Evaluating and allocating system resources to improve resource utilization

• US 20040179528A1
• Filed: 03/11/2003
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Kirshenbaum, Evan, Powers, Jason Dean
• Granted Patent: US 7,924,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and systems for evaluating the utilization of resources in a system. Information that characterizes an allocation of resources in the system is received. Information that characterizes requests to the system is also received. Workflow in the system in response to the requests is simulated. Processes that are executed by the system in response to the requests are also simulated. Utilization of the allocation of resources is determined. The resources can be reallocated to improve the utilization as measured against a selected performance metric.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating the utilization of resources in a system, said method comprising:

receiving first information that characterizes a first allocation of resources in said system;

receiving second information that characterizes requests to said system;

determining an expected utilization of said first allocation of resources in response to said requests; and

reallocating said resources to improve said utilization as measured against a selected performance metric.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises:

simulating workflow in said system in response to said requests; and

simulating processes that are executed by said system in response to said requests.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said first information is selected from the group of information consisting of the number of computers in said system, attributes of said computers, memory capacity available to said system, and bandwidth capacity of said system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said second information is selected from the group of information consisting of a distribution of types and a distribution of frequency of said requests.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

evaluating said utilization for different distributions of requests.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

evaluating resource allocations that are different from said first allocation.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

identifying a resource allocation that satisfies said selected performance metric.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

determining consequences associated with said resource allocations that are evaluated.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

configuring said system according to a resource allocation selected from said resource allocations that are evaluated.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said configuring is performed automatically.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining is performed with a utilization model that is derived from source code of selected system resources.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining is performed with a utilization model that is derived from evaluating execution of selected system resources and regressing to a predictive model based on said evaluating.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining is performed with a utilization model that is derived from empirical information.

14. A computer system comprising:

a memory unit; and

a processor coupled to said memory unit, said processor for executing a method for deploying resources in a system, said method comprising;

inputting first and second information into a utilization model, said first information describing a first deployment of resources in said system and said second information describing requests to said system;

predicting utilization of said first deployment of resources; and

deploying said resources differently to increase said utilization as measured against a selected performance metric.

15. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said predicting comprises:

mapping said requests to processes used to respond to said requests; and

determining an expected utilization of said first deployment of resources according to a model of said processes.

16. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said first information is selected from the group of information consisting of the number of computers in said system, attributes of said computers, memory capacity available to said system, and bandwidth capacity of said system.

17. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said second information is selected from the group of information consisting of a distribution of types and a distribution of frequency of said requests.

18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein said utilization is determined for different distributions of requests.

19. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises:

determining utilization of different resource deployments.

20. The computer system of claim 19 wherein said method further comprises:

identifying a resource deployment that satisfies said selected performance metric.

21. The computer system of claim 19 wherein said method further comprises:

identifying consequences associated with each of said different resource deployments.

22. The computer system of claim 19 wherein said method further comprises:

deploying said resources in a configuration selected from said different resource deployments.

23. The computer system of claim 22 wherein said deploying is performed automatically.

24. A computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to perform a method for evaluating the allocation of resources in a system, said method comprising:

reading first information that describes a first allocation of resources in said system;

reading second information that describes requests to said system;

applying a model to said first and second information, wherein said model calculates parameters that quantify utilization of said first allocation of resources; and

reallocating said resources to improve said utilization as measured by said parameters.

25. The computer-usable medium of claim 24 wherein said model calculates said parameters according to a simulation of system response to said requests and according to a simulation of processes that are executed by said system in response to said requests.

26. The computer-usable medium of claim 24 wherein said first information is selected from the group of information consisting of the number of computers in said system, attributes of said computers, memory capacity available to said system, and bandwidth capacity of said system.

27. The computer-usable medium of claim 24 wherein said second information is selected from the group of information consisting of a distribution of types and a distribution of frequency of said requests.

28. The computer-usable medium of claim 27 wherein said computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform a method for evaluating the allocation of resources in a system, said method comprising:

calculating said parameters for different distributions of requests.

29. The computer-usable medium of claim 24 wherein said computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform a method for evaluating the allocation of resources in a system, said method comprising:

calculating said parameters for resource allocations that are different from said first allocation.

30. The computer-usable medium of claim 29 wherein said computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform a method for evaluating the allocation of resources in a system, said method comprising:

comparing said parameters against respective metrics.

31. The computer-usable medium of claim 29 wherein said computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform a method for evaluating the allocation of resources in a system, said method comprising:

identifying consequences associated with each of the different resource allocations.

32. The computer-usable medium of claim 29 wherein said computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform a method for evaluating the allocation of resources in a system, said method comprising:

configuring said system according to a resource allocation selected from the different resource allocations.

33. The computer-usable medium of claim 32 wherein said configuring is performed automatically.