines and/or containers than manually managing (e.g., deploying) basic blueprints individually. Example management of multi-machine blueprints is described in further detail in conjunction withFIG. 2.

The example blueprint manager140ofFIG. 1additionally annotates basic blueprints and/or multi-machine blueprints to control how workflows associated with the basic blueprints and/or multi-machine blueprints are executed. As used herein, a workflow is a series of actions and decisions to be executed in a virtual computing platform. The example system100includes first and second distributed execution manager(s) (DEM(s))146A and146B to execute workflows. According to the illustrated example, the first DEM146A includes a first set of characteristics and is physically located at a first location148A. The second DEM146B includes a second set of characteristics and is physically located at a second location148B. The location and characteristics of a DEM may make that DEM more suitable for performing certain workflows. For example, a DEM may include hardware particularly suited for performance of certain tasks (e.g., high-end calculations), may be located in a desired area (e.g., for compliance with local laws that require certain operations to be physically performed within a country's boundaries), may specify a location or distance to other DEMS for selecting a nearby DEM (e.g., for reducing data transmission latency), etc. Thus, the example blueprint manager140annotates basic blueprints and/or multi-machine blueprints with capabilities that can be performed by a DEM that is labeled with the same or similar capabilities.

The resource manager144of the illustrated example facilitates recovery of cloud computing resources of the cloud provider110that are no longer being activity utilized. Automated reclamation may include identification, verification and/or reclamation of unused, underutilized, etc. resources to improve the efficiency of the running cloud infrastructure.

FIG. 2illustrates an example implementation of the blueprint126as a multi-machine blueprint generated by the example blueprint manager140ofFIG. 1. In the illustrated example ofFIG. 2, three example basic blueprints (a web server blueprint202, an application server blueprint204, and a database (DB) server blueprint206) have been created (e.g., by the topology generator120). For example, the web server blueprint202, the application server blueprint204, and the database server blueprint206may define the components of an e-commerce online store.

The example blueprint manager140provides a user interface for a user of the blueprint manager140(e.g., the administrator116, the developer118, etc.) to specify blueprints (e.g., basic blueprints and/or multi-machine blueprints) to be assigned to an instance of a multi-machine blueprint208. For example, the user interface may include a list of previously generated basic blueprints (e.g., the web server blueprint202, the application server blueprint204, the database server blueprint206, etc.) to allow selection of desired blueprints. The blueprint manager140combines the selected blueprints into the definition of the multi-machine blueprint208and stores information about the blueprints in a multi-machine blueprint record defining the multi-machine blueprint208. The blueprint manager140may additionally include a user interface to specify other characteristics corresponding to the multi-machine blueprint208. For example, a creator of the multi-machine blueprint208may specify a minimum number and a maximum number of each blueprint component of the multi-machine blueprint208that may be provisioned during provisioning of the multi-machine blueprint208.

Accordingly, any number of virtual machines (e.g., the virtual machines associated with the blueprints in the multi-machine blueprint208) and/or containers may be managed collectively. For example, the multiple virtual machines corresponding to the multi-machine blueprint208may be provisioned based on an instruction to provision the multi-machine blueprint208, may be power cycled by an instruction, may be shut down by an instruction, may be booted by an instruction, etc. As illustrated inFIG. 2, an instruction to provision the multi-machine blueprint208may result in the provisioning of a multi-machine service formed from one or more VMs114that includes virtualized web server(s)210A, virtualized application server(s)210B, and virtualized database server(s)210C. The number of virtual machines and/or containers provisioned for each blueprint may be specified during the provisioning of the multi-machine blueprint208(e.g., subject to the limits specified during creation or management of the multi-machine blueprint208).

The multi-machine blueprint208maintains the reference to the basic blueprints202,204,206. Accordingly, changes made to the blueprints (e.g., by a manager of the blueprints different than the manager of the multi-machine blueprint208) may be incorporated into future provisioning of the multi-machine blueprint208. Accordingly, an administrator maintaining the source blueprints (e.g., an administrator charged with managing the web server blueprint202) may change or update the source blueprint and the changes may be automatically propagated to the machines provisioned from the multi-machine blueprint208. For example, if an operating system update is applied to a disk image referenced by the web server blueprint202(e.g., a disk image embodying the primary disk of the web server blueprint202), the updated disk image is utilized when deploying the multi-machine blueprint. Additionally, the blueprints may specify that the machines210A,210B,210C of the multi-machine service210provisioned from the multi-machine blueprint208operate in different environments. For example, some components may be physical machines, some may be on-premise virtual machines, and some may be virtual machines at a cloud service.

Several multi-machine blueprints may be generated to provide one or more varied or customized services. For example, if virtual machines deployed in the various States of the United States require different settings, a multi-machine blueprint could be generated for each state. The multi-machine blueprints could reference the same build profile and/or disk image, but may include different settings specific to each state. For example, the deployment workflow may include an operation to set a locality setting of an operating system to identify a particular state in which a resource is physically located. Thus, a single disk image may be utilized for multiple multi-machine blueprints reducing the amount of storage space for storing disk images compared with storing a disk image for each customized setting.

FIG. 3Aillustrates an example installation of deployed appliances or virtual appliances (vAs) (e.g., VMs114and/or containers114a) and associated virtualized servers acting as hosts for deployment of component servers (e.g., Web server, application server, database server, etc.) for a customer. The vAs can be deployed as an automation tool, for example, used to deliver VMs and associated applications for on-premise automation and/or handling of external cloud resources (e.g., Microsoft Azure™, Amazon Web Services™, etc.).

As shown in the example ofFIG. 3A, an installation300includes a load balancer (LB)310to assign tasks and/or manage access among a plurality of vAs320,322,324. Each vA320-324is a deployed VM114and/or container114a. In this example, the vA320communicates with a plurality of component or host servers330,332,334,336which store components for execution by users (e.g., Web server210A with Web components, App server210B with application components, DB server210C with database components, etc.). As shown in the example ofFIG. 3A, component servers334,336can stem from component server330rather than or in addition to directly from the virtual appliance320, although the vA320can still communicate with such servers334,336. The LB310enables the multiple vAs320-324and multiple servers330-336to appear as one device to a user. Access to functionality can then be distributed among appliances320-324by the LB310and among servers330-336by the respective appliance320, for example. The LB310can use least response time, round-robin, and/or other method to balance traffic to vAs320-324and servers330-336, for example.

In the example installation300, each vA320,322,324includes a management endpoint340,342,344. Each component server330,332,334,336includes a management agent350,352,354,356. The management agents350-356can communicate with their respective endpoint340to facilitate transfer of data, execution of tasks, etc., for example.

In certain examples, management endpoints340,342,344share a data store, and any management agent350-356can connect to any management endpoint340,342,344to retrieve a task and/or associated data from the data store. Thus, management endpoints340,342,344are interconnected via the data store. In certain examples, a management endpoint340-342doubles as an agent350-356, allowing the endpoint340-344on a vA320-324to automate a task on another vA320-324. Additionally, in certain examples, each agent350-356maintains a pool of available endpoints340-344. If an endpoint340-344becomes unresponsive, the agent350-356can automatically switch to a different endpoint340-344, from which the agent350-356can retrieve execution tasks. Agents350-356connected via different endpoints340-344can initiate task execution from a plurality of vAs320-324, even if not currently connected to that vA320-324because, due to the connection between endpoints340-344, for example.

