PATENT ABSTRACT
A method, computer program product, and data processing system for constructing a self-managing distributed computing system comprised of “autonomic elements” is disclosed. An autonomic element provides a set of services, and may provide them to other autonomic elements. Relationships between autonomic elements include the providing and consuming of such services. These relationships are “late bound,” in the sense that they can be made during the operation of the system rather than when parts of the system are implemented or deployed. They are dynamic, in the sense that relationships can begin, end, and change over time. They are negotiated, in the sense that they are arrived at by a process of mutual communication between the elements that establish the relationship.

PATENT DESCRIPTION
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    The present invention is related to the following applications entitled: “Method and Apparatus for Publishing and Monitoring Entities Providing Services in a Distributed Data Processing System”, Ser. No. ______, attorney docket no. YOR920020173US1; “Method and Apparatus for Automatic Updating and Testing of Software”, Ser. No. ______, attorney docket no. YOR920020174US1; “Composition Service for Autonomic Computing”, Ser. No. ______, attorney docket no. YOR920020176US1; and “Adaptive Problem Determination and Recovery in a Computer System”, Ser. No. ______, attorney docket no. YOR920020194US1; all filed even date hereof, assigned to the same assignee, and incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Technical Field  
           [0003]    The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for managing hardware and software components. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for automatically identifying and self-managing hardware and software components to achieve functionality requirements.  
           [0004]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0005]    Modern computing technology has resulted in immensely complicated and ever-changing environments. One such environment is the Internet, which is also referred to as an “internetwork.” The Internet is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from a protocol of the sending network to a protocol used by the receiving network. When capitalized, the term “Internet” refers to the collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols. Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring data over the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, also called simply “the Web”. Other Internet resources exist for transferring information, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but have not achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transaction using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files (e.g., text, still graphic images, audio, motion video, etc.). The information in various data files is formatted for presentation to a user by a standard page description language, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). The Internet also is widely used to transfer applications to users using browsers. Often times, users of may search for and obtain software packages through the Internet.  
           [0006]    Other types of complex network data processing systems include those created for facilitating work in large corporations. In many cases, these networks may span across regions in various worldwide locations. These complex networks also may use the Internet as part of a virtual product network for conducting business. These networks are further complicated by the need to manage and update software used within the network.  
           [0007]    As software evolves to become increasingly ‘autonomic’, the task of managing hardware and software will, more and more, be performed by the computers themselves, as opposed to being performed by administrators. The current mechanisms for managing computer systems are moving towards an “autonomic” process, wherein computer systems are self-configuring, self-optimizing, self-protecting, and self-healing. For example, many operating systems and software packages will automatically look for particular software components based on user-specified requirements. These installation and update mechanisms often connect to the Internet at a preselected location to see whether an update or a needed component is present. If the update or other component is present, the message is presented to the user in which the message asks the user whether to download and install the component. An example of such a system is the package management program “dselect” that is part of the open-source Debian GNU/Linux operating system. Some virus checking programs run in the background (as a “daemon” process, to use Unix parlance) and can automatically detect viruses, remove them, and repair damage.  
