Method and system for balancing the load of a computer resource among computers

• US 20040243706A1
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Virtuozzo International GmbH
• Original Assignee: Parallels Holdings Limited (HNA Technology Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Rosenbach, Yariv, Harel, Igal, Bondar, Gregory, Baram, Nir
• Granted Patent: US 7,421,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5088 involving task migration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30

Abstract

A method and system for balancing the load of computer resource(s) among a plurality of computers having consumers consuming the resource(s) is disclosed. After defining the lower threshold of the consumption level of the resource(s) and obtaining the consumption level of the resource(s) for each of the consumers and for each of said computers, the consumption level for each of the computers is compared during a period with its associated lower threshold. Whenever a computer having a consumption level of the resource(s) higher than the lower threshold is identified, a new layout of computer resource(s) for each of the consumers is determined. Consumer(s) are then