In certain examples, the management agents350-356synchronize component servers330-336with the vA320-324and facilitate host access and associated services (e.g., hostd, ntpd, sfcbd, slpd, wsman, vobd, etc.). The management agents350-356can communicate with their respective endpoint340to facilitate transfer of data, execution of tasks, etc., for example. The relationship between management endpoint340,342,344and associated management agents350,352,354,356can be used to deploy and install software on multiple component machines330,332,334,336. In certain examples, component servers330-336can be installed and/or managed even when the vA320-324and/or its endpoint340-344are physically restricted from accessing the server330-336and/or its agent350-356. The agent350-356polls the endpoint340-344for work items, so an inbound connection to the component server330-336can be absent, for example.

In certain examples, a graphical user interface associated with a front end of the load balancer310guides a customer through one or more questions to determine system requirements for the installation300. Once the customer has completed the questionnaire and provided firewall access to install the agents350-356, the agents350-356communicate with the endpoint340without customer involvement. Thus, for example, if a new employee needs a Microsoft Windows® machine, a manager selects an option (e.g., clicks a button, etc.) via the graphical user interface to install a VM114and/or container114athat is managed through the installation300. To the user, he or she is working on a single machine, but behind the scenes, the virtual appliance (vA)320is accessing different servers330-336depending upon what functionality is to be executed.

In certain examples agents350-356are deployed in a same data center as the endpoint340to which the agents350-356are associated. The deployment can include a plurality of agent servers330-336distributed worldwide, and the deployment can be scalable to accommodate additional server(s) with agent(s) to increase throughput and concurrency, for example.

In some examples, a management agent350is included in the virtual appliance320,322,324to facilitate execution of instructions at the virtual appliance320,322,324. For example, the example management endpoint340might instruct a management agent operated at the virtual appliance320to execute an instruction to update the management endpoint340. In some examples, the instructions that can be executed by a management agent operated at the virtual appliance320are different from the instructions that can be executed by a management agent operated at the component server330,332,334,336. For example, if the virtual appliance320were operated in a Linux environment and the component server330were operated in a Microsoft Windows® environment, the instructions supported by a management agent operated in each of those environments may be different (e.g., some of the instructions may be restricted and/or may not be available for execution on one or more of the systems).

FIG. 3Bis a block diagram representing an example arrangement380of the virtual appliance320ofFIG. 3Aoperating the management endpoint340, and the component server330ofFIG. 3Aoperating the management agent350. In the illustrated example ofFIG. 3B, both the vA320and the component server330ofFIG. 3Bare operated within the same deployment environment112. In the illustrated example ofFIG. 3B, the example vA320includes the management endpoint340and the repository134. In some examples, the repository134is implemented by another component of the deployment environment112that is separate from the vA320. The example component server330includes the management agent350and a PowerShell™ runtime environment389. The example PowerShell™ runtime environment389of the illustrated example ofFIG. 3Bis implemented by the Microsoft™ PowerShell™ framework. The PowerShell™ runtime environment389executes PowerShell™ scripts, commands, files, etc. at the direction of the management agent350. In the illustrated example ofFIG. 3B, the PowerShell™ runtime environment389is specific to implementations on component server(s)330,332,334that implement a Microsoft™ Windows™ Operating system. However, any other runtime environment and/or instruction execution system may additionally or alternatively be used. For example, the example PowerShell™ runtime environment389may be replaced by a script interpreter (e.g., a Perl interpreter, a Python interpreter, etc.).

While, in the illustrated example ofFIG. 3B, the management agent350interfaces with the PowerShell™ runtime environment389, not all instructions to be executed at the component server330are executed outside of the management agent350. In some examples, the management agent350may execute instructions internally without interfacing with the PowerShell™ runtime environment389(or some other external runtime environment). In some examples, functionality of the management agent350can be extended using a plug-in framework. That is, functionality can dynamically be added to the management agent350to enable new instructions to be executed internal to the management agent350, without requiring a new version of the management agent350to be deployed. For example, whereas a command issued by the management endpoint340to the management agent350requesting that the management agent350report the local time of the component server330might ordinarily cause the management agent350to interface with the PowerShell™ runtime environment389to retrieve the local system time, such functionality can be added to the management agent350(e.g., a function may be executed within the management agent350to retrieve the local system time). Thus, interfacing with the PowerShell™ runtime environment389might not be necessary. As a result, computational overhead involved with invoking external runtime environments (e.g., the PowerShell™ runtime environment389) is reduced.

In the illustrated example ofFIG. 3B, the example management agent350requests an indication of an instruction to be executed from the management endpoint340(line381). The management endpoint340provides the indication of the instruction to be executed to the management agent350(line382). In some examples, the indication of the instruction to be executed is formatted as a name of a command and parameters that are to be used when executing the command. However, the example indication of the instruction may be provided in any other format, such as an extensible markup language (XML) document, other configuration file, etc., that identifies, for example, a name of the instruction to be executed (e.g., “Get_Local_Time”, “perform_upgrade.ps1”, etc.), a location from which the instruction is to be retrieved, one or more parameter (e.g., command line parameters) that are to be used and/or specified when executing the instruction, an expected result of the instruction, and/or any other information to facilitate execution of the instruction at the component server330.

As used herein, a command is a collection of one or more instructions that can be executed internally with respect to the management agent350. While a command is executed internally with respect to the management agent350, in some examples, execution of the command (and/or instructions associated with the command) may invoke execution of instructions external to the management agent350(e.g., may invoke execution of a PowerShell™ script, an executable file, etc.).

The management agent350attempts to identify whether the command is known to the management agent350(e.g., the command can be implemented by a package that is currently loaded by the management agent350, or the command is implemented by a package that is stored locally and can be loaded by the management agent350, etc.) and, if the management agent350determines that the command is not known to the management agent350, the management agent350requests a package (line383) from the management endpoint340that, when loaded by the management agent350, enables the management agent350to execute the command named in the indication of the instruction to be executed. In the illustrated example ofFIG. 3B, the management endpoint340provides the package to the management agent350(line384). The management agent350then loads the package, and executes the command named in the indication of the instruction to be executed (which was enabled via the loading of the provided package). In some examples, the execution of the command named in the indication of the instruction causes the management agent350to interface with the PowerShell™ runtime environment389to execute other instructions (line388) (e.g., a PowerShell™ script, an executable file, etc.). In some examples, the other instructions are provided as part of the package. In some examples, the package is implemented using an archive file (e.g., a .zip file, a .rar file, etc.) that includes components to be executed (e.g., dynamically linked library (DLL) files, plugin files, binary executables, etc.) and a description file. The description file is formatted as an extensible markup language (XML) file and identifies commands that are supported by one or more of the components to be executed, for example.

FIG. 3Cis a block diagram representing an example alternative arrangement390of the virtual appliance ofFIG. 3Aoperating the management endpoint, and the component server ofFIG. 3Aoperating the management agent. In contrast to the example arrangement380ofFIG. 3B, the example arrangement390ofFIG. 3Cimplements the example repository134at a third party site399that is outside of the deployment environment112. In such an example, instead of the management endpoint340directly providing the package to the management agent350, the management endpoint340may provide a link to the package and/or other information identifying where the package can be retrieved (line394). The management agent350then requests the package from the repository134(line395), and receives a response including the package (line396). The management agent350then loads the package, and executes the command named in the indication of the instruction to be executed (which was enabled via the loading of the provided package).

