Service Configuration: A Semantic Model
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The document discusses a semantic model for representing service configurations to manage reliability. It describes how a service can be modeled as a set of interrelated elements, including components, relationships, requirements, and circumstances. These elements describe the functionality, capabilities, and organization of the service. An example is provided of a baseball manager modeling the use of a relief pitcher in terms of the pitcher's abilities, the role/assignment, operational constraints, and how this aligns factors to achieve the desired outcome. The model represents services at different levels of abstraction and can be used to diagnose issues by examining how individual factors within each element are meeting requirements and expectations.
Service Configuration: A Semantic Model
- 1. Service Configuration A Semantic Model
- 2. Demand for Reliability of IT Providing and defending the reliability of IT systems is the biggest driver of efforts to manage the way components interact with each other to generate outcomes that are specific enough and good enough to offer as a service. Choosing the components and their arrangements calls on both engineering (for viable functionality) and architecture (for logical feasibility). However, the necessary choices to be made for reliability are actually about several factors that are “elements” of the service. Components are only one kind of factor. Relationships, requirements, circumstances, and other issues are other types of factors that are also elements. To manage reliability – by providing, sustaining or restoring it – the “necessary” data is data about the elements.
- 3. Expectations of the Demand We normally talk about the elements in nearly narrative ways that describe the service. The semantics of the narration itself tell us how we normally recognize and expect when something “should” work. In fact, that recognition “intuitively” tells us why we think our subject of interest – a service – should work. Illustrating that recognition tells us how we can represent the service for manageability. Naturally, management will rely on the representation to identify what it can influence, and how it can exert the influence in a practical way. The practicalities are in providing, maintaining or restoring the service. All of those efforts address the organization of the service elements.
- 4. How elements of a service are logically organized in the service Model (noun) - a simplified representation of a complex system or entity, especially one designed to facilitate calculations and predictions. To derive the organization of a service, we first ask what is meaningful and why, then we arrange things to show how the meanings are related, demonstrated and used.
- 5. A demand-based story Narrative (of meaning) • Make sure the needed service is available and used when and how it is appropriate • Choose an effective type of service • Produce the service with the appropriate resources and form • Utilize an appropriate resource for the service Elements • Assurance • Requirements • Assignments • Components ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 6. Service Type Functionality– Capability- Tolerance Service Resource Activity – Suitability – Responsibility Service Item Design Configuration – Effects – Events Service Operation Model Continuity – Policy – Exposure Service Item DEMAND component assignment requirement assurance Factors within the elements… ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 7. Example An example from real life can be used to show this idea. In the example, we describe a key part of a system, describe how that part provides a service, and describe the service – relying on key factors that show how things are expected to work. All together, those descriptions align (model) the factors in a way that would be maintained to ensure that desired results are most probable. Therefore, if undesirable results arose instead, those results might be evidence that something is out of alignment. The example is a baseball game in which a coach (the manager) decides to use a certain type of pitcher in a game situation for a specified outcome.
- 8. “I’ve got a left-hander who can throw only fastballs and sliders for no more than four innings.” Pitcher X PITCHING DEFENSE Service Sub-service Sub-sub-service RESOURCE SPECIFICATION. An enablement of a service is intentional or not, permanent or not, and risky or not. Management both determines and aims for the positives. The Manager makes a decision about when and why to deploy this resource. The deployment enables a service.
