HK1180087A - Search-based system management - Google Patents

Description

Search-based system management

Background

Search-based system management is a process for providing a system administrator with an improved management interface experience. In some cases, it may be difficult for an administrator to find features or functions or may desire to perform certain tasks without navigating through several layers of interfaces. Conventional management consoles for complex servers and/or applications may contain tens of thousands of configuration elements, making traditional searches for required elements time consuming. For example, a mail server administrator may want to change the size quota of a user's mailbox. The administrator may need to spend time looking up the mailbox pane, launching the property dialog, and navigating to the right property page and quota control to change the quota. Even when the administrator knows exactly where to find the control, the process may still require a long user interface interaction process to reach there.

Further, conventional systems do not provide administrators with any way to easily identify whether a particular feature has a configuration interface in an administration console. For example, when an administrator cannot find a credential management interface in a console, they may not be certain whether there is actually an interface in the console that they did not find or whether the credential can be otherwise managed.

SUMMARY

Search based system management may be provided. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter. This summary is also not intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Search based system management may be provided. A management interface may be displayed that includes a search input element and a results list element. A keyword is received through a search input element and a plurality of matching configuration attributes associated with the received keyword are identified. At least one of a plurality of configuration attributes associated with the received keyword may be displayed in the results list element, and each of the displayed plurality of configuration attributes may include a selectable user interface element.

Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description provide examples and are explanatory only. Accordingly, the foregoing general description and the following detailed description should not be considered to be restrictive. Further, other features or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, embodiments may be directed to various feature combinations and sub-combinations described in the detailed description.

Brief Description of Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an operating environment;

FIGS. 2A-2B are simplified block diagrams of a user interface for providing search-based system management;

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a configuration dialog;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method for providing search based system management; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a system including a computing device;

Detailed Description

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or like elements. While embodiments of the invention may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense. Rather, the proper scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Search based system management is provided. According to embodiments of the present invention, a search box may be provided as part of the management console interface. Search-based navigation allows an administrator the flexibility of unstructured navigation compared to standard structured navigation models such as trees or lists in conventional systems. For example, an administrator may have a particular task that is desired to be accomplished, such as increasing the minimum length of a password. With a search-based console, the administrator does not need to navigate a conventional list to manually go to the correct configuration interface. Instead, the administrator may enter a keyword such as "minimal" or "password". A matching algorithm may process the feature database to find features associated with the keyword. According to embodiments of the invention, some configurations and/or features may be applied to the entire system and/or to individual or selected users. For example, the mailbox quota may include a configurable system default, but may also be configurable on a user-by-user basis.

The found features may be presented in a return list displayed in the management console. The administrator can then operate on the returned list in a more intuitive manner without any need for manual navigation. For example, by allowing the administrator to change configuration values in the list and/or select elements for navigating to a configuration page or window, several navigation steps (e.g., "mouse clicks") may be saved to improve the administrator's efficiency. For example, by double-clicking on any of the results, the administrator can automatically modify the desired feature user interface. According to embodiments of the present invention, a minimal dialog box may be displayed that includes a control for editing a single selected property.

One metric that may be used to measure the intuitiveness of a tool is the time taken to complete a task. User interface navigation time and number of mouse clicks play a major role in providing a simple but functional user interface. By using a Data Driven Infrastructure (DDI) to provide an unstructured navigation model, the management console can provide intuitive navigation and reduce mouse clicks. The DDI may extract the underlying configuration and/or business logic from the user interface code. This can separate the presentation layer from the business layer, allowing the new presentation layer to perform the same configuration logic. In addition, the same presentation layer may be used to execute the configuration logic of several different components (e.g., email servers, user account configurations, web servers, DNS servers, etc.).

The DDI may be implemented, for example, using a standard.Net abstract DataTable, and may bind configuration controls to columns in the table. A separate component (e.g., data loader/processor) may populate the DataTable, extracting the data source from the DataTable, as needed. The data retrieval algorithm may be designed in XML, for example, and may be separated from software code to render the data. Other programming languages may include structures similar to the DataTable abstraction of.Net that are suitable for providing similar implementations.

