Adaptive resource management helper component for facilitating autonomic management of subject entities

• US 20040049500A1
• Filed: 08/13/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Balsamo, Arcangelo Di, DʼAloʼ, Salvatore, Donatelli, Alessandro, Marinelli, Claudio
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A resource management method (500) and a corresponding system implementing an adaptive model are proposed. The method allows an authority to define a desired target state of several kinds of resources, which are directly controlled by different subjects. The authority publishes a series of rules in a shared repository; each rule indicates the target state of a resource for a corresponding category of the subjects. Each subject provides (509-515) the corresponding category to an associated helper (120). The helper retrieves (521-530) the rules corresponding to the category of the subject from the shared repository. The helper then enforces (533-564) application of the rules on the subject. In this way, the subjects adapt to the rules without requiring any direct interaction with the authority, even if they do not have the necessary computational power required to be completely autonomous.

Claims

1. In a data processing structure with a distributed architecture (100) including a plurality of subject entities (110d), at least one helper entity (120) and at last one authority entity (105), a resource management method (300,500) for facilitating configuration of the subject entities, each subject entity belonging to at least one of a plurality of categories and controlling an instance of at least one resource, the at least one authority entity defining a target state of the resources, wherein the method includes the steps of:

publishing (305-335) a plurality of rules by the at least one authority entity, each rule including an indication of the target state of a resource for a category of the subject entities,

providing (509-515) an indication of the at least one category of a subject entity to an associated helper entity,

retrieving (521-530) the rules corresponding to the at least one category of the subject entity by the helper entity, and

applying (533-564) each retrieved rule on the subject entity under the control of the helper entity to configure the subject entity according to the target state indicated in the rule.

2. The method (300,500) according to claim 1, wherein the step of publishing (305-335) the rules includes inserting (320) the rules into a shared memory space accessible by the helper entities.

3. The method (300,500) according to claim 2, further including the step of dynamically associating the helper entity to the subject entity, wherein the step of dynamically associating includes:

the subject entity inserting a further rule including an identification thereof into the shared memory space, and the helper entity retrieving the further rule from the shared memory space.

4. The method (300,500) according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the step of applying (533-564) the retrieved rule on the subject entity (110d) under the control of the helper entity (120) includes:

the subject entity providing (533-545) an indication of the current state of the instance of the resource indicated in the rule to the helper entity,

the helper entity determining (533-554) at least one management action required to bring the instance of the resource from the current state to the target state indicated in the rule, and

the helper entity enforcing (557-564) execution of the at least one management action on the subject entity.

5. The method (300,500) according to claim 4, wherein the step of applying (533-564) the retrieved rule on the subject entity (110d) under the control of the helper entity (120) further includes:

causing (533-536) the subject entity to verify whether the instance of the resource features an inconsistency,

returning (539) a result of the verification to the helper entity, and

setting (542-545) a current state of the instance of the resource to a value indicative of the inconsistency if the result of the verification is positive.

6. The method (300,500) according to claim 1 or 5, wherein the step of retrieving (521-530) the rules corresponding to the at least one category of the subject entity by the helper entity includes:

periodically requesting (521) the rules corresponding to the at least one category of the subject entity to an engine controlling the shared memory space, and

returning (527) the rules available in the shared memory space for the at least one category of the subject entity.

7. The method (300,500) according to any claim from 1 to 6, wherein the step of retrieving (521-530) the rules corresponding to the at least one category of the subject entity by the helper entity includes:

submitting a request for the rules corresponding to the at least one category of the subject entity to an engine controlling the shared memory space,

storing the request by the engine,

inserting a new rule into the shared memory space, and

returning the new rule to the helper entity if matching the stored request.

8. The method (300,500) according to any claim from 1 to 7, further including the steps under the control of the helper entity (120) of:

storing (530) an indication of the rules applied on the subject entity, and

periodically re-applying the applied rules.

9. A computer program application (203,209,215;

227d-236d,266;

251h) directly loadable into a working memory of a data processing structure (100) with a distributed architecture for performing the resource management method (300,500) of any claim from 1 to 8 when the program is run on the structure.