           [0008]    A next step towards “autonomic” computing involves identifying, installing, and managing necessary hardware and software components without requiring user intervention. Thus, a need exists in the art for more automated processes for identifying, installing, configuring and managing hardware and software components.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The present invention is directed toward a method, computer program product, and data processing system for constructing a self-managing distributed computing system comprised of “autonomic elements.” An autonomic element provides a set of services, and may provide them to other autonomic elements. Relationships between autonomic elements include the providing and consuming of such services. These relationships are “late bound,” in the sense that they can be made during the operation of the system rather than when parts of the system are implemented or deployed. They are dynamic, in the sense that relationships can begin, end, and change over time. They are negotiated, in the sense that they are arrived at by a process of mutual communication between the elements that establish the relationship. Policies, including constraints and preferences, may be specified to an autonomic element. Any relationship established by an autonomic element must be consistent with the policy of that autonomic element. During the course of a relationship, an autonomic element must attempt to adjust its behavior to be consistent with the policy.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a diagram of a networked data processing system in which the present invention may be implemented;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a server system within the networked data processing system of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a client system within the networked data processing system of FIG. 1;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a diagram of an autonomic element in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a diagram a mechanism for establishing service-providing relationships between autonomic elements in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a diagram providing a legend for symbols in E-R (entity-relationship diagrams) as used in this document;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a diagram of an example database schema for a directory service in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]    FIGS.  8 - 9  diagrams depicting an example of an autonomic element utilizing the services of another autonomic element in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 10 is an E-R diagram depicting how the terms of a relationship between two autonomic elements may be governed by a policy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 11 is a flowchart representation of a process of negotiating terms of a relationship between two autonomic elements as seen from the perspective of one of the elements in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0021]    FIGS.  12 - 15  are diagrams depicting an example of fault detection and handling in an autonomic computing system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 16 is a flowchart representation of a process of recovery from a fault or compromise in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0023]    With reference now to the figures, FIG. 1 depicts a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which the present invention may be implemented. Network data processing system  100  is a network of computers in which the present invention may be implemented. Network data processing system  100  contains a network  102 , which is the medium used to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected together within network data processing system  100 . Network  102  may include connections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables.  
         [0024]    In the depicted example, server  104  is connected to network  102  along with storage unit  106 . In addition, clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  are connected to network  102 . These clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  may be, for example, personal computers or network computers. In the depicted example, server  104  provides data, such as boot files, operating system images, and applications to clients  108 - 112 . Clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  are clients to server  104 . Network data processing system  100  may include additional servers, clients, and other devices not shown. In the depicted example, network data processing system  100  is the Internet with network  102  representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols to communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial, government, educational and other computer systems that route data and messages. Of course, network data processing system  100  also may be implemented as a number of different types of networks, such as for example, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN). FIG. 1 is intended as an example, and not as an architectural limitation for the present invention.  
         [0025]    Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a data processing system that may be implemented as a server, such as server  104  in FIG. 1, is depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Data processing system  200  may be a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) system including a plurality of processors  202  and  204  connected to system bus  206 . Alternatively, a single processor system may be employed. Also connected to system bus  206  is memory controller/cache  208 , which provides an interface to local memory  209 . I/O bus bridge  210  is connected to system bus  206  and provides an interface to I/O bus  212 . Memory controller/cache  208  and I/O bus bridge  210  may be integrated as depicted.  
         [0026]    Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge  214  connected to I/O bus  212  provides an interface to PCI local bus  216 . A number of modems may be connected to PCI local bus  216 . Typical PCI bus implementations will support four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors. Communications links to clients  108 - 112  in FIG. 1 may be provided through modem  218  and network adapter  220  connected to PCI local bus  216  through add-in boards.  
         [0027]    Additional PCI bus bridges  222  and  224  provide interfaces for additional PCI local buses  226  and  228 , from which additional modems or network adapters may be supported. In this manner, data processing system  200  allows connections to multiple network computers. A memory-mapped graphics adapter  230  and hard disk  232  may also be connected to I/O bus  212  as depicted, either directly or indirectly.  
         [0028]    Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in FIG. 2 may vary. For example, other peripheral devices, such as optical disk drives and the like, also may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted. The depicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention.  
         [0029]    The data processing system depicted in FIG. 2 may be, for example, an IBM eServer pSeries system, a product of International Business Machines Corporation in Armonk, N.Y., running the Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX) operating system or LINUX operating system.  
         [0030]    With reference now to FIG. 3, a block diagram illustrating a data processing system is depicted in which the present invention may be implemented. Data processing system  300  is an example of a client computer. Data processing system  300  employs a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) local bus architecture. Although the depicted example employs a PCI bus, other bus architectures such as Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) and Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) may be used. Processor  302  and main memory  304  are connected to PCI local bus  306  through PCI bridge  308 . PCI bridge  308  also may include an integrated memory controller and cache memory for processor  302 . Additional connections to PCI local bus  306  may be made through direct component interconnection or through add-in boards. In the depicted example, local area network (LAN) adapter  310 , SCSI host bus adapter  312 , and expansion bus interface  314  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by direct component connection. In contrast, audio adapter  316 , graphics adapter  318 , and audio/video adapter  319  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by add-in boards inserted into expansion slots. Expansion bus interface  314  provides a connection for a keyboard and mouse adapter  320 , modem  322 , and additional memory  324 . Small computer system interface (SCSI) host bus adapter  312  provides a connection for hard disk drive  326 , tape drive  328 , and CD-ROM drive  330 . Typical PCI local bus implementations will support three or four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors.  