The retrieved data can be indexed and displayed, and upon selection of a property from the results display, the DataTable can be tracked from XML to get the control bound to that property and dynamically instantiate a configuration dialog on the screen. Because the endpoints are known, the dialog box may bind to the property of interest. Further, a navigation path may be displayed in the console to show the administrator how to navigate to it without conducting the next search.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a user of an management console may include an administrator of a computer, system, and/or application service associated with the management console. These users may be associated with user accounts that include various security rights. For example, a typical user has security rights that allow them to view all of the attributes accessible through the management console, while other users have rights to view and/or change only some of the attributes. Some users have rights to view attributes but not to change values. The management console may be used to restrict the display of matching attributes to users who have rights to view and/or change those attributes.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an operating environment 100 that includes a User Interface (UI) configuration 110, a data configuration 115, an extensible markup language (XML) parsing engine 120, a data table 125, a UI module 130, a plurality of data objects 135, and a plurality of tasks 140. UI configuration 110 and data configuration 115 each include a plurality of applications and/or functional configuration information that may be stored in a table and/or file structure. For example, the UI configuration 110 may comprise an XML file stored on a computer, such as computing device 500, which is described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 5. The UI configuration 110 may include presentation layer configuration attributes such as language, color scheme, and/or text size. Data configuration 115 may similarly comprise an XML file containing definitions associated with data table 125. For example, the data arrangement 115 may include a plurality of columns and/or rows in the data table 125. The data configuration 115 may also include information associated with configuration elements stored in the data table 125, such as display names, sources, and/or navigation paths. For example, the data table 125 may include an index of keywords and/or management elements that may be referenced when performing a search.

The XML parsing engine 120 may be used to provide an abstraction between the configuration information of the UI configuration 110 and/or the data configuration 115 and the actual data stored in the data table 125. UI module 130 may include executable software instructions for presenting an administration console user interface, receiving interactions from a user, and/or writing data to data table 125. Data read from the data table 125 may be stored in a memory structure referred to as a data object 135. These structures may include information such as the name, type, current value, valid value, and/or description of the configuration attribute that is accessible through the management console UI. Tasks 140 may include changes to one or more data objects 135, such as pending changes to configuration attribute values submitted by a user.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating a search based user interface 200 for an initial display. Search-based user interface 200 may include a search input element 210, filtering criteria, such as name-only filtering option 215 and value-only filtering option 220, and a results list element 230. Selection of one filter criterion may limit subsequent searches accordingly. For example, if neither the name only filter option 215 nor the value only filter option 220 is selected at the time of search execution, the search may compare any input in the search input element 210 to both the name and value of the available configuration attributes. However, if name-only filter option 215 is selected, the search compares only the input in search input element 210 with the names of the available configuration attributes.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of a search based user interface 200 showing a results display screen. For example, a search input in search input element 210 of "mail" may cause search-based user interface 200 to display a plurality of search results 250(A) - (C), 260, each associated with a matching configuration attribute. Each search result may include an attribute name, value, type, and/or description. The search operation may attempt to match each of these domains associated with the configuration attributes and/or be limited by one and/or more filter criteria.

The search input element 210 may also be used to receive a plurality of search terms and/or instructions, such as boolean search terms. For example, the user may enter "mail and size," which may limit the displayed configuration attributes to those that match "mail" and "size," such as search results 250(A) - (B). Other instructions may be used to provide filtering criteria directly in the search input element 210, such as "mail and type (quantity)". This may limit the search results to those configuration attributes that match the keyword "mail" and have a "quantity" type, such as search result 250 (C).

