Adaptive power management of a cluster of host computers using predicted data

• US 10,068,263 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Parikh, Aashish
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Terrell
• Application Number:
  US14/332,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20150058641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5094 where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A power management system and method for performing power management operations in a distributed computer system uses predicted resource demands for a specified time in the future to change a power management option of a power management analysis algorithm prior to the specified time so that the power management analysis algorithm can be executed in anticipation of the predicted resource demands at the specified time.

Claims

1. A method for performing power management operations in a distributed computer system, the method comprising:

analyzing resource demands of clients running in the distributed computer system to produce predicted resource demands of the clients for a specified time in the future;

prior to providing at least one power management recommendation, automatically changing an option of a power management analysis algorithm from a first option setting to a second option setting at a first time prior to the specified time;

executing the power management analysis algorithm with the second option setting in anticipation of the predicted resource demands at the specified time, the power management analysis algorithm providing at least one power management recommendation on the distributed computer system; and

performing the at least one power management recommendation, including (a) switching the host computer to or from standby mode, or (b) powering off or powering on the host computer in the distributed computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the clients running in the distributed computer system are virtual machines and the resource demands are demands of virtualized resources.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing the resource demands by the clients includes analyzing at least one of processor and memory demands of the clients running in the distributed computer system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second option setting of the option is more aggressive with respect to power management than the first option setting.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second option setting of the option is less aggressive with respect to power management than the first option setting.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the option of the power management analysis algorithm from the second option setting to a third option setting at a second time subsequent to the first time and prior to the specified time; and

executing the power management analysis algorithm with the third option setting.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second option setting of the option is less aggressive with respect to power management than the first option setting and wherein the third option setting is less aggressive with respect to power management than the second option.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the option of the power management analysis algorithm is an average host utilization in a cluster of host computers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one power management recommendation includes one of migrating one of the clients to a different host computer in the distributed computer system and powering down or powering on a host computer in the distributed computer system.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing program instructions for performing resource management operations in a distributed computer system, wherein execution of the program instructions by one or more processors of a computer system causes the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

analyzing resource demands of clients running in the distributed computer system to produce predicted resource demands of the clients for a specified time in the future;

prior to providing at least one power management recommendation, automatically changing an option of a power management analysis algorithm from a first option setting to a second option setting at a first time prior to the specified time;

executing the power management analysis algorithm with the second option setting in anticipation of the predicted resource demands at the specified time, the power management analysis algorithm providing at least one power management recommendation on the distributed computer system; and

performing the at least one power management recommendation, including (a) switching the host computer to or from standby mode, or (b) powering off or powering on the host computer in the distributed computer system.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the clients running in the distributed computer system are virtual machines and the resource demands are demands of virtualized resources.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the analyzing the resource demands by the clients includes analyzing at least one of processor and memory demands of the clients running in the distributed computer system.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the second option setting of the option is more aggressive with respect to power management than the first option setting.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the second option setting of the option is less aggressive with respect to power management than the first option setting.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the steps further comprise:

changing the option of the power management analysis algorithm from the second option setting to a third option setting at a second time subsequent to the first time and prior to the specified time; and

executing the power management analysis algorithm with the third option setting.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the second option setting of the option is less aggressive with respect to power management than the first option setting and wherein the third option setting is less aggressive with respect to power management than the second option.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the option of the power management analysis algorithm is an average host utilization in a cluster of host computers.

18. A power management system supported by hardware in a distributed computer system comprising:

an analytics engine configured to analyze resource demands of clients running in the distributed computer system to produce predicted resource demands of clients for a specified time in the future;

an option setting unit configured to, prior to providing at least one power management recommendation, automatically change an option of a power management analysis algorithm from a first option setting to a second option setting at a first time prior to the specified time; and

a power management engine configured to execute the power management analysis algorithm with the second option setting in anticipation of the predicted resource demands at the specified time, the power management analysis algorithm providing at least one power management recommendation on the distributed computer system,

wherein the power management system is configured to perform the at least one power management recommendation, including (a) switching the host computer to or from standby mode, or (b) powering off or powering on the host computer in the distributed computer system.

19. The power management system of claim 18, wherein the clients running in the distributed computer system are virtual machines and the resource demands are demands of virtualized resources.

20. The power management system of claim 18, wherein the analytics engine is configured to analyze at least one of processor and memory demands of the clients running in the distributed computer system.

21. The management server of claim 18, wherein the second option setting of the option is more aggressive with respect to power management than the first option setting.

22. The power management system of claim 18, wherein the second option setting of the option is less aggressive with respect to power management than the first option setting.

23. The power management system of claim 18, wherein the option setting unit is further configured to change the option of the power management analysis algorithm from the second option setting to a third option setting at a second time subsequent to the first time and prior to the specified time and wherein the power management engine is configured to execute the power management analysis algorithm with the third option setting.

24. The power management system of claim 23, wherein the second option setting of the option is less aggressive with respect to power management than the first option setting and wherein the third option setting is less aggressive with respect to power management than the second option.