         [0031]    An operating system runs on processor  302  and is used to coordinate and provide control of various components within data processing system  300  in FIG. 3. The operating system may be a commercially available operating system, such as Windows XP, which is available from Microsoft Corporation. An object oriented programming system such as Java may run in conjunction with the operating system and provide calls to the operating system from Java programs or applications executing on data processing system  300 . “Java” is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Instructions for the operating system, the object-oriented operating system, and applications or programs are located on storage devices, such as hard disk drive  326 , and may be loaded into main memory  304  for execution by processor  302 .  
         [0032]    Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware in FIG. 3 may vary depending on the implementation. Other internal hardware or peripheral devices, such as flash read-only memory (ROM), equivalent nonvolatile memory, or optical disk drives and the like, may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in FIG. 3. Also, the processes of the present invention may be applied to a multiprocessor data processing system.  
         [0033]    As another example, data processing system  300  may be a stand-alone system configured to be bootable without relying on some type of network communication interfaces As a further example, data processing system  300  may be a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, which is configured with ROM and/or flash ROM in order to provide non-volatile memory for storing operating system files and/or user-generated data.  
         [0034]    The depicted example in FIG. 3 and above-described examples are not meant to imply architectural limitations. For example, data processing system  300  also may be a notebook computer or hand held computer in addition to taking the form of a PDA. Data processing system  300  also may be a kiosk or a Web appliance.  
         [0035]    The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for constructing a self-managing distributed computing system. The hardware and software components making up such a computing system (e.g., databases, storage systems, Web servers, file servers, and the like) are self-managing components called “autonomic elements.” Autonomic elements couple conventional computing functionality (e.g., a database) with additional self-management capabilities. FIG. 4 is a diagram of an autonomic element in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. According to the preferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 4, an autonomic element  400  comprises a management unit  402  and a functional unit  404 . One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that an autonomic element need not be clearly divided into separate units as in FIG. 4, as the division between management and functional units is merely conceptual.  
         [0036]    Management unit  402  handles the self-management features of autonomic element  400 . In particular, management unit  402  is responsible for adjusting and maintaining functional unit  404  pursuant to a set of goals for autonomic element  400 , as indicated by monitor/control interface  414 . Management unit  402  is also responsible for limiting access to functional unit  404  to those other system components (e.g., other autonomic elements) that have permission to use functional unit  404 , as indicated by access control interfaces  416 . Management unit  402  is also responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with other autonomic elements (e.g., via input channel  406  and output channel  408 ).  
         [0037]    Functional unit  404  consumes services provided by other system components (e.g., via input channel  410 ) and provides services to other system components (e.g., via output channel  412 ), depending on the intended functionality of autonomic element  400 . For example, an autonomic database element provides database services and an autonomic storage element provides storage services. It should be noted that an autonomic element, such as autonomic element  400 , may be a software component, a hardware component, or some combination of the two. One goal of autonomic computing is to provide computing services at a functional level of abstraction, without making rigid distinctions between the underlying implementations of a given functionality.  
         [0038]    Autonomic elements operate by providing services to other components (which may themselves be autonomic elements) and/or obtaining services from other components. In order for autonomic elements to cooperate in such a fashion, one requires a mechanism by which an autonomic element may locate and enter into relationships with additional components providing needed functionality. FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting such a mechanism constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0039]    A “requesting component”  500 , an autonomic element, requires services of another component in order to accomplish its function. In a preferred embodiment, such function may be defined in terms of a policy of rules and goals. Policy server component  502  is an autonomic element that establishes policies for other autonomic elements in the computing system. In FIG. 5, policy server component  502  establishes a policy of rules and goals for requesting component  500  to follow and communicates this policy to requesting component  500 . In the context of network communications, for example, a required standard of cryptographic protection may be a rule contained in a policy, while a desired quality of service (QoS) may be a goal of a policy.  
