US-12625741-B2 - LCS resource device functionality provisioning system

US12625741B2US 12625741 B2US12625741 B2US 12625741B2US-12625741-B2

Abstract

A Logically Composed System (LCS) resource device functionality provisioning system includes an orchestrator device coupled to resource devices and a resource management system. The orchestrator device identifies functionality available from the resource devices via at least one resource device communication protocol, and advertises logical functions that correspond to the functionality available from the resource devices to the resource management system via a resource management system communication protocol that is different than the at least one resource device communication protocol. When the orchestrator device receives a request from the resource management system via the resource management system communication protocol to utilize a subset of the logical functions to provide an LCS, it configures the subset of the logical functions to provide the LCS via the at least one resource device communication protocol, and provides the LCS to a client device using the subset of the logical functions.

Inventors

Douglas Lang FARLEY
Ethan A. Kaley
Geoffrey A. Reid
Gaurav Chawla
John Harwood

Assignees

DELL PRODUCTS L.P.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220630

Claims (17)

1 . A Logically Composed System (LCS) resource device functionality provisioning system, comprising: a resource management system; a resource system that is coupled to the resource management system; a plurality of resource devices that are included in the resource system; and an orchestrator device that is included in the resource system, coupled to the plurality of resource devices and the resource management system, and configured with a respective resource device communication protocol for each of the plurality of resource devices and a resource management system communication protocol for the resource management system that is different than the respective resource device communication protocols, wherein the orchestrator device is configured to: identify, via direct communications with each of the plurality of resources devices using the respective resource device communication protocol for that resource device, functionality available from the plurality of resource devices that includes at least one of processing functionality, memory functionality, networking functionality, and storage functionality; advertise, to the resource management system via communications with the resource management system using the resource management system communication protocol, a plurality of logical functions that correspond to the functionality available from the plurality of resource devices and that include at least one of a logical processing function that corresponds to the processing functionality, a logical memory function that corresponds to the memory functionality, a logical networking function that corresponds to the networking functionality, and a logical storage function that corresponds to the storage functionality, wherein each logical function is a composite logical function determined by utilizing functionalities available from at least two of the plurality of resource devices; receive, from the resource management system via communications with the resource management system using the resource management system communication protocol, a request to utilize a subset of the plurality of logical functions to provide a Logically Composed System (LCS) that satisfies requirements of a workload intent specified by a user; configure, via direct communications with each of the plurality of resources devices using the respective resource device communication protocol for that resource device, the plurality of logical functions to provide the LCS; and provide, to a client device, the LCS using the plurality of logical functions.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of resource devices include at least one of a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) device, an accelerator device, a resource device providing an as-a-Service application, and a resource device including a physical feature having a private interface.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein respective resource device communication protocols include at least one of a Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a Peripheral Component Interconnect express (PCIe) protocol, a Remote Procedure Call (RPC) protocol, a Multi-Domain Name Service (mDNS) protocol, and a Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP).
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the orchestrator device is configured to: provide, during a first time period, a first logical function included in the plurality of logical functions using first functionality available from a first resource device included in the plurality of resource devices; and provide, during a second time period that is subsequent to the first time period, the first logical function using second functionality available from a second resource device included in the plurality of resource devices.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the functionality available from the plurality of resource devices includes at least one physical hardware characteristic of at least one of the plurality of resource devices, and at least one operation performed by at least one of the plurality of resource devices.
6 . An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising: a chassis; a processing system that is housed in the chassis; and a memory system that is housed in the chassis, that is coupled to the processing system, and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide an orchestrator engine that is configured with a respective resource device communication protocol for each of a plurality of resource devices included in the chassis, and a resource management system communication protocol for a resource management system that is coupled to the processing system, wherein the resource management system communication protocol is different than the respective resource device communication protocols, and wherein the orchestrator engine is configured to: identify, via direct communications with each of the plurality of resources devices using the respective resource device communication protocol for that resource device, functionality available from the plurality of resource devices that includes at least one of processing functionality, memory functionality, networking functionality, and storage functionality; advertise, to a resource management system via communications with the resource management system using the resource management system communication protocol, a plurality of logical functions that correspond to the functionality available from the plurality of resource devices and that include at least one of a logical processing function that corresponds to the processing functionality, a logical memory function that corresponds to the memory functionality, a logical networking function that corresponds to the networking functionality, and a logical storage function that corresponds to the storage functionality, wherein each logical function is a composite logical function determined by utilizing functionalities available from at least two of the plurality of resource devices; receive, from the resource management system via communications with the resource management system using the resource management system communication protocol, a request to utilize a subset of the plurality of logical functions to provide a Logically Composed System (LCS) that satisfies requirements of a workload intent specified by a user; configure, via direct communications with each of the plurality of resources devices using the respective resource device communication protocol for that resource device, the plurality of logical functions to provide the LCS; and provide, to a client device, the LCS using the plurality of logical functions.
7 . The IHS of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of resource devices include at least one of a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) device, an accelerator device, a resource device providing an as-a-Service application, and a resource device including a physical feature having a private interface.
8 . The IHS of claim 6 , wherein the respective resource device communication protocols include at least one of a Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a Peripheral Component Interconnect express (PCIe) protocol, a Remote Procedure Call (RPC) protocol, a Multi-Domain Name Service (mDNS) protocol, and a Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP).
9 . The IHS of claim 6 , wherein the orchestrator engine is configured to: provide, during a first time period, a first logical function included in the plurality of logical functions using first functionality available from a first resource device included in the plurality of resource devices; and provide, during a second time period that is subsequent to the first time period, the first logical function using second functionality available from a second resource device included in the plurality of resource devices.
10 . The IHS of claim 6 , wherein the functionality available from the plurality of resource devices includes at least one physical hardware characteristic of at least one of the plurality of resource devices.
11 . The IHS of claim 6 , wherein the functionality available from the plurality of resource devices includes at least one operation performed by at least one of the plurality of resource devices.
12 . A method for providing resource device functionality for an Logically Composed System (LCS), comprising: identifying, by an orchestrator device in a resource system via direct communications with each of a plurality of resources devices in the resource system using a respective resource device communication protocol for that resource device, functionality available from the plurality of resource devices that includes at least one of processing functionality, memory functionality, networking functionality, and storage functionality; advertising, by the orchestrator device to a resource management system that is coupled to the resource system via communications with the resource management system using the resource management system communication protocol that is different than the respective resource device communication protocols, a plurality of logical functions that correspond to the functionality available from the plurality of resource devices and that include at least one of a logical processing function that corresponds to the I processing functionality, a logical memory function that corresponds to the memory functionality, a logical networking function that corresponds to the networking functionality, and a logical storage function that corresponds to the storage functionality, wherein each logical function is a composite logical function determined by utilizing functionalities available from at least two of the plurality of resource devices; receiving, by the orchestrator device from the resource management system via communications with the resource management system using the resource management system communication protocol, a request to utilize a subset of the plurality of logical functions to provide a Logically Composed System (LCS) that satisfies requirements of a workload intent specified by a user; configuring, by the orchestrator device via direct communications with each of the plurality of resources devices using the respective resource device communication protocol for that resource device, the plurality of logical functions to provide the LCS; and providing, by the orchestrator device to a client device, the LCS using the plurality of logical functions.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of resource devices include at least one of a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) device, an accelerator device, a resource device providing an as-a-Service application, and a resource device including a physical feature having a private interface.
14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the resource device communication protocols include at least one of a Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a Peripheral Component Interconnect express (PCIe) protocol, a Remote Procedure Call (RPC) protocol, a Multi-Domain Name Service (mDNS) protocol, and a Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP).
15 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising: providing, by the orchestrator device during a first time period, a first logical function included in the plurality of logical functions using first functionality available from a first resource device included in the plurality of resource devices; and providing, by the orchestrator device during a second time period that is subsequent to the first time period, the first logical function using second functionality available from a second resource device included in the plurality of resource devices.
16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the functionality available from the plurality of resource devices includes at least one physical hardware characteristic of at least one of the plurality of resource devices.
17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the functionality available from the plurality of resource devices includes at least one operation performed by at least one of the plurality of resource devices.