Search results 250(A) - (C), 260 may each include a selectable user interface element. Selection may cause the selected results to be highlighted based on the search user interface 200, as shown by the selected search results 260. The navigation path 270 may be displayed upon selection of a result, e.g., it includes a menu path that the user may follow to find a selected configuration attribute without returning to the search based user interface 200. Selection of a search result may allow a user to edit the value of the selected search result. For example, the user can select the search result 260 by typing in the value "mail" immediately after selection. For another example, a configuration dialog 300, described below with reference to FIG. 3, may be displayed for receiving new values.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the search may begin when the user begins typing in search input element 210, after a minimum number of characters have been entered (e.g., 3 characters), and/or after the user indicates that they have finished entering text, such as by pressing a "tab" or "enter" key on a keyboard or selecting a start search button (not shown) within search user interface 200. Selecting one of the filter criteria during and/or after the search has been performed may cause any results in the results list element 230 to be updated according to the newly selected criteria.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a configuration dialog box 300. The configuration dialog 300 may include a title bar 310, a type display 320, and a new value input 330. The current value of the selected search result 260 may be displayed in the new value input 330 for modification and/or deletion. The user may enter new values for the configuration attributes associated with the selected search result 260 and/or may close the configuration dialog 300 without making and/or saving any changes.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart setting forth the general steps involved in a method 400 for providing search based system management according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method 400 may be implemented using a computing device 500 described in more detail below with reference to fig. 5. The manner in which the steps of method 400 are implemented will be described in more detail below. Method 400 may begin at start block 405 and proceed to step 410 where computing device 500 may extract a plurality of configuration attributes associated with at least one configurable service. For example, services, systems, and/or applications may be analyzed by a DDI. The underlying software code associated with a service, system, and/or application may be read to identify any and/or all available configuration attributes, their associated values, types, and/or descriptions.

Method 400 may then proceed to step 415, where computing device 500 may create a database of extracted configuration attributes. Each row in the database may include an attribute entry that includes columns such as name, navigation path, description, value, and configuration type.

From step 415, method 400 may proceed to step 420, where computing device 500 may receive a search key from an administrator of the at least one configurable service via a search element within the management interface. For example, the user may type a keyword, such as "mail," into search input element 210 based on search user interface 200.

Method 400 may then proceed to step 425 where computing device 500 may retrieve a plurality of search results. For example, computing device 500 may compare the search key to the column entries of each configuration attribute row in the database. Those rows in at least one column that match the key may be retrieved. According to embodiments of the invention, filtering criteria may also be applied to limit the search to those columns associated with the filtering criteria.

Method 400 may then proceed to step 430, where computing device 500 may display at least a portion of the plurality of search results in a results element of the management interface. For example, some and/or all of the search results retrieved at step 425 may be displayed in the results list element 230 of the search-based user interface 200. The number of elements displayed may depend on the size of the search based user interface 200. For example, the search-based user interface 200 may have sufficient space to display four configuration attributes. If four and/or fewer configuration attributes match the keyword, all of them may be displayed in search-based user interface 200. If more than four configuration attributes match the keyword, the first four, e.g., sorted by attribute name, may be displayed and a scroll bar may also be displayed that may be used to scroll through the list.

Method 400 may then proceed to step 435, where computing device 500 may receive a selection of one of the plurality of search results displayed within the results element of the management interface. For example, the user may select search results 260. The selected search results 260 may be highlighted based on the search user interface 200.

Method 400 may then proceed to step 440, where computing device 500 may display a navigation path associated with the selected search result of the plurality of search results displayed within the management interface. For example, the navigation path 270 may be displayed under the results list element 230 based on the search user interface 200.

Method 400 may then proceed to step 445, where computing device 500 may display a configuration dialog associated with the selected search result. For example, the configuration dialog box 300 may be displayed and may be used to receive new and/or modified values according to the configuration type of the selected search result. Some configuration attributes may be limited to values from a specified list of values (e.g., "enable" or "disable"), and the value modification elements of configuration dialog 300 may be configured according to the limitations.

Method 400 may then proceed to step 450, where computing device 500 may determine whether a change to the value of a selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results has been received via the configuration dialog. For example, the user may change the text string value of the selected search result 260 from "mail" to "web mail". If no new value is entered, the method 400 may end at step 470.

Otherwise, if it is determined that the value was changed at step 450, method 400 may proceed to step 455, where computing device 500 may determine whether the new value is valid. For example, the values of the selected search results 260 may include a string type limited to alphanumeric characters. Based on the search user interface 200 may verify that only alphanumeric characters have been entered in the new value entry element 330. According to embodiments of the invention, a database row for a selected configuration attribute may include a column specifying a valid value, such as a value range for a value type configuration value. The new value may be validated against a valid value stored in the associated database column.