         [0040]    In furtherance of requesting component  500 &#39;s specified policy, requesting component  500  requires a service from an additional component (for example, encryption of data). In order to acquire such a service, requesting component  500  consults directory component  504 , another autonomic element. Directory component  504  is preferably a type of database that maps functional requirements into components providing the required functionality. An example of a database schema for a directory service is provided in FIG. 7.  
         [0041]    In a preferred embodiment, directory component  504  may provide directory services through the use of standardized directory service schemes such as Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and systems such as Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI), which allow a program to locate entities that offer particular services and to automatically determine how to communicate and conduct transactions with those services. WSDL is a proposed standard being considered by the WorldWide Web Consortium, authored by representatives of companies, such as International Business Machines Corporation, Ariba, Inc., and Microsoft Corporation. UDDI version 3 is the current specification being used for Web service applications and services. Future development and changes to UDDI will be handled by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS).  
         [0042]    Directory component  504  provides requesting component  500  information to allow requesting component  500  to make use of the services of a needed component  506 . Such information may include an address (such as a network address) to allow needed component  506  to be communicated with, downloadable code or the address to downloadable code to allow requesting component  500  to bind to and make use of needed component  506 , or any other suitable information to allow requesting component  500  to make use of the services of needed component  506 .  
         [0043]    An example database schema for a directory service such as directory component  504  is provided in FIG. 7 in the form of an entity-relationship (E-R) diagram. The E-R (entity-relationship) approach to database modeling provides a semantics for the conceptual design of databases. With the E-R approach, database information is represented in terms of entities, attributes of entities, and relationships between entities, where the following definitions apply. The modeling semantics corresponding to each definition is illustrated in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is adapted from Elmasri and Navathe,  Fundamentals of Database Systems,  3rd Ed., Addison Wesley (2000), pp. 41-66, which contains additional material regarding E-R diagrams and is hereby incorporated by reference.  
         [0044]    Entity: An entity is a principal object about which information is collected. For example, in a database containing information about personnel of a company, an entity might be “Employee.” In E-R modeling, an entity is represented with a box. An entity may be termed weak or strong, relating its dependence on another entity. A strong entity exhibits no dependence on another entity, i.e. its existence does not require the existence of another Entity. As shown in FIG. 6, a strong entity is represented with a single unshaded box. A weak entity derives its existence from another entity. For example, an entity “Work Time Schedule” derives its existence from an entity “Employee” if a work time schedule can only exist if it is associated with an employee. As shown in FIG. 6, a weak entity is represented by concentric boxes.  
         [0045]    Attribute: An attribute is a label that gives a descriptive property to an entity (e.g., name, color, etc.). Two types of attributes exist. Key attributes distinguish among occurrences of an entity. For example, in the United States, a Social Security number is a key attribute that distinguishes between individuals. Descriptor attributes merely describe an entity occurrence (e.g., gender, weight). As shown in FIG. 6, in E-R modeling, an attribute is represented with an oval tied to the entity (box) to which it pertains.  
         [0046]    In some cases, an attribute may have multiple values. For example, an entity representing a business may have a multivalued attribute “locations.” If the business has multiple locations, the attribute “locations” will have multiple values. A multivalued attribute is represented by concentric ovals, as shown in FIG. 6. In other cases, an composite attribute may be formed from multiple grouped attributes. A composite attribute is represented by a tree structure, as shown in FIG. 6. A derived attribute is an attribute that need not be explicitly stored in a database, but may be calculated or otherwise derived from the other attributes of an entity. A derived attribute is represented by a dashed oval as shown in FIG. 6.  
