Orchestrating Computing Objects Using Web-Services Technologies - An Intel IT Proof of Concept (POC)

The challenge of ever-growing complexity within the IT enterprise accelerates the evolution of a fully autonomic framework. With the need of an agile IT infrastructure for ever-changing business needs, this evolution is bound to develop based on open standards. We have conducted a proof of concept (POC) using Web services (WS) technologies in an enterprise manageability framework. The proof of concept focuses on a standard messaging layer for enterprise integration, standard and discoverable manageability interfaces, and a holistic object management approach. This paper presents a POC that uses WS standards to build a common "language" between varieties of components within the enterprise. That common "language" includes discoverable interfaces and a local metadata repository. Having this common communications framework with the ability to discover and control computing resources moves us ahead significantly toward the vision of an agile IT infrastructure, and enables the continuous evolution toward the vision of an autonomic enterprise in which holistic, end-to-end object management is possible. WS-Management (WS-Man), which is a messaging protocol dedicated to the purpose of system management, is the primary specification used in the POC. Among other things, this paper presents models to deal with key challenges like dynamic managed-object (MO) discovery and control, federated event processing across domains, and systems which reach beyond technology into business layers. The success of this POC proved that such an end-state vision can be achieved, and is a major step forward toward this goal