If, at step 455, it is determined that the new value is valid, method 400 may proceed to step 460, where computing device 500 may save the changed value for the selected configuration attribute. For example, the computing device 500 may update the value column of the row associated with the selected search result 260 in the database to match the new value.

According to embodiments of the invention, the computing device may determine how to apply the new value. For example, new values may be associated with attributes that may be configured differently for different users. The administrator may choose to apply the change value as a system default and/or to one and/or more users. For example, the user interface 200 may present a dialog box to the administrator listing the applicable users, where the administrator may select one, some, zero, and/or all users to apply the new value. Also, an administrator may be allowed to specify that the change value may be applied to the system as a default value. The method 400 may then end at step 470.

If, at step 455, it is determined that the new value is not valid, method 400 may proceed to step 465, where computing device 500 may display an error. For example, an alarm message may be displayed that includes a description of the error. According to embodiments of the invention, the alarm message may also include a description of valid values. The method 400 may then end at step 470.

Embodiments consistent with the invention may comprise a system for providing search based system management. The system may include a memory storage and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage. The processing unit may be operative to display a management interface including a search input element and a results list element, receive a keyword through the search input element, identify a plurality of matching configuration attributes associated with the received keyword, and display at least one of the plurality of configuration attributes associated with the received keyword in the results list element, wherein the displayed plurality of configuration attributes each include a selectable user interface element. The processing unit may be further operative to create a database comprising a plurality of rows, wherein each row is associated with at least one configuration attribute. The database may be created in response to receiving a search query, and it may include a row associated with a configuration attribute that matches the received keyword in at least one element, such as an attribute name, description, value, and/or type. According to embodiments of the invention, the processing unit may be operative to create a database including all configuration attributes associated with an application, system and/or service and may search for a matching entry within the database upon receiving a keyword. The processing unit may be further operative to receive a selection of a displayed configuration attribute, provide a value input user interface element associated with the selected attribute, receive a new value for the attribute, and store the new value in a database row associated with the selected attribute.

Another embodiment consistent with the invention may comprise a system for providing search based system management. The system may include a memory storage and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage. The processing unit may be operative to authenticate a user, display an administrative console user interface including a search element and a results list element, receive a search term from the user through the search element, identify a plurality of configuration attributes associated with the search term, and display at least some of the matching configuration attributes associated with the received search criteria in the results list element. The processing unit may be further operative to receive a selection of at least one matching configuration attribute, and display an input element associated with a value of the at least one matching configuration attribute, receive a new value from the user via the input element, determine whether the new value contains a valid value for the at least one matching configuration attribute, and if so, update the at least one matching configuration attribute with the new value input.

Another embodiment consistent with the invention may comprise a system for providing search based system management. The system may include a memory storage and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage. The processing unit may be operative to extract a plurality of configuration attributes associated with at least one configurable service, create a plurality of entries each associated with at least one of the plurality of configuration attributes, wherein each entry includes a plurality of element names, navigation paths, descriptions, values, and configuration types, receive a search key from an administrator of the at least one configurable service via a search element in a management interface, retrieve a plurality of search results including a subset of the plurality of entries from a database, wherein the plurality of search results each include a match between the search key and at least one of the plurality of elements associated with each entry in the subset of the plurality of entries from the database, display at least a portion of the plurality of search results in a results element of the management interface, receive a selection of one of the plurality of search results displayed within the results element of the management interface, the method includes displaying a navigation path associated with a selected search result of a plurality of search results displayed within a management interface, displaying a configuration dialog including the selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results and modifying a user interface element by a configuration type of the selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results and including a value of the selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results, determining whether a change to the value of the selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results has been received via the configuration dialog, and if so, saving the changed value of the selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a system including a computing device 500. According to one embodiment of the invention, the above-described memory storage and processing unit may be implemented in a computing device, such as computing device 500 of FIG. 5. The memory storage and processing unit may be implemented using any suitable combination of hardware, software or firmware. For example, the memory storage and processing unit may be implemented with computing device 500 or any of other computing devices 518, in combination with computing device 500. The above-described systems, devices, and processors are examples, and other systems, devices, and processors may include the above-described memory storage and processing unit, according to embodiments of the invention. Further, the computing device 500 may include an operating environment for the system 100 described above. The system 100 may operate in other environments and is not limited to the computing device 500.

