Winventory: microservices architecture case study

Sebastian Bukowiec,Pawel Tadeusz Gomulak,C Doglioni,W Kamleh,D Kim,L Silvestris,P Jackson,G.A Stewart

doi:10.1051/epjconf/202024505031

Sebastian Bukowiec, Pawel Tadeusz Gomulak + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202024505031

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Abstract

In the CERN laboratory, users have access to a large number of different licensed software assets. The landscape of such assets is very heterogeneous including Windows operating systems, office tools and specialized technical and engineering software. In order to improve management of the licensed software and to better understand the needs of the users, it was decided to develop a Winventory application. The Winventory is a tool that gathers and presents statistics of software assets on CERN Windows machines and facilitates interaction with their individual users. The system was built based on microservices architecture pattern, an increasingly popular approach to web application development. The microservices architecture pattern separates the application into multiple independently deployable units that can be individually developed, tested and deployed. This paper presents the microservices architecture and design choices made in order to achieve a modern, maintainable and extensible system for managing licensed software at CERN.

Highlights

At CERN we have a large number of applications that are used by different user groups in the organization
The Winventory system was built in order to help in these administrative actions by facilitating the contact with the users and to understand the various use cases for these applications
This paper presents details of the architecture and design decisions taken in order to achieve a modern, maintainable and extensible system for managing licensed software at CERN

Summary

Introduction

At CERN we have a large number of applications that are used by different user groups in the organization. Many of these applications require some type of administrative action like phase-out or license management. We do gather metrics about the applications or licenses usage but more information is required to understand the different use cases. The Winventory system was built in order to help in these administrative actions by facilitating the contact with the users and to understand the various use cases for these applications. This paper presents details of the architecture and design decisions taken in order to achieve a modern, maintainable and extensible system for managing licensed software at CERN.

Microservices patterns

Decomposition strategy

Communication patterns

Push notifications

Continuous Deployment and monitoring

Conclusion