In the illustrated example ofFIG. 3C, the repository134from which the management agent350retrieves the package is managed and/or operated by a third party organization (e.g., a professional service organization (PSO)) that manages and/or develops instructions (e.g., develops executable code, develops workflows, develops plugins, etc.). Such an approach enables an administrator of the deployment environment to easily work with third party software providers (e.g., consultants, PSOs, plugin providers, etc.) that create instructions (e.g., executable files, plugin files, etc.) that may be customized for the deployment environment112. In this manner, the administrator can simply direct the management endpoint340to cause the management agents350to retrieve the instructions from the repository134hosted at the third party site399by the third party organization, and execute those instructions. Such an approach alleviates storage needs within the deployment environment112. Such an approach also facilitates more rapid development and deployment of instructions, as instructions need not first be populated into a repository within the deployment environment112.

FIG. 4illustrates an example implementation of the vA320. In the example ofFIG. 4, the vA320includes a service provisioner410, an orchestrator420, an event broker430, an authentication provider440, an internal reverse proxy450, and a database460, as well as the management endpoint340. The components410,420,430,440,450,460of the vA320may be implemented by one or more of the VMs114. The example service provisioner410provides services to provision interfaces (e.g., Web interface, application interface, etc.) for the vA320. The example orchestrator (e.g., vCO)420is an embedded or internal orchestrator that can leverage a provisioning manager, such as the application director106and/or cloud manager138, to provision VM services but is embedded in the vA320. For example, the vCO420can be used to invoke a blueprint to provision a manager for services.

Example services can include catalog services, identity services, component registry services, event broker services, IaaS, XaaS, etc. Catalog services provide a user interface via which a user can request provisioning of different preset environments (e.g., a VM including an operating system and software and some customization, etc.), for example. Identity services facilitate authentication and authorization of users and assigned roles, for example. The component registry maintains information corresponding to installed and deployed services (e.g., uniform resource locators for services installed in a VM/vA, etc.), for example. The event broker provides a messaging broker for event-based communication, for example. The IaaS provisions one or more VMs and/or containers for a customer via the vA320. The XaaS can extend the provisioning to also request, approve, provision, operate, and decommission any type of catalog items (e.g., storage, applications, accounts, and anything else that the catalog provides as a service).

The example event broker430provides a mechanism to handle tasks which are transferred between services with the orchestrator420. The example authentication provider440(e.g., VMware Horizon™ services, etc.) authenticates access to services and data, for example. The authentication provider440can facilitate authentication and registration of certificate(s) to allow communication between the management endpoint340and one or more management agents350-356, for example. In certain examples, the authentication provider440includes a certificate validator445to validate and/or otherwise verify authenticity and applicability of a certificate to communication and/or service provisioning for the agent350-356and associated component sever330-336with respect to the vA320.

The components of the vA320access each other through REST API calls behind the internal reverse proxy450(e.g., a high availability (HA) proxy HAProxy) which provides a high availability load balancer and proxy for Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)- and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)-based application requests. In this example, the proxy450forwards communication traffic from within the vA320and/or between vAs320,322,324ofFIG. 3to the appropriate component(s) of the vA320. In certain examples, services access the local host/proxy450on a particular port, and the call is masked by the proxy450and forwarded to the particular component of the vA320. Since the call is masked by the proxy450, components can be adjusted within the vA320without impacting outside users.

FIG. 5is a block diagram representing an example implementation of the example management endpoint340of the example vA320ofFIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and/or4. The example management endpoint340ofFIG. 5includes an API interface505, a management agent interface510, a queue manager520, an instruction queue530, a result data store540, and a result interface550.

The example API interface505of the illustrated example ofFIG. 5implements a REST (Representational State Transfer) API (Application Programming Interface) that is responsive to requests received via the interface132. In some examples, the example API interface505handles incoming requests from the interface132and identifies an instruction stored in the instruction queue530to be executed by the management endpoint340and/or management agent350. The example API interface505responds to the request with an indication of the instruction to be executed. In some examples, the indication of the instruction to be executed is formatted as an extensible markup language (XML) document (e.g., a configuration file, and/or other document including instruction(s), information such as credential to authenticate and/or validate the agent350and/or endpoint340, etc.) that identifies, for example, a name of the instruction to be executed (e.g., “perform_upgrade.ps1”), a location from which the instruction is to be retrieved, one or more parameter (e.g., command line parameters, etc.) that are to be used and/or specified when executing the instruction, an expected result of the instruction, and/or any other information to facilitate execution of the instruction at the vA320, component server330, remote host, etc. Other type(s) and/or format(s) for the indication of the instruction to be executed may additionally or alternatively be used.

The example management agent interface510of the illustrated example ofFIG. 5also implements a REST API that is responsive to requests from the management agent350for indications of instructions in the instruction queue530. In some examples, the example management agent interface510handles incoming requests from management agent(s), and identifies an instruction stored in the instruction queue530to be executed by the management agent from which the request was received. The example management agent interface510responds to the request with an indication of the instruction to be executed. In some examples, the indication of the instruction to be executed is formatted as an extensible markup language (XML) document (e.g., a configuration file, and/or other document including instruction(s), information such as credential to authenticate and/or validate the agent350and/or endpoint340, etc.) that identifies, for example, a name of the instruction to be executed (e.g., “perform_upgrade.ps1”), a location from which the instruction is to be retrieved, one or more parameter (e.g., command line parameters, etc.) that are to be used and/or specified when executing the instruction, an expected result of the instruction, and/or any other information to facilitate execution of the instruction at the component server330. Other type(s) and/or format(s) for the indication of the instruction to be executed may additionally or alternatively be used.

As noted above, the example management agent interface510implements a REST API. However, any other approach to implementing the example management agent interface510may additionally or alternatively be used. In some examples, the management agent350periodically and/or aperiodically polls and/or otherwise requests instructions from the management agent interface510. The example management agent interface510responds to such requests with an indication of an instruction (if any) to be executed by the example management agent350. However, any other approach to informing the example management agent350may additionally or alternatively be used. For example, the example management agent interface510may provide an interface for the management agent350to subscribe to indications of instructions from the management endpoint340such that the management agent interface510contacts the management agent350to inform the management agent350of the instruction for execution. Such an approach may be implemented using a REST subscription interface. However, any other type of subscription interface may additionally or alternatively be used.

The example queue manager520of the illustrated example ofFIG. 5manages a queue of instructions to be executed by the example management agent350. In some examples, instructions are added to the queue at the request of an administrator. However, instructions may be added to the queue in response to any other event such as, a scheduled task, an error identified by a management agent, etc. In some examples, multiple queues are managed corresponding to multiple management agents that work in communication with the management endpoint340. Upon receipt of an indication of whether an instruction in the queue has been executed at a component server330, the example queue manager520removes the instruction from the instruction queue530associated with that component server330. However, in some examples, the instruction may remain in the queue, but be labeled with a status of the execution of the instruction. Thus, when a request is received for an instruction to be executed, a result of such query might be limited to only those instructions where execution has not already been attempted.

