Patent ID: 12206738

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments and their advantages are best understood by reference toFIGS.1-4, wherein like numbers are used to indicate like and corresponding parts unless expressly indicated otherwise.

For the purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, entertainment, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a consumer electronic device, a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include memory, one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (“CPU”), microcontroller, or hardware or software control logic. Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more storage devices, one or more communications ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input/output (“I/O”) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communication between the various hardware components.

Additionally, an information handling system may include firmware for controlling and/or communicating with, for example, hard drives, network circuitry, memory devices, I/O devices, and other peripheral devices. For example, the hypervisor and/or other components may comprise firmware. As used in this disclosure, firmware includes software embedded in an information handling system component used to perform predefined tasks. Firmware is commonly stored in non-volatile memory, or memory that does not lose stored data upon the loss of power. In certain embodiments, firmware associated with an information handling system component is stored in non-volatile memory that is accessible to one or more information handling system components. In the same or alternative embodiments, firmware associated with an information handling system component is stored in non-volatile memory that is dedicated to and comprises part of that component.

For the purposes of this disclosure, computer-readable media may include any instrumentality or aggregation of instrumentalities that may retain data and/or instructions for a period of time. Computer-readable media may include, without limitation, storage media such as a direct access storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive or floppy disk), a sequential access storage device (e.g., a tape disk drive), compact disk, CD-ROM, DVD, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and/or flash memory; as well as communications media such as wires, optical fibers, microwaves, radio waves, and other electromagnetic and/or optical carriers; and/or any combination of the foregoing.

For the purposes of this disclosure, information handling resources may broadly refer to any component system, device or apparatus of an information handling system, including without limitation processors, service processors, basic input/output systems (BIOSs), buses, memories, I/O devices and/or interfaces, storage resources, network interfaces, motherboards, and/or any other components and/or elements of an information handling system.

In the following description, details are set forth by way of example to facilitate discussion of the disclosed subject matter. It should be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the field, however, that the disclosed embodiments are exemplary and not exhaustive of all possible embodiments.

Throughout this disclosure, a hyphenated form of a reference numeral refers to a specific instance of an element and the un-hyphenated form of the reference numeral refers to the element generically. Thus, for example, “device12-1” refers to an instance of a device class, which may be referred to collectively as “devices12” and any one of which may be referred to generically as “a device12”.

As used herein, when two or more elements are referred to as “coupled” to one another, such term indicates that such two or more elements are in electronic communication, mechanical communication, including thermal and fluidic communication, thermal, communication or mechanical communication, as applicable, whether connected indirectly or directly, with or without intervening elements.

Referring to the drawings,FIG.1illustrates a cloud platform100for an entity referred to herein as customer101, which is represented inFIG.1by a headquarters102and one or more edge computing locations104, three of which are shown inFIG.1. Cloud platform100includes a public cloud102and a private cloud103. The public cloud102depicted inFIG.1includes a cloud control plane110for managing private cloud resources. The private cloud103depicted inFIG.1encompasses a number of smaller private clouds, each of which includes on-premises resources120, exemplified inFIG.1by one or more managed clusters115, at each edge location104.

The cloud platform100inFIG.1employs a management agent114installed within the on-premises resources120of each edge location104and connected between cloud platform110and the corresponding managed cluster115. Management agents114communicate with cloud control plane110and broker management commands on behalf of cloud platform110.

While the illustrated cloud platform100may support centralized management of on-premises resources from cloud control plane110, the cost of deploying and maintaining a fleet of middle layer agents, such as the management agents114depicted inFIG.1, is non-trivial at best.

In accordance with disclosed teachings,FIG.2illustrates a cloud platform200, including a public cloud202and a private cloud203, for customer101. The public cloud202depicted inFIG.2features a cloud control plane210providing centralized, cloud-based, and agentless management of the customer's private cloud resources. In at least some embodiments, cloud control plane210is implemented as an in-cloud web portal.

Like the private cloud103ofFIG.1, the private cloud203depicted inFIG.2encompasses smaller private clouds, each of which includes on-premises resources220, exemplified inFIG.2by one or more managed clusters215, at each edge location104of customer101. However, unlike the cloud platform100ofFIG.1, the cloud platform200depicted inFIG.2requires no installed management agents and, instead, creates agentless connections212between cloud control plane210and managed on-premises resources such as the managed cluster215, enabling cloud control plane220to make configuration changes and otherwise actively manage the customer's private cloud resources.

FIG.2illustrates cloud control plane210establishing agentless connections212with each managed cluster215. In at least one embodiment, cloud control plane210establishes each agent connections212using one or more API calls in accordance with an appropriate API. As suggested by the name, each agentless connection212is characterized by the absence of a management agent intermediate between cloud control plane210and the customer's private-side managed clusters215. Management commands, including configuration commands, may be executed via a web application, running in the customer's browser, that communicates with managed clusters215over the customer's network via a local or virtual private network (VPN) tunnel. A combination of physical and logical security ensures secure communications. In this manner, cloud platform200beneficially eliminates the need to deploy and manage the middle layer management agents114of cloud platform100.

Referring now toFIG.2, a method200for managing private cloud resources is illustrated in flow diagram format. The method200illustrated inFIG.2may, in at least some embodiments, be performed by the cloud control plane210. The illustrated method establishes (block202) an agentless connection to an on-premises information handling resource, such as a managed cluster215, and performs (block204), via the agentless connection, a configuration management operation to modify a configuration of the applicable on-premises resource. Establishing the agentless connection and performing the management operation may, as previously indicated, may be achieved via one or more appropriate API calls.

Referring now toFIG.4, any one or more of the elements illustrated inFIG.2andFIG.3may be implemented as or by an information handling system exemplified by the information handling system400illustrated inFIG.4. The illustrated information handling system includes one or more general purpose processors or central processing units (CPUs)401communicatively coupled to a memory resource410and to an input/output hub420to which various I/O resources and/or components are communicatively coupled. The I/O resources explicitly depicted inFIG.4include a network interface440, commonly referred to as a NIC (network interface card), storage resources430, and additional I/O devices, components, or resources450including as non-limiting examples, keyboards, mice, displays, printers, speakers, microphones, etc. The illustrated information handling system400includes a baseboard management controller (BMC)460providing, among other features and services, an out-of-band management resource which may be coupled to a management server (not depicted). In at least some embodiments, BMC460may manage information handling system400even when information handling system400is powered off or powered to a standby state. BMC460may include a processor, memory, an out-of-band network interface separate from and physically isolated from an in-band network interface of information handling system400, and/or other embedded information handling resources. In certain embodiments, BMC460may include or may be an integral part of a remote access controller (e.g., a Dell Remote Access Controller or Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller) or a chassis management controller.

This disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Moreover, reference in the appended claims to an apparatus or system or a component of an apparatus or system being adapted to, arranged to, capable of, configured to, enabled to, operable to, or operative to perform a particular function encompasses that apparatus, system, or component, whether or not it or that particular function is activated, turned on, or unlocked, as long as that apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or operative.

All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical objects to aid the reader in understanding the disclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.