- 9. Fastballs, sliders I’ve got a left-hander who can throw only fastballs and sliders for about 20 pitches per inning for no more than four innings. Pitcher X Certain basic activity is available from the pitcher in question. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 10. Fastballs, sliders Strikeouts, grounders (Suitable For) I’ve got a left-hander who can throw only fastballs and sliders for about 20 pitches per inning for no more than four innings. Application: what should I use him for? Pitcher X The available action will be employed for a certain effect. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 11. Fastballs, sliders While leading/tied Strikeouts, grounders I’ve got a left-hander who can throw only fastballs and sliders for about 20 pitches per inning for no more than four innings. Operation: when should I use him? Pitcher X This decision is the deployment bet… Fastballs and sliders will be used to preserve the tie or the lead – so the tie/lead will then be dependent on them ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 12. Fastballs, sliders While leading/tied Strikeouts, grounders (Suitable For) The Gametime (Service) Assignment Activity – Suitability – Responsibility Pitcher X This summarizes the planned use of the pitcher. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 13. Suitable For (tolerances) (capabilities) (functionalities) Pitcher X The Service Requirement Functionality– Capability- Tolerance This is the decision model used, that selects the right pitcher as a resource to serve a current need. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 14. Fastballs, sliders While leading/tied Strikeouts, grounders I’ve got a left-hander who can throw only fastballs and sliders for about 20 pitches per inning for no more than four innings. Limits on the Resource Role Pitcher X Versus lefty hitters These circumstances shape the role that the pitcher will play. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 15. Fastballs, sliders While leading/tied Strikeouts, grounders Suitable For Versus lefty hitters (tolerances) (capabilities) (functionalities) Pitcher X The Service Specification Resource + Role + Assignment This scenario is the “best case” one in which the pitcher is expected to succeed. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 16. Service item as a resource in a role for an operation The pitcher is the item committed to the service needed by the manager.
- 17. Configuration For Certain events Effects including Service Design of Item Service Item ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 18. tolerances capabilities functionalities Service Type Functionality– Capability- Tolerance Service Item ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 19. Suitable For (tolerances) (capabilities) (functionalities) Service Resource Model Activity – Suitability – Responsibility Service Item ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 20. Configuration For Certain events Suitability For (tolerances) (capabilities) (functionalities) Service Item Effects including Service Role Model Configuration – Effects – Events ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 21. Configuration For Certain events Suitability For Policy/requirement (tolerances) (capabilities) (functionalities) Service Operation Model Continuity – Policy – Exposure Service Item Effects including ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 22. Service Type Functionality– Capability- Tolerance Service Resource Activity – Suitability – Responsibility Service Item Design Configuration – Effects – Events Service Operation Model Continuity – Policy – Exposure Service Item DEMAND component assignment requirement assurance Factors within the elements… ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 23. Comparison: Generic & Example Service Item Pitcher X
- 24. An item comes with pre-existing behaviors that can be subscribed to a given state of need and purpose. The behaviors come from how the item is built to act. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 25. The required type of service calls for only certain characteristics of an item. Those characteristics will qualify the item for active service duty. The qualifications include functionality, capability and tolerances. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 26. An item is not a resource merely because it has some potential; an item is a resource because it has an assignment. The qualifications for being the assignment’s resource include designated activity, suitability and responsibility. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 27. The resource performs the assignment as a role in the prevailing circumstances. The role requires that the resource’s characteristics will be effective in the circumstances. The circumstances may be pre-defined as constraints and thresholds of operation. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 28. The constraints and thresholds of operation around performing any role include continuity, policy and exposure demands or limits. Those are variables that are themselves under some degree (more or less) of control. When an experienced baseball manager makes a lineup decision, and he wants to “get service” from a player, he already has the entire picture (example at right) of related issues in his head. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 29. Configuration Diagnostics The configuration of the service must be understood in order to determine what to do about the service usage results.
- 30. Service Type Functionality – Capability – Tolerance Service Resource Activity – Suitability – Responsibility Service Item Design Configuration – Effects – Events Service Operation Model Continuity – Policy – Exposure Service Item DEMAND component assignment requirement assurance Each higher-level element is supported by one or more types, and/or instances, of the element below it. Each factor in an element is both a success factor and a risk factor. All factors are continuously observable. Any factor may go through a modification independently of other factors. A recognizable defect, omission or error may be found at any factor within any element. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
- 31. ©2015 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research www.archestra.com mryder@archestra.com