The example instruction queue530of the illustrated example ofFIG. 5stores indications of instructions to be executed at a component server330(e.g., at the direction of the management agent350of each component server330). In some examples, additional parameter(s) concerning the indication of the instructions are also stored in the instruction queue530such as, a name of the instruction to be executed (e.g., “perform_upgrade.ps1”), a location from which the instruction is to be retrieved, one or more parameters (e.g., command line parameters) that are to be used and/or specified when executing the instruction, an expected result of the instruction, an indication of one or more instructions to be executed and/or actions to be performed when a result of the execution of the instruction does not match the expected result, and/or any other information to facilitate execution of the instruction at the component server330. In some examples, the example instruction queue530may be any device for storing data such as, flash memory, magnetic media, optical media, etc. Furthermore, the data stored in the example instruction queue530may be in any data format such as, binary data, comma delimited data, tab delimited data, structured query language (SQL) structures, etc. While, in the illustrated example, the example instruction queue530is illustrated as a single database, the example instruction queue530may be implemented by any number and/or type(s) of databases.

The example result data store540of the illustrated example ofFIG. 5stores results of the execution of instructions by the management agents350. In some examples, the example result data store540may be any device for storing data such as, flash memory, magnetic media, optical media, etc. Furthermore, the data stored in the example result data store540may be in any data format such as, binary data, comma delimited data, tab delimited data, structured query language (SQL) structures, etc. While, in the illustrated example, the example result data store540is illustrated as a single database, the example result data store540may be implemented by any number and/or type(s) of databases.

The example result interface550of the illustrated example ofFIG. 5enables an administrator to review the results of the instruction execution(s) stored in the example result data stored540. In some examples, the example result interface550is implemented as a webpage. However, any other approach to implementing the result interface550may additionally or alternatively be used.

The example package provider560of the illustrated example ofFIG. 5responds to a request for a package received via the management agent interface510. In the illustrated example ofFIG. 5, the request for a package indicates a command that was identified to a management agent350for execution. The example package provider560searches the repository134for a package and/or other configuration file (e.g., xml file, etc.) that implements the identified command, and provides the identified package, a link to the package to the management agent350, or an error message indicating that the package could not be found, for example.

FIG. 6is a block diagram representing an example implementation of the example component server330of the illustrated example ofFIG. 3A. The example component server330includes the management agent350, an instruction executor610, and an instruction cache620. The example management agent350includes a management endpoint interface630, an instruction retriever640, an instruction validator650, an instruction executor interface660, a result cache670, a command cache675, and a command executor680.

The example instruction executor610of the illustrated example ofFIG. 6executes instructions stored in the instruction cache620at the request of the instruction executor interface660. The example instruction executor610is implemented by a command execution framework such as, for example the Microsoft™ PowerShell™ framework. However, any other type of command execution framework such as, a scripting interpreter framework (e.g., Perl, Python, etc.), an executable framework, an operating system kernel, etc., may additionally or alternatively be used.

In some examples, the example instruction executor610is separate from the management agent350. Since the instruction executor610is separate from the management agent350, the instruction executor610can execute instructions that affect the operation of the management agent350. For example, the instruction executor610may execute an instruction that causes the management agent350to become updated and/or upgraded. Such an upgrade and/or installation of the management agent350may involve uninstalling the management agent350having a first version and subsequently installing the management agent350having a second version. In some examples, the management agent350might alternatively be downgraded to address, for example, an issue encountered subsequent to a prior upgrade and/or installation. Enabling the management agent350to be updated and/or upgraded by the instruction executor610is beneficial because, through the use of distributed execution of such installations, upgrades can be completed in a more timely fashion as compared to manual installation of an upgrade. Thus, a plurality of (e.g., tens, hundreds, or thousands, etc.) of management agents350can rapidly be upgraded, rebooted, restarted, etc.

The example instruction cache620of the illustrated example ofFIG. 6is a local storage of the component server330. In some examples, the example instruction cache620is a directory within a file system hosted by the example component server330. However, in some examples, the example instruction cache620may be implemented by any type of file storage system. In some examples, the example instruction cache620may be remote from the component server330.

The example management endpoint interface630of the illustrated example ofFIG. 6transmits a request to the management endpoint340for an indication of an instruction to be executed at the component server330. In some examples, the request is formatted using a representational state transfer (REST) protocol. However, any other past, present, and/or future protocol and/or approach for requesting an indication of an instruction to be executed may additionally or alternatively be used. In some examples, the example management endpoint340responds to the request with an indication of the instruction to be executed. The example indication of the instruction to be executed is formatted as a command to be executed by the command executor680. However, any other type and/or format for the indication of the instruction to be executed may additionally or alternatively be used.

In some examples, the management endpoint interface630periodically polls and/or otherwise requests instructions from the management endpoint340. However, any other periodic and/or aperiodic approach to requesting an indication of an instruction from the management endpoint340may additionally or alternatively be used such as, polling the management endpoint340when resources of the component server330are idle, polling the management endpoint340in response to completion of execution of a prior instruction, etc. In some examples, the example management endpoint interface630may subscribe to indications of instructions from the management endpoint340such that the management endpoint340contacts the management endpoint interface630via the subscription connection to inform the management agent350of the instruction for execution. Such an approach may be implemented using a REST subscription interface. However, any other type of subscription interface may additionally or alternatively be used.

The example instruction retriever640of the illustrated example ofFIG. 6receives a command/instruction and determines whether command and/or instructions identified in the indication received from the management endpoint340are loaded in the command cache675and/or are stored in the instruction cache620and, if not, attempts to retrieve the instructions from the management endpoint. In some examples, the example instruction retriever640inspects plugins loaded in the command cache675for a plugin that can operate the command. In some examples, the example instruction retriever640inspects package files stored in the instruction cache620by, for example, inspecting a description file identifying the commands supported by each corresponding package file. In some examples, the example instruction retriever640retrieves the package from the repository134at the direction of the management endpoint340. That is, in some examples, when providing the indication of the instruction to be executed, the management endpoint340identifies the repository and/or another location where the package may be retrieved. In some examples, the indication of the instruction to be executed also identifies a version of the instruction and/or package (e.g., version 1.2, etc.) to be executed and/or loaded into the command cache675. In such an example, in addition to determining that the instruction and/or package is present in the instruction cache620, the example instruction retriever640verifies whether a specified version of the instruction and/or package is either loaded in the command cache675and/or is present in the instruction cache620. If the specified version is not loaded and/or present, the specified version of the instruction and/or package is either loaded into the command cache675or is retrieved from the repository134and loaded into the command cache675.

In some examples, the instruction/command and/or package (e.g., XML file, etc.) can be provided from the interface132as an API call or trigger (e.g., by a REST service, etc.). The interface132can provide access to one or more instructions and/or commands via the API, and instruction(s)/command(s) can be routed to the management agent350via the management endpoint interface630. The management agent350can execute the command and/or route the instruction/command to the component server330and/or vA320for execution, for example.

The example instruction executor interface660of the illustrated example ofFIG. 6interacts with the instruction executor610to cause the instruction executor610to execute the instructions stored in the instruction cache620(e.g., the file system of the component server330). In some examples, the instructions may be stored in the instruction cache620as a result of requesting the package from the management agent340. In some examples, the example instruction executor interface660provides input parameters to the instruction executor610specified in the indication of the instruction to be executed provided by the management endpoint340.

As noted above, the example instruction executor610is separate from the management agent350and/or the example instruction executor interface660. The example instruction executor610executes the instructions in a separate execution space from the instruction executor interface660and, more generally, the management agent350. As a result, at the direction of the instruction executor interface660, the instruction executor610can execute instructions that affect the operation of the management agent350.