         [0047]    Relationships: A relationship is a connectivity exhibited between entity occurrences. Relationships may be one to one, one to many, and many to many, and participation in a relationship by an entity may be optional or mandatory. For example, in the database containing information about personnel of a company, a relation “married to” among employee entity occurrences is one to one (if it is stated that an employee has at most one spouse). Further, participation in the relation is optional as there may exist unmarried employees. As a second example, if company policy dictates that every employee have exactly one manager, then the relationship “managed by” among employee entity occurrences is many to one (many employees may have the same manager), and mandatory (every employee must have a manager).  
         [0048]    As shown in FIG. 6, in E-R modeling a relationship is represented with a diamond. Relationships may involve two or more entities. The cardinality ratio (one-to-one, one-to-many, etc.) in a relationship is denoted by the use of the characters “1” and “N” to show 1:1 or 1:N cardinality ratios, or through the use of explicit structural constraints, as shown in FIG. 6. When all instances of an entity participate in the relationship, the entity box is connected to the relationship diamond by a double line; otherwise, a single line connects the entity with the relationship, as in FIG. 6. In some cases, a relationship may actually identify or define one of the entities in the relationship. These identifying relationships are represented by concentric diamonds, also shown in FIG. 6.  
         [0049]    Turning now to FIG. 7, an example database schema for a directory service in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is provided. It should be noted that the example schema provided in FIG. 7 is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to any particular database structure. FIG. 7 is merely intended to illustrate possible contents and organization of a directory service database in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0050]    A component entity  700  represents individual autonomic elements in the computing system. Each component ( 700 ) provides (provides relationship  702 ) a number of services (services entity  704 ). In order for a component to provide desired services, however, the component must be “used” in a particular way, represented by usage entity  706 , which forms the third participant in the ternary relationship provides  702 . Usage entity  706  represents instructions for utilizing the services of the component in question. These instructions may include the executable code of the component in the case of a software-based autonomic element, an address at which the component may be communicated with, or any other information that would allow an autonomic element to enter into a relationship with the component in question.  
         [0051]    A database schema such as the schema described in FIG. 7 may be implemented using a database management system, such as a relational, object-oriented, object-relational, or deductive database management system. Other data storage paradigms are also possible within a preferred embodiment of the present invention as are available in the art.  
         [0052]    FIGS.  8 - 9  provide an example of an autonomic element utilizing the services of another autonomic element in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Turning to FIG. 8, a computing system  800  comprising various autonomic elements is depicted. One such autonomic element, a web server element  802 , requires storage space for holding web pages. In order to utilize storage services, web server element  802  consults directory component  804 , which catalogs all of the available autonomic elements&#39; services in computing system  800 .  
         [0053]    In FIG. 8, storage element  806  has storage space available for web server element  802 &#39;s use. Directory component  804  will reflect this availability of space and return instructions to web server element  802  for using storage component  806  for web server element  802 &#39;s storage needs. In FIG. 9, web server element  802  is shown as having entered into a relationship with storage element  806  in accordance with the instructions provided by directory component  804 .  
         [0054]    In entering into a relationship with storage element  806 , web server element  802  will, in a preferred embodiment, negotiate the terms of the relationship in accordance with the policies of storage element  806  and web server element  802 . One skilled in the art will recognize that such terms will vary, depending on the particular services being utilized. Generally speaking, however, the terms of a relationship will be derived in a back-and-forth exchange between two autonomic elements. This exchange may, in a preferred embodiment, take place using a data interchange language such as XML (eXtensible Markup Language), XML Schema, or some other language for exchanging machine-readable structured information.  
         [0055]    In general, the terms of a relationship between two autonomic elements may be expressed as attribute-value pairs, and a policy may provide rules and goals that set bounds on acceptable and recommended values, as well as default values that may be applied in the absence of strong requirements by either side. FIG. 10 is an E-R diagram depicting how the terms of a relationship between two autonomic elements may be governed by a policy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0056]    With respect to one of the autonomic elements in a relationship, a term of the relationship (for example, quality of service in a network connection) is represented by term entity  1000 . Each term ( 1000 ) has a type, represented by term type entity  1004  and “has type” relationship  1002 . For example, in the case of a term representing quality of service, the term type is “quality of service.” Term types are identified by their “name” in this example (name attribute  1006 ). Each negotiated term ( 1000 ) may have multiple values (values attribute  1014 ) that are consistent with the agreed-upon terms of the relationship. For example, two autonomic elements may, through negotiation, agree that two different speeds of data transfer will be allowed; in such a case, the “data transfer speed” term will have two different values, representing different speeds.  
