SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS AND MANAGEMENT THEREOF

• US 20030187966A1
• Filed: 10/22/1999
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Laboratories Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Laboratories Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: SINHA, HIMANSHU S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,120,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing

Abstract

Method and apparatus for service level agreement formation and management is described. More particularly, a service level agreement (SLA) manager is described. This SLA manager comprises an admission controller, a specification module and a performance measurement module. Such SLA manager is interposed between one or more client computer systems and a service provider computer system.

Claims

1. In a system having a client computer system and a service provider computer system programmed with a service implementation, an apparatus comprising:

a service level agreement manager disposed between the client computer system and the service implementation, the service level agreement manager comprising;

an admission controller configured to control admission of the client computer system to the service implementation using a service level agreement;

a performance measurement module in communication with the admission controller and configured to measure performance of the service implementation; and

a specification module in communication with the admission controller and with the performance measurement module.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the specification module is configured to compare service implementation performance data and client usage information.

3. A method for service level formation, comprising:

providing a client computer system;

providing a service level agreement manager, the service level agreement manager having an admission controller, a specification module and a performance measurement module;

establishing communication between the client computer system and the service level agreement manager;

invoking the specification module of the service level agreement manager;

obtaining performance information from the performance measurement module;

obtaining usage information associated from the client; and

comparing the performance information and the usage information to determine if there exists a basis for forming a service level agreement.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

forming the service level agreement; and

providing the admission controller with specification information from the service level agreement formed.

5. A method for managing system performance, comprising:

providing a service level agreement manager;

providing a client organization;

providing a service organization;

forming a service level agreement between the client organization and the service organization;

receiving a request from the client organization to the service level agreement manager;

with the service level agreement manager,

determining if the request is within the scope of the service level agreement;

if the request is within the scope of the service level agreement, providing the request to a performance measurement module and to the service organization;

obtaining a result from the service organization in response to the request;

taking at least one performance measurement associated with performance response of the service organization to the request; and

checking the at least one performance measurement taken against the service level agreement.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising recording the at least one performance measurement.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing the result obtained to the client.

8. A network, comprising:

a plurality of client processes;

a plurality of service level managers;

at least one invocation infrastructure for communication between the plurality of client processes and the plurality of service level managers; and

each service level manager of the service level managers in communication with a respective service implementation.

9. The network of claim 8, wherein the invocation infrastructure comprises a Common Object Request Broker Architecture.

10. The network of claim 8, wherein the invocation infrastructure comprises Java Remote Method Invocation.

11. The network of claim 8, wherein the invocation infrastructure comprises Hypertext Transport Protocol.

12. A network, comprising:

a client process;

a first plurality of service level managers;

at least one invocation infrastructure for communication between said first plurality of service level managers and said client process;

each service level manager of said first plurality of service level managers in communication with a respective service implementation of a first plurality of service implementations;

each said service implementation of said first plurality of service implementations in communication with at least one service level manager of a second plurality of service level managers; and

each service level manager of said second plurality of service level managers in communication with a respective service implementation of a second plurality of service level implementations.

13. The network of claim 12, wherein the invocation infrastructure comprises a Common Object Request Broker Architecture.

14. The network of claim 12, wherein the invocation infrastructure comprises Java Remote Method Invocation.

15. The network of claim 12, wherein the invocation infrastructure comprises Hypertext Transport Protocol.