The example instruction executor interface660of the illustrated example ofFIG. 6monitors an output of the instruction executor610. In some examples, the example instruction executor interface660monitors a standard output (e.g., a command line output) of the instruction executor610. However, any other approach to monitoring an output of the example instruction executor610may additionally or alternatively be used such as, a standard error interface, an event log, an output file, etc. The example instruction executor interface660passes the result of the execution of the instruction to the example command executor680, which may store the result in the example result cache670.

While enabling the management agent350to interact with an external instruction executor610allows a wide range of instructions to be executed, not all instructions are executed outside of the management agent350. In some examples, it is more computationally efficient to execute commands internal to the management agent350. For example, instructions may be loaded into the command cache675for execution by the command executor680. By loading instructions into the command cache675, the command cache675and/or the command executor680can implement an API to provide access to commands and/or instructions without requiring a user login, secure shell (SSH) login, internal system access, etc. Instead, the command is surfaced via the API for selection and/or other trigger via a command line interface, graphical interface, automated script, etc.

The example command cache675of the illustrated example ofFIG. 6is implemented by a memory space utilized by the management agent350. In some examples, a portion of a package (e.g., one or more dynamically linked libraries (DLLs), etc.) is loaded into the command cache675from the instruction cache620such that commands and/or functions provided by the portion of the package can be executed by the command executor680. In some examples, the example instruction retriever640inspects the command cache675to determine whether a command identified for execution by the management agent350is loaded.

The example command executor680executes commands and/or instructions loaded in the command cache675at the direction of the management endpoint interface630. In some examples, execution of the commands and/or instructions loaded in the command cache675involves communicating with the instruction executor interface660to interface with the instruction executor610. That is, in some examples, the commands and/or instructions loaded in the command cache675may invoke some instructions to be executed by an execution framework outside of the management agent350. In the illustrated example ofFIG. 6, the example command executor680stores results of the execution of the commands and/or instructions loaded in the command cache675and/or the instructions executed by the instruction executor610in the result cache670.

The example result cache670of the illustrated example ofFIG. 6stores execution results collected by the command executor and/or instruction executor interface660. Results stored in the example result cache670may be cleared (e.g., deleted and/or otherwise removed) from the result cache670when the example management endpoint interface630transmits the results stored in the result cache670to the management endpoint340. In some examples, the example result cache670may be any device for storing data such as, flash memory, magnetic media, optical media, etc. Furthermore, the data stored in the example result cache670may be in any data format such as, binary data, comma delimited data, tab delimited data, structured query language (SQL) structures, etc. While, in the illustrated example, the example result cache670is illustrated as a single database, the example result cache670may be implemented by any number and/or type(s) of databases.

Example Infrastructure Installation and/or Configuration

In certain examples, a cloud computing (e.g., vCAC™ vRA™ etc.) deployment includes one or more vAs320-324and one or more component servers330-336(e.g., Microsoft Windows™ machines, etc.) on which are installed components (e.g., software such as Web services, application services, database services, etc.) that form the IaaS portion of the product. In a distributed and/or high availability deployment, a plurality of component servers330-336form the installed product, and having to install the IaaS components manually on all of the component servers330-336is a time-consuming process, involving, among other things, multiple context switches and many opportunities for user misconfiguration of the deployed system. For example, manual installation involves installing components on an appliance, downloading an installer, and then visit each server to install the components manually using the installer. However, if a component is deployed out of order, the installation may not function. Additionally, data entry is required for each manual installation, and mis-typing of the manual data entry can invalidate the entire installation. Further, such a mistake may not be realized until the erroneous installation is deployed, resulting in lost time, money, errors, and inoperable systems. Simplification and automation of this process reduces the time needed and errors involved in setting up a new instance of the cloud computing system.

In certain examples, rather than requiring customers to manually install an IaaS component on each server330-336, installation can be facilitated by a command (e.g., a command API executed by the management endpoint340, management agent350, and/or a PowerShell command executed on the vA320, a remote server, etc.) without requiring a SSH login, internal system access, etc.

FIG. 7illustrates an alternate view of the example virtual machine installation300. As shown in the example ofFIG. 7, the interface132includes an application programming interface (API)710, which communicates with the management endpoint340of the virtual appliance320. The API710receives a request from a user, program, system, etc., via the interface132. The API710routes a trigger, request, or other selection of a command/instruction to the management endpoint340of the vA320for internal execution via the deployment environment112. The API710trigger can be packaged as an execution task for the ME340, for example. The ME340receives the execution task from the interface132via the API710and processes the execution task to determine how a command/instruction associated with the API execution task is to be processed. For example, the command and/or other instruction may be processed by the MA350and/or its component server330. Alternatively, the command/instruction may be processed by a remote host720. For example, a command to collect logs is executed by the MA350to collect logs from associated component server(s)330-336. A command to change user password, however, reaches the ME340, and the password change occurs on the associated vA320, for example. The ME340routes the command/instruction extracted from the execution task to the MA350and/or remote host720based on the parsing the execution task by the ME340. The MA350/vA320and/or the remote host720then executes the command/instruction and returns an execution status and/or execution result to the result database540, for example.

For example, the remote host720includes an interface722to receive the command/instruction from the ME340and a processor724to process the command for execution and/or to trigger execution using one or more connected components. The remote host720includes a memory726to store an outcome and/or other output of the command execution. The remote host720can provide an execution status update to the ME340using the memory726and the interface722after the command has been executed and/or triggered for execution using the processor724, for example.

FIG. 8illustrates an example configuration file800accessible via the API710codifying an execution task for the virtual installation300(e.g., the ME340, MA350, remote host720, etc.). For example, the execution task can be represented as the configuration file800(e.g., XML, Javascript, etc.) that defines one or more commands to be exposed and executed via the API710. The configuration or definition file/script800includes a command name810and a definition of expected input(s)820for the command810. Some input(s) can be hidden from the end user via the configuration file800and API710, and default value(s) for input(s)820can be provided in the configuration file800, for example. In certain examples, the configuration file800can include a definition of expected output(s)830from execution of the command810(if applicable). The configuration file800can also allow an identifier840associated with a particular component (e.g., component server(s)330-336, remote host720, other cloud infrastructure component, etc.) to be specified for routing, triggering, and/or execution of the command810, for example. The API710surfaces or provides access to the configuration file800via the interface132, and an external actor such as a user, program, system, etc., can select and/or otherwise trigger execution of the configuration file800to initiate internal execution of the associated command810via the ME340, for example.

FIG. 9illustrates an example data flow diagram showing an exchange900of commands and information between the interface132(and its API710), the vA320(and its ME340), the component server330(and its MA350), and the remote host720to provide an API of commands to external user(s), program(s), and/or system(s) to execute functionality internal to the system300. At902, one or more commands are surfaced from the ME340as an API710via the interface132(e.g., a user interface, a system interface, a program communication interface, etc.). For example, one or more commands that execute internal to the system300(e.g., by the vA320and/or its management endpoint340and/or by the component server330and/or its management agent350, by remote host720via the management endpoint340, etc.) can be made available (e.g., “surfaced”) to an external user, program, system, etc., by packaging the command(s) using a REST service and/or other service via the API710accessible via the interface132. Commands include validation, installation (e.g., database, manager, agent, certificate, etc.), configuration, prerequisite check, cluster, health check, update (e.g., agent, server, vA, IaaS, etc.), certificate import, etc., for example.