Description

BACKGROUND The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to providing resource device functionality for use in Logically Composed Systems (LCSs) that are provided using information handling systems. As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems. While conventional information handling systems such as, for example, server devices and/or other computing devices known in the art have traditionally been provided with particular information handling systems components that configure it to satisfy one or more use cases, new computing paradigms provide for the allocation of resources from information handling systems and/or information handling system components for use in Logically Composed Systems (LCSs) that may be composed as needed to satisfy any computing intent/workload, and then decomposed such that those resources may be utilized in other LCSs. As such, users of the LCSs may be provided with LCSs that meet their current needs for any particular workload they require. For example, an LCS may be provided using a Bare Metal Server (BMS) system or other resource system known in the art, with resource devices included within and/or outside of that resource system (e.g., processing devices and memory devices on a motherboard in the BMS system used to provide an Operating System (OS) for the LCS, storage devices, networking devices, etc.) used to perform the functionality for the LCS. However, most conventional resource systems (e.g., the BMS systems discussed above) utilize REpresentational State Transfer (REST)-based management techniques (e.g., management interface protocols provided according to the REDFISH® specification that is used as the primary default platform reporting mechanism in many server devices) for managing the resource systems and any connected resource devices, which can raise some issues. For example, the REST-based management techniques discussed above utilize relatively complex inventory mechanisms to build topologies, and require each of the resource system and resource devices to support those REST-based management techniques. Furthermore, the REST-based management techniques discussed above enable point-in-time physical control, reporting, and/or other management operations with physical resource devices, but are not easily extended to logical functionality available from those resource devices. Further still, any resource devices available to provide an LCS may include their own Application Programming Interface (API) infrastructure, and the REST-based management techniques discussed above present difficulties when reconciling different API ecosystems. As such, conventional REST-based management techniques are not scalable in a manner that will allow the LCSs discussed above to be easily and efficiently composed from a variety of physical and logical functionality available from resource devices that will often be provided in different domains. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an LCS resource device functionality provisioning system that addresses the issues discussed above. SUMMARY According to one embodiment, an Information Handling System (IHS) includes a processing system; and a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide an orchestrator engine that is configured to: identify, via at least one resource device communication protocol, functionality available from a plurality of resource devices; advertise, to a resource management system via a resource management system communication protocol that is different than the at least one r