         [0057]    In a particular autonomic element&#39;s policy, each term type ( 1014 ) may have mandatory constraints (mandatory constraints attribute  1008 ), recommended values (recommended values attribute  1010 ), default values (default values attribute  1012 ), or some combination of these three attributes. Optionally, each setting of values may have associated with it a scalar utility that represents the relative desirability of that setting of values; the mapping from each possible setting of values to the utility is known as the utility function (utility function  1016 ). Mandatory constraints ( 1008 ) represent inviolable constraints on the value(s) which a term of the particular type in question may hold in accordance with the policy of the autonomic element in question. Recommended values ( 1010 ) represent preferred values or ranges of values that the term of the particular type should hold in accordance with the policy of the autonomic element in question, but these recommended values are not requirements (i.e., they are negotiable). Default values ( 1012 ) represent “off-the-shelf” values for particular terms that may be filled in when the other party (autonomic element) to a relationship expresses no preference with respect to that term; default values allow less important details of a relationship to be definitively determined in the negotiation process. The utility function may be a fixed relationship that is established when the autonomic element is first composed or deployed, or it may be input by a human at any time during or after the deployment of the autonomic element, or it may be computed dynamically from models that the autonomic element may employ to assess the impact of obtaining or providing a service with a proposed setting of values.  
         [0058]    [0058]FIG. 11 is a flowchart representation of a process of negotiating terms of a relationship between two autonomic elements as seen from the perspective of one of the elements in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. An offer of terms to govern a relationship between the two elements is presented to the other element (block  1100 ). A response is received from the other autonomic element (block  1102 ). If the response is an acceptance of the original offer (block  1104 :Yes), then an acknowledgement is sent to the other autonomic element to indicate that the relationship will begin according to the agreed-upon terms (block  1106 ).  
         [0059]    If the response was not an acceptance (block  1104 :No), a determination is then made as to whether the response was, in fact, a counteroffer providing terms that differ from the last set of terms offered (block  1108 ). If the response is not a counteroffer (block  1108 :No), then negotiations have failed, and the process terminates. If the response is a counteroffer (block  1108 :Yes), then a determination is made as to whether the terms of the counteroffer meet the requirements of the policy (i.e., they comply with any mandatory constraints) (block  1110 ). If the terms do not meet policy requirements (block  1110 :No), an attempt is made to generate a new counteroffer that does comply with policy requirements (block  1112 ). If the attempt is successful (block  1114 :Yes), the counteroffer is presented to the other autonomic component and the process cycles to block  1102  to receive the next response. If the attempt does not succeed (block  1114 :No), the process terminates in failure.  
         [0060]    If the counteroffer received in block  1102  does meet the requirements, however, (block  1110 :Yes), the policy is consulted to determine whether it would be advisable to seek improved terms (i.e., terms that better meet recommended values) (block  1118 ). If so (block  1118 :Yes), an attempt is made to generate a new counteroffer with more desirable terms (block  1120 ). For example, if a utility function is being used, an attempt would be made to generate a new counteroffer that has a higher utility. If this attempt is successful, the counteroffer is sent to the other autonomic element (block  1116 ) and the process cycles to block  1102  to receive the next response. If the attempt to form a new counteroffer was not successful (block  1122 :No) or it was determined that seeking improved terms was not advisable (block  1118 ), an acceptance of the other element&#39;s terms is sent to the other autonomic element (block  1124 ).  
         [0061]    In a second preferred embodiment, the negotiation may take a more asymmetric form. In the asymmetric negotiation, only one party generates proposed offers, and the other either accepts or rejects them. More specifically, a first party may at each stage of the negotiation propose one or more offers, or terminate the negotiation. The second party may refuse all of the proposed offers, accept at most one of them, or signal that it wishes to terminate the negotiation. The negotiation proceeds until one party or the other explicitly terminates it. Even if the second party accepts an offer, the first party may at the next stage propose a new set of offers that are more beneficial to it, in hopes that one of them will also prove more desirable to the second party. When the negotiation terminates, the most recently accepted offer will be taken as the agreement; if there is no accepted offer then the two parties have failed to reach an agreement.  