At904, the API710is triggered via the interface132. For example, a user, program, and/or system selects a command for execution via the API710made available via the interface132. The API710allows the selection to be packaged as an execution task to trigger underlying functionality in the system300. The trigger can include an XML file, Javascript, etc., formulated as an execution task for the ME340.

For example, the execution task can be a configuration file (e.g., XML, Javascript, etc.), such as the configuration file800, and/or other wrapper that defines one or more commands to be exposed and executed via the API710. Selecting the configuration file800associated with a desired command (e.g., via a graphical user interface, command line interface, etc.) triggers relay of the file800and its parameters to the ME340and subsequent execution of the associated command. For example, as described above with respect toFIG. 8, the configuration or definition file/script800includes a command name810and a definition820of expected input(s) for the command. Some input(s) can be hidden from the end user via the configuration file800and API710, and default value(s) for input(s)820can be provided in the configuration file800, for example. In certain examples, the configuration file800can include a definition830of expected output(s) from execution of the command (if applicable). The configuration file800can also include an identifier840associated with a particular component (e.g., a node identifier representing a component server(s)330-336, remote host720, other cloud infrastructure component, etc.) to be specified for routing, triggering, and/or execution of the command, for example.

At906, the API710provides an execution identifier associated with the triggered execution task. The identifier can allow the requester (e.g., the system, program, user, etc.) to track execution of the selected command. Since the execution occurs internal to the system300and apart from the requester's interaction with the API710, the execution identifier allows the requester to inquire as to the status of the execution task.

The ME340receives the execution task from the interface132, and at908, the ME340parses the execution task to identify one or more commands and associated component(s) to trigger/execute the command(s). For example, the ME340analyzes the command(s) encoded in the execution task configuration file800to determine what component(s) is/are to trigger and/or execute the command. For example, a command can be identified by the ME340as a command to be executed by the MA350(and its vA320) based on the command name810, expected input820, expected output830, and/or component identifier840from the configuration file800. A command can be identified by the ME340as a command to be triggered and/or otherwise executed by the remote host720based on the command name810, expected input820, expected output830, and/or component identifier840from the configuration file800, for example. The management endpoint340can determine which component(s) (e.g., management agent350, remote host720, etc.) are to trigger/execute a command by comparing the command name810to a list, set, or database of commands associated with system components/processing functionality, evaluating expected input(s)820and/or output(s)830associated with the command, examining the component identifier840, extracting other definition from the configuration file800representing the execution task, etc.

At910, when the command received via the execution task is a command to be routed to the MA350, the management endpoint340routes the command for execution by the MA350and/or its component server330. For example, the command can be sent to and stored in the example command cache675of the MA350or the instruction cache620of the component server330. At912, the command is executed by the MA350/component server330. For example, a logging command can be executed by the MA350to collect logs from associated server(s)330.

At914, when the command received via the execution task is a command to be routed to the remote host720, the management endpoint340routes the command to be triggered and/or otherwise executed by the remote host720, such as a password/authentication server, hypervisor, other remote workstation or server, etc. At916, the command is executed and/or triggered for execution by the remote host720. For example, the remote host720executes a change password command to change a user password at the remote host720.

At918, the MA350provides a status update regarding command execution to the ME340. For example, the vA320executes a validation, installation (e.g., database, manager, agent, certificate, etc.), configuration, prerequisite check, cluster, health check, update (e.g., agent, server, vA, IaaS, etc.), certificate import, and/or other command and provides the ME340with an indication that the command has completed its execution, is currently being executed by the vA320, was unable to execute, etc. Execution of the command occurs without visibility to the requester, and the MA350provides the execution status to the ME340.

At920, the remote host720provides a status update regarding command execution to the ME340. For example, the remote host720executes a password change, authentication, installation, configuration, and/or other command and provides the ME340with an indication that the command has completed its execution, is currently being executed by the remote host720, was unable to execute, etc. Execution of the command occurs without visibility to the requester, and the remote host720provides the execution status to the ME340.

At922, the ME340provides a status update regarding command execution to the interface132. Thus, the API710can be leveraged to output a command execution status to inform the user, program, system, etc., regarding execution of the command triggered by the API710via the interface132, for example. The execution status can be associated with the execution identifier so that the requester can be notified of application execution status via the API710and the interface132, for example. In certain examples, the API710provides a status retrieval API which uses the execution identifier to determine and return an execution status or state (e.g., in progress, completed, failed, etc.). In some example, the status retrieval API may also return details regarding the execution state (e.g., output, component identification840, comparison to expected output830, etc.).

While example implementations of the example cloud computing system100and virtual machine installation300are illustrated inFIGS. 1-9, one or more of the elements, processes and/or devices illustrated inFIGS. 1-9may be combined, divided, re-arranged, omitted, eliminated and/or implemented in any other way. Further, the example application director106, example cloud provider110, example interface132, example cloud manager138, example distributed execution managers146A,146B, example multi-machine service210, example load balancer310, example virtual appliances320-324, example component servers330-336, example management endpoints340-344, example management agents350-356, example API710, example remote host720, and/or, more generally, the example systems100and/or300ofFIGS. 1-9can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware and/or any combination of hardware, software and/or firmware. Thus, for example, any of the example application director106, example cloud provider110, example interface132, example cloud manager138, example distributed execution managers146A,146B, example multi-machine service210, example load balancer310, example virtual appliances320-324, example component servers330-336, example management endpoints340-344, example management agents350-356, example API710, example remote host720, and/or, more generally, the example systems100and/or300ofFIGS. 1-9can be implemented by one or more analog or digital circuit(s), logic circuits, programmable processor(s), application specific integrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)) and/or field programmable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)). When reading any of the apparatus or system claims of this patent to cover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least one of the example application director106, example cloud provider110, example interface132, example cloud manager138, example distributed execution managers146A,146B, example multi-machine service210, example load balancer310, example virtual appliances320-324, example component servers330-336, example management endpoints340-344, example management agents350-356, example API710, example remote host720, and/or, more generally, the example systems100and/or300ofFIGS. 1-9is/are hereby expressly defined to include a tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk such as a memory, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a compact disk (CD), a Blu-ray disk, etc. storing the software and/or firmware. Further still, the example application director106, example cloud provider110, example interface132, example cloud manager138, example distributed execution managers146A,146B, example multi-machine service210, example load balancer310, example virtual appliances320-324, example component servers330-336, example management endpoints340-344, example management agents350-356, example API710, example remote host720, and/or, more generally, the example systems100and/or300ofFIGS. 1-9may include one or more elements, processes and/or devices in addition to, or instead of, those illustrated inFIGS. 1-9, and/or may include more than one of any or all of the illustrated elements, processes and devices.

Flowcharts representative of example machine readable instructions that may be executed to deploy and manage the example application director106, example cloud provider110, example interface132, example cloud manager138, example distributed execution managers146A,146B, example multi-machine service210, example load balancer310, example virtual appliances320-324, example component servers330-336, example management endpoints340-344, example management agents350-356, example API710, example remote host720, and/or, more generally, the example systems100and/or300ofFIGS. 1-9are shown inFIGS. 10-12. In these examples, the machine readable instructions implement programs for execution by a processor such as the processor1312shown in the example processor platform1300discussed below in connection withFIG. 13. The programs may be embodied in software stored on a tangible computer readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a floppy disk, a hard drive, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray disk, or a memory associated with the processor1312, but the entire program and/or parts thereof could alternatively be executed by a device other than the processor1312and/or embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware. Further, although the example programs are described with reference to the flowcharts illustrated inFIGS. 10-12, many other methods of deploying, managing, and updating workload domains in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure may alternatively be used. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be changed, and/or some of the blocks described may be changed, eliminated, or combined.