10. A program product (180) comprising a computer readable medium on which the program application (203,209,215;

227d-236d,266;

251h) of claim 9 is stored.

11. In a data processing structure with a distributed architecture (100) including a plurality of subject entities (110d), at least one helper entity (120) and at last one authority entity (105), a computer program (251h) directly loadable into a working memory of a computer of a helper entity for performing a resource management method (300,500) for facilitating configuration of the subject entities when the program is run on the computer, each subject entity belonging to at least one of a plurality of categories and controlling an instance of at least one resource, the at least one authority entity defining a target state of the resources by publishing a plurality of rules each one including an indication of the target state of a resource for a category of the subject entities, wherein the method includes the steps of:

receiving (509-515) an indication of the corresponding at least one category from an associated subject entity,

retrieving (521-530) the rules corresponding to the at least one category of the subject entity, and

enforcing (533-564) application of each retrieved rule on the subject entity to configure the subject entity according to the target state indicated in the rule.

12. In a data processing structure with a distributed architecture (100) including a plurality of subject entities (110d), at least one helper entity (120) and at last one authority entity (105), a computer program (227d-236d,266) directly loadable into a working memory of a computer of a subject entity (110d) for performing a resource management method (300,400a) for facilitating configuration of the subject entity when the program is run on the computer, each subject entity belonging to at least one of a plurality of categories and controlling an instance of at least one resource, the at least one authority entity defining a target state of the resources by publishing (305-335) a plurality of rules each one including an indication of the target state of a resource for a category of the subject entities, wherein the method includes the steps of:

providing (509-515) an indication of the corresponding at least one category to an associated helper entity for causing the helper entity to retrieve (521-530) the rules corresponding to the at least one category of the subject entity, and

applying (533-564) each retrieved rule on the subject entity under the control of the helper entity to configure the subject entity according to the target state indicated in the rule.

13. In a data processing structure with a distributed architecture including a plurality of subject entities (110d), at least one helper entity (120) and at last one authority entity (105), a resource management system (100) for facilitating configuration of the subject entities, each subject entity belonging to at least one of a plurality of categories and controlling an instance of at least one resource, the at least one authority entity including means (203,209,215) for defining a target state of the resources by publishing a plurality of rules each one including an indication of the target state of a resource for a category of the subject entities, at least one of the subject entities including means (227d-236d) for providing an indication of the corresponding at least one category to an associated helper entity, and the at least one helper entity including means (251h) for retrieving the rules corresponding to the at least one category of each associated subject entity and means (251h) for enforcing application of each retrieved rule on the subject entity to configure the subject entity according to the target state indicated in the rule.

14. In a data processing structure (100) with a distributed architecture including a plurality of subject entities (110d), at least one helper entity (120) and at last one authority entity (105), a computer (120) of a helper entity suitable to be used in a resource management method for facilitating configuration of the subject entities, each subject entity belonging to at least one of a plurality of categories and controlling an instance of at least one resource, the at least one authority entity defining a target state of the resources by publishing a plurality of rules each one including an indication of the target state of a resource for a category of the subject entities, wherein the computer includes means (251h) for receiving an indication of the corresponding at least one category from an associated subject entity, means (251h) for retrieving the rules corresponding to the at least one category of the subject entity, and means (251h) for enforcing application of each retrieved rule on the subject entity to configure the subject entity according to the target state indicated in the rule.

15. In a data processing structure (100) with a distributed architecture including a plurality of subject entities (110d), at least one helper entity (120) and at last one authority entity (105), a computer (110d) of a subject entity suitable to be used in a resource management method for facilitating configuration of the subject entity, each subject entity belonging to at least one of a plurality of categories and controlling an instance of at least one resource, the at least one authority entity defining a target state of the resources by publishing a plurality of rules each one including an indication of the target state of a resource for a category of the subject entities, wherein the computer includes means (227d-236d) for providing an indication of the corresponding at least one category to an associated helper entity for causing the helper entity to retrieve the rules corresponding to the at least one category of the subject entity, and means (266) for applying each retrieved rule on the subject entity under the control of the helper entity to configure the subject entity according to the target state indicated in the rule.