         [0062]    An important aspect of self-management is the ability to detect and handle faults that may occur in a computing system. Various fault-tolerance schemes may be incorporated into the present invention to allow for self-management of faults. A fault in a computing system may be the result of a malfunction in one or more components. For example, a disk drive may physically break, rendering a storage element inoperable. Another source of faults is an active attack. In an active attack, one or more components are targeted and sabotaged. This may be the result of computer viruses, network attacks (such as denial of service attacks), security breaches, and the like. A truly autonomic computing system should be capable of automatically detecting and handling faults in real time.  
         [0063]    FIGS.  12 - 15  provide an example of fault detection and handling in an autonomic computing system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is important to realize that the fault-tolerance techniques depicted in FIGS.  12 - 15  are merely an example of fault detection and handling in a preferred embodiment of the present invention and are not intended to be limiting.  
         [0064]    [0064]FIG. 12 is a diagram of a computing system  1200  comprising a number of autonomic elements. Database element  1202  provides database services and utilizes the storage services of storage element  1206  and redundant storage element  1204 . As indicated in the diagram, storage element  1206  has become inoperable. Database element  1202 , which maintains communication with storage element  1206 , will detect the malfunction of storage element  1206  and terminate its relationship with storage element  1206 , as shown in FIG. 13.  
         [0065]    In FIG. 13, in response to terminating the relationship with storage element  1206 , database element  1202  consults directory element  1300  to locate additional storage services in computing system  1200 . Directory element  1300  indicates to database element  1202  that storage element  1302  is available for use. In response to directory element  1300 &#39;s identifying storage element  1302  as an available storage element, database element  1202  enters into a relationship with storage element  1302 , as shown in FIG. 14.  
         [0066]    In order to reestablish redundant services in preparation for any future fault that may occur, database element  1202  copies state information from storage element  1204  to storage element  1302 , as shown in FIG. 14. Once the state information from database element  1202  is copied to storage element  1302 , storage element  1302  now functions in place of the inoperable storage element  1206 , as shown in FIG. 15.  
         [0067]    [0067]FIG. 16 is a flowchart representation of a process of recovery from a fault or compromise in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. If a compromise of one or more components in the computing system is detected, either via attack or malfunction (block  1600 ), the services that are potentially compromised thereby are identified (block  1602 ). Those services are then terminated (block  1604 ). If any particular vulnerabilities making the affected services susceptible to compromise can be identified, such vulnerabilities are diagnosed (block  1606 ). A plan of action for remediating the compromised state of the computing system is formulated (block  1608 ); examples of such remediation plans include increasing security measures, increasing the level of redundancy or error correction, and the like. The plan is then executed to reprovision the compromised elements and restore service (block  1610 ). If any of the compromised services are stateful (i.e., they require state information) (block  1612 :Yes), the state information is restored to the reprovisioned services (block  1614 ). In any case, the process will finally cycle to block  1600  in preparation for any future faults.  
         [0068]    It is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functioning data processing system, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes of the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of a computer readable medium of instructions or other functional descriptive material and in a variety of other forms and that the present invention is equally applicable regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution. Examples of computer readable media include recordable-type media, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a RAM, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and transmission-type media, such as digital and analog communications links, wired or wireless communications links using transmission forms, such as, for example, radio frequency and light wave transmissions. The computer readable media may take the form of coded formats that are decoded for actual use in a particular data processing system. Functional descriptive material is information that imparts functionality to a machine. Functional descriptive material includes, but is not limited to, computer programs, instructions, rules, facts, definitions of computable functions, objects, and data structures.  
         [0069]    The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.  
         [0070]    For purposes of this application a set is defined as zero or more things. A plurality is defined as one or more things. A subset of a set or plurality is defined as a set comprising zero or more things, all of which are taken from the original set or plurality.