FIG. 10depicts a flowchart representative of computer readable instructions that may be executed to implement the example infrastructure installation300. An example program1000is illustrated inFIG. 10. Initially, at block1002, an internal system command is masked using an application programming interface (API)710. For example, a system command such as a validation, installation (e.g., database, manager, agent, certificate, etc.), configuration, prerequisite check, cluster, health check, update (e.g., agent, server, vA, IaaS, etc.), certificate import, PowerShell™ command, and/or other command is hidden or masked behind the API710. Thus, a requestor (e.g., a user, a program, a computing system, etc.) can interact with functionality of the installation300(e.g., the ME340/vA320, the MA350/component server330, remote host720, etc.) without having access (e.g., via SSH or gateway, etc.) to internals of the system300.

At block1004, an API trigger is received. For example, the API710is triggered via the interface132by a user, program, and/or system. The API710allows the selection to be packaged as an execution task or wrapper to trigger underlying functionality in the system300. The trigger can include an XML file, Javascript, and/or other configuration file/script, etc., formulated as an execution task for the ME340. The API trigger can include an identification of a component to execute the command (e.g., a node identifier (ID), etc.), for example.

At block1006, the command associated with the API trigger is executed. For example, one or more components of the installation300, such as the ME340, MA350, remote host720, etc., execute, trigger the execution, and/or assist in the execution of the command(s). For example, installing component server(s)330, configuring virtual appliance(s)320, configuring hypervisors, logging errors, etc., can be executed by the virtual machine installation300and opaque to the requester that triggered the command via the API710of the interface132.

At block1008, an execution status is reported via the API710. For example, a status retrieval API710can be called to provide an indication of command execution status, such as an acknowledgement, success/failure, output/outcome, etc. The execution status can be provided via the interface132using the API710, for example.

FIG. 11illustrates an example implementation of masking an internal system command with an API at block1002of the example flow diagram ofFIG. 10. At block1102, a command is identified as a command to be made available externally. For example, a PowerShell™ command, vA320command, component server330command, remote host720command, etc., is identified as a command to be made available to an external requester outside the system300(e.g., a user, a computer program, a computer system, etc.).

At block1104, expected input(s) are determined for the command. For example, one or more parameters and/or other input(s) such as source, target, node ID, username, password, encryption key, database identifier, instruction, server, etc., can be provided as part of the API710with the command. In some examples, some input(s) for a command are visible to a requester via the API710and other input(s) are associated with the command but hidden or masked from external view via the API710. Default values can be set for visible and/or hidden inputs, for example.

In certain examples, at block1106, a component of the installation300can be associated with execution of the command. For example, a node and/or other machine ID can be associated with the command as the component of the system300to be used in executing the command when triggered by the API710. In other examples, a system component can be dynamically determined for execution at runtime based on available resources, input parameters, etc.

At block1108, a configuration file associated with eth command is generated for the API710. For example, the command and its input(s) and/or associated component(s) can be formulated as an execution task such as the configuration file800(e.g., XML, Javascript, etc.) and/or other wrapper that defines one or more commands to be exposed and executed via the API710. Selecting the configuration file800associated with a desired command (e.g., via a graphical user interface, command line interface, etc.) triggers relay of the file800and its parameters to the ME340and subsequent execution of the associated command. For example, as described above with respect toFIG. 8, the configuration or definition file/script800includes a command name810and a definition820of expected input(s) for the command. Some input(s) can be hidden from the end user via the configuration file800and API710, and default value(s) for input(s)820can be provided in the configuration file800, for example. In certain examples, the configuration file800can include a definition830of expected output(s) from execution of the command (if applicable). The configuration file800can also include an identifier840associated with a particular component (e.g., a node identifier representing a component server(s)330-336, remote host720, other cloud infrastructure component, etc.) to be specified for routing, triggering, and/or execution of the command, for example.

At block1110, the representation of the command is surfaced or exposed as part of the API710to an external actor. For example, the configuration file800for the command is surfaced or exposed as part of the API710available to an external requester via the interface132.

FIG. 12illustrates an example implementation internally executing an associated command at block1006of the example flow diagram ofFIG. 10. At block1202, an execution task is received at the management endpoint340. For example, selection of the configuration file800for a command via the API710and the interface132triggers an execution task received at the ME340. At block1204, an execution identifier is assigned to the execution task. For example, the ME340assigns an execution identifier to the execution task so that the execution of associated command(s) can be tracked.

At block1206, the execution task is parsed to identify the command and associated information. For example, the ME340receives the execution task from the interface132and parses the execution task to identify one or more commands and associated component(s) to trigger/execute the command(s).

At block1208, a component to be used to trigger and/or execute the command is determined. For example, the ME340analyzes the command(s) encoded in the execution task configuration file800to determine what component(s) is/are to trigger and/or execute the command. For example, a command can be identified by the ME340as a command to be executed by the MA350(and its vA320) based on the command name810, expected input820, expected output830, and/or component identifier840from the configuration file800. A command can be identified by the ME340as a command to be triggered and/or otherwise executed by the remote host720based on the command name810, expected input820, expected output830, and/or component identifier840from the configuration file800, for example. The management endpoint340can determine which component(s) (e.g., management agent350, remote host720, etc.) are to trigger/execute a command by comparing the command name810to a list, set, or database of commands associated with system components/processing functionality, evaluating expected input(s)820and/or output(s)830associated with the command, examining the component identifier840, extracting other definition from the configuration file800representing the execution task, etc.

If the command is to be executed/triggered by the MA350, then the command (and associated information) is routed to the MA350. At block1210, the command is executed by the MA350. For example, a logging command is executed by the MA350to collect logs from one or more associated component servers330-336at the MA350. At block1212, the MA350determines a status of the executed/executing command. For example, the MA350determines that command execution has been triggered, has been completed, is ongoing, has failed, was successful, was relayed to another component, etc. At block1214, the execution status is relayed to the ME340.

If the command is to be executed/triggered by the remote host720, then the command (and associated information) is routed to the remote host720. At block1216, the command is executed by the remote host720. For example, a password change command is executed by the remote host720to change a user and/or system password, a hypervisor configuration command is executed to configure the remote host720as a hypervisor, etc. At block1218, the remote host720determines a status of the executed/executing command. For example, the remote host720determines that command execution has been triggered, has been completed, is ongoing, has failed, was successful, was relayed to another component, etc. At block1220, the execution status is relayed to the ME340.

FIG. 13is a block diagram of an example processor platform1300capable of executing the instructions ofFIGS. 10-12to implement the example systems, operation, and management ofFIGS. 1-9including at least the example vA320. The processor platform1300of the illustrated example includes a processor1312. The processor1312of the illustrated example is hardware. For example, the processor1312can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, microprocessors or controllers from any desired family or manufacturer.

