A GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR PROVIDING COMPONENT RELATIONAL INFORMATION FOR A UNIFORM CONFIGURATION CONTROLLER FOR REPLICATED COMPONENT SYSTEMS

摘要

In a replicated component system, changing the condition of a component can deleteriously effect the system as a whole unless the result o f making such a change may have on other components is considered. In response to a request to change the condition of a subject component to a specified condition, where the request is from a fixed set of request operations, the request is first validated using a particular validation algorithm associated with the request type. If the request is successfully validated (i.e., a determination is made using the validation algorithm that making the request ed change will not negatively affect the system or components with which the subject component has a relationship), then the request is realized using a particular realization algorithm associated with the request type. Each validation algorithm and realization algorithm are from fixed sets of such algorithms that are associated with each possible request operation. Prior t o effecting a change to any component in the system, the configuration controller is provided with information that includes the type of component that each component in the system is and the relationships that exist between components. Such relationships are also from a fixed set of possible relationships. This information is provided through agraphical user interfac e in which the attributes of each component type and the relationships between components are specified using dialog windows and a canvas window which visually displays representations of each component in the system and the relationships that exist between these components.