Referring to FIG. 5, a system according to an embodiment of the invention may include a computing device, such as computing device 500. In a basic configuration, computing device 500 may include at least one processing unit 502 and a system memory 504. Depending on the configuration and type of computing device, system memory 504 may include, but is not limited to, volatile (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM)), non-volatile (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, or any combination. The system memory 504 may include an operating system 505, one or more programming modules 506, and may include a user interface module 130. For example, operating system 505 may be suitable for controlling the operation of computing device 500. In certain embodiments, the memory 504 may include a data table 125. Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may be practiced in conjunction with a graphics library, other operating systems, or any other application program and is not limited to any particular application or system. This basic configuration is illustrated in fig. 5 by the components within dashed line 508.

Computing device 500 may also have additional features or functionality. For example, computing device 500 may also include additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in figure 5 by removable storage 509 and non-removable storage 510. Computing device 500 may also contain communication connections 516 that may allow device 500 to communicate with other computing devices 518, such as over a network in a distributed computing environment, for example, an intranet or the Internet. Communication connection(s) 516 is one example of communication media.

The term computer readable media as used herein may include computer storage media. Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. System memory 504, removable storage 509, and non-removable storage 510 are all examples of computer storage media (i.e., memory storage). Computer storage media may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store information and which can be accessed by computing device 500. Any such computer storage media may be part of device 100. Computing device 500 may also have input device(s) 512 such as keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, etc. Output device(s) 514 such as a display, speakers, printer, etc. may also be included. The above devices are examples and other devices may be used.

The term computer readable media as used herein may also include communication media. Communication media may be embodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" may describe a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, Radio Frequency (RF), infrared and other wireless media.

Computing device 500 may also contain communication connections 516 that may allow device 500 to communicate with other computing devices 518, such as over a network in a distributed computing environment, for example, an intranet or the Internet. Communication connection(s) 516 is one example of communication media. Communication media may typically be embodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" may describe a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, Radio Frequency (RF), infrared and other wireless media. The term "computer-readable media" as used herein may include both storage media and communication media.

As mentioned above, a number of program modules and data files may be stored in system memory 504, including operating system 505. When executed on processing unit 502, programming modules 506 (e.g., UI module 130) may perform processes including, for example, one or more of the stages of method 400 described above. The foregoing processes are examples, and processing unit 502 may perform other processes. Other programming modules that may be used in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may include email and contacts applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, database applications, slide presentation applications, drawing or computer-aided application programs, and the like.

Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that may perform particular tasks or that may implement particular abstract data types in accordance with embodiments of the invention. Moreover, embodiments of the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Embodiments of the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may be implemented in circuits comprising discrete electronic components, packaged or integrated electronic chips containing logic gates, circuits utilizing microprocessors, or on a single chip containing electronic components or microprocessors. Embodiments of the invention may also be practiced using other technologies capable of performing logical operations such as, for example, AND, OR, AND NOT, including but NOT limited to mechanical, optical, fluidic, AND quantum technologies. In addition, embodiments of the invention may be implemented in a general purpose computer or any other circuit or system.

For example, embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a computer process (method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as a computer program product or computer readable media. The computer program product may be a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. The computer program product may also be a propagated signal on a carrier readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.). In other words, embodiments of the invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system. A computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, of otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

Embodiments of the present invention are described above with reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of, for example, methods, systems, and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been described, other embodiments are possible. Moreover, although embodiments of the present invention have been described as being associated with data stored in memory and other storage media, data may also be stored on or read from other types of computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, or a CD-ROM; a carrier wave from the internet; or other forms of RAM or ROM. Moreover, the stages of the disclosed methods may be modified in any manner, including by reordering stages and/or inserting or deleting stages, without departing from the invention.

All rights including copyrights in the code included herein are vested in and the property of the applicant. Applicants reserve and retain all rights in the code included herein and grant permission to reproduce the material only in connection with reproduction of the granted patent and for no other purpose.

While this specification includes examples, the scope of the invention is indicated by the following claims. Furthermore, although the specification has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, the claims are not limited to the features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of embodiments of the invention.