The processor1312of the illustrated example includes a local memory1313(e.g., a cache), and executes instructions to implement the example systems100,300or portions thereof, such as the vA320-324and associated management endpoint340-344. The processor1312of the illustrated example is in communication with a main memory including a volatile memory1314and a non-volatile memory1316via a bus1318. The volatile memory1314may be implemented by Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), RAMBUS Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM) and/or any other type of random access memory device. The non-volatile memory1316may be implemented by flash memory and/or any other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory1314,1316is controlled by a memory controller.

The processor platform1300of the illustrated example also includes an interface circuit1320. The interface circuit1320may be implemented by any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, a universal serial bus (USB), and/or a PCI express interface.

The processor platform1300of the illustrated example also includes one or more mass storage devices1328for storing software and/or data. Examples of such mass storage devices1328include flash devices, floppy disk drives, hard drive disks, optical compact disk (CD) drives, optical Blu-ray disk drives, RAID systems, and optical digital versatile disk (DVD) drives.

Coded instructions1332representative of the example machine readable instructions ofFIGS. 10-12may be stored in the mass storage device1328, in the volatile memory1314, in the non-volatile memory1316, and/or on a removable tangible computer readable storage medium such as a CD or DVD.

In certain examples, the processor1312can be used to implement the virtual appliance320(and vAs322-324) and associated components including the component server330(and servers332-336) and their components including the service provisioner410, orchestrator420, event broker430, authentication provider440, proxy450, and management endpoint340, etc.

FIG. 14is a block diagram of an example processor platform1400capable of executing the instructions ofFIGS. 10-12to implement the example systems, operation, and management ofFIGS. 1-9including at least the example component server330. The processor platform1400of the illustrated example includes a processor1412. The processor1412of the illustrated example is hardware. For example, the processor1412can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, microprocessors or controllers from any desired family or manufacturer.

The processor1412of the illustrated example includes a local memory1413(e.g., a cache), and executes instructions to implement the example systems100,300or portions thereof, such as the component server330-336and associated management agent350-356. The processor1412of the illustrated example is in communication with a main memory including a volatile memory1414and a non-volatile memory1416via a bus1418. The volatile memory1414may be implemented by Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), RAMBUS Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM) and/or any other type of random access memory device. The non-volatile memory1416may be implemented by flash memory and/or any other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory1414,1416is controlled by a memory controller.

The processor platform1400of the illustrated example also includes an interface circuit1420. The interface circuit1420may be implemented by any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, a universal serial bus (USB), and/or a PCI express interface.

The processor platform1400of the illustrated example also includes one or more mass storage devices1428for storing software and/or data. Examples of such mass storage devices1428include flash devices, floppy disk drives, hard drive disks, optical compact disk (CD) drives, optical Blu-ray disk drives, RAID systems, and optical digital versatile disk (DVD) drives.

Coded instructions1432representative of the example machine readable instructions ofFIGS. 10-12may be stored in the mass storage device1428, in the volatile memory1414, in the non-volatile memory1416, and/or on a removable tangible computer readable storage medium such as a CD or DVD.

In certain examples, the processor1412can be used to implement the virtual appliance320(and vAs322-324) and included components such as the management agent350, instruction executor610, instruction cache620, etc.

FIG. 15is a block diagram of an example processor platform1500capable of executing the instructions ofFIGS. 10-12to implement the example systems, operation, and management ofFIGS. 1-9including at least the example remote host720. The processor platform1500of the illustrated example includes a processor1512. The processor1512of the illustrated example is hardware. For example, the processor1512can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, microprocessors or controllers from any desired family or manufacturer.

The processor1512of the illustrated example includes a local memory1513(e.g., a cache), and executes instructions to implement the example systems100,300or portions thereof, such as the remote host720. The processor1512of the illustrated example is in communication with a main memory including a volatile memory1514and a non-volatile memory1516via a bus1518. The volatile memory1514may be implemented by Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), RAMBUS Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM) and/or any other type of random access memory device. The non-volatile memory1516may be implemented by flash memory and/or any other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory1514,1516is controlled by a memory controller.

The processor platform1500of the illustrated example also includes an interface circuit1520. The interface circuit1520may be implemented by any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, a universal serial bus (USB), and/or a PCI express interface.

In the illustrated example, one or more input devices1522are connected to the interface circuit1520. The input device(s)1522permit(s) a user to enter data and commands into the processor1512. The input device(s) can be implemented by, for example, an audio sensor, a microphone, a keyboard, a button, a mouse, a touchscreen, a track-pad, a trackball, isopoint and/or a voice recognition system.

The processor platform1500of the illustrated example also includes one or more mass storage devices1528for storing software and/or data. Examples of such mass storage devices1528include flash devices, floppy disk drives, hard drive disks, optical compact disk (CD) drives, optical Blu-ray disk drives, RAID systems, and optical digital versatile disk (DVD) drives.

Coded instructions1532representative of the example machine readable instructions ofFIGS. 10-12may be stored in the mass storage device1528, in the volatile memory1514, in the non-volatile memory1516, and/or on a removable tangible computer readable storage medium such as a CD or DVD.

In certain examples, the processor1512can be used to implement the remote host720and included components such as the interface722, processor724, memory726, etc.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the above disclosed methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture facilitate installation of a virtual appliance and associated component servers as an IaaS in a distributed environment such as a cloud computing environment and management of agents in the distributed environment. Examples disclosed herein facilitate self-evaluation and installation of servers and agents without further user intervention or cloud oversight.

As described above, rather than exposing internal functionality of a cloud computing platform or permitting secure shell access to the platform, certain examples facilitate execution of computing platform functionality via an API and associated configuration files. The configuration files represent commands and allow a requester to trigger execution of such commands via the API. Configuration information, status information, etc., can be returned for a triggered command via the API. Thus, external actors can request component functionality in the cloud computing platform without having full access to the platform itself. Certain examples expose specific internal functionalities (even some that were not designed to be available externally) via the API and allow the platform to control which parts of a command are being exposed. Certain examples allow execution of commands without providing root access to the internal computing infrastructure.

Certain examples include an apparatus including a first virtual appliance including a management endpoint to coordinate task execution in a computing platform and a computing infrastructure interface including a programming interface. The example programming interface is to expose a subset of commands for the computing platform and to hide a remainder of the commands of the computing platform from a requester. The example requester is to execute a first command from the subset of commands via the programming interface. The example management endpoint is to parse a first execution task generated from selection of the first command via the programming interface to determine a component of the computing platform to execute the first command associated with the first execution task and to route the first command from the first execution task to the component for execution.

Certain examples include a computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least receive a programming interface trigger for first execution task associated with a first command at a management endpoint, the programming interface to expose a subset of commands for a computing platform and to hide a remainder of the commands of the computing platform from a requester, the requester to execute the first command from the subset of commands via the programming interface. The example instructions, when executed, also cause the machine to at least parse, using the management endpoint, the first execution task to determine a component of the computing platform to execute the first command associated with the first execution task. The example instructions, when executed, also cause the machine to at least route the first command from the first execution task to the component for execution.

Certain examples include a method including receiving, at a management endpoint, a programming interface trigger for first execution task associated with a first command, the programming interface to expose a subset of commands for a computing platform and to hide a remainder of the commands of the computing platform from a requester, the requester to execute the first command from the subset of commands via the programming interface. The example method includes parsing, using the management endpoint, the first execution task to determine a component of the computing platform to execute the first command associated with the first execution task. The example method includes routing the first command from the first execution task to the component for execution.