Claims (15)

1. A method for providing search based system management, the method comprising:

displaying a management interface including a search input element and a results list element;

receiving a keyword via the search input element;

identifying a plurality of matching configuration attributes associated with the received keyword; and

displaying in the results list element at least one of a plurality of configuration attributes associated with the received keyword, wherein each of the displayed plurality of configuration attributes comprises a selectable user interface element.

2. The method of claim 2, further comprising creating a data table comprising a plurality of rows, wherein each of the plurality of rows comprises at least one of: the name of the associated configuration attribute, the description of the associated configuration attribute, the value of the associated configuration attribute, and the type of the associated configuration attribute.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying a plurality of matching configuration attributes associated with the received key comprises comparing the key to each row in the data table.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a selection of at least one of the displayed plurality of configuration attributes; and

providing a value input user interface element associated with a selected one of the plurality of configuration attributes.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, via the value input element, a new value for a selected configuration attribute of the plurality of configuration attributes; and

storing the new value in a row in the data table associated with the selected one of the plurality of configuration attributes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the received keyword comprises a text input from a user, and wherein each of the plurality of matching configuration attributes comprises a security clearance required to view an associated value and a security clearance required to change an associated value.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining whether the user is permitted to view at least one of the plurality of matched configuration attributes according to security permissions required to view the at least one of the plurality of matched configuration attributes; and

in response to determining that the user is permitted to view at least one of the plurality of matching configuration attributes, displaying at least one of the plurality of configuration attributes associated with the received keyword in the results list element.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a selection of at least one of the displayed plurality of configuration attributes;

determining whether the user is permitted to change the associated value of at least one of the plurality of matched configuration attributes according to security permissions required to change the associated value; and

in response to determining that the user is permitted to change the associated value of at least one of the plurality of matched configuration attributes, providing a value input user interface element associated with a selected configuration attribute of the plurality of configuration attributes.

9. A computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions that when executed perform a method for providing search-based system management, the method performed by the set of instructions comprising:

authenticating the user as including at least one administrator security permission;

displaying a management console user interface comprising a search element and a results list element, wherein the search element comprises at least one filtering option;

receiving a search term from the user via the search element;

identifying a plurality of configuration attributes that match the search term;

displaying in the results list element at least a subset of the plurality of configuration attributes associated with the received search term, wherein each of the matched configuration attributes includes a selectable user interface element.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the at least one filtering option; and

limiting display of the matched configuration attributes to a subset of the matched configuration attributes associated with the at least one filtering option.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a selectable user interface element associated with at least one of the matched configuration attributes; and

displaying an input element associated with a value of at least one of the matched configuration attributes.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the input element is configured according to a type of the value.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a new value input from the user via the input element; and

updating at least one of the matched configuration attributes with the new value input.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether the new value input comprises a valid value for at least one of the matched configuration attributes; and

displaying an error to the user in response to determining that the new value input does not include a valid value for at least one of the matched configuration attributes.

15. A system for providing search based system management, the system comprising:

a memory store; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is to:

extracting a plurality of configuration attributes associated with at least one configurable service;

creating a data table comprising a plurality of entries each associated with at least one of the plurality of configuration attributes, wherein each entry comprises a plurality of element names, navigation paths, descriptions, values, and configuration types;

receiving a search key from an administrator of the at least one configurable service via a search element in an administrative interface;

retrieving a plurality of search results comprising a subset of the plurality of entries from the data table, wherein each of the plurality of search results comprises a match between the search key and at least one of a plurality of elements associated with each of the subset of the plurality of entries from the data table;

displaying at least a portion of the plurality of search results in a results element of the management interface;

receiving a selection of one of the displayed plurality of search results in a result element of the management interface;

displaying a navigation path associated with a selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results in the management interface;

displaying a configuration dialog including a selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results and modifying a user interface element according to a value of a configuration type of the selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results and including the value of the selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results;

determining whether a change in a value of a selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results has been received via the configuration dialog; and

in response to determining that a change to a value of a selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results has been received via the configuration dialog, saving the changed value of the selected search result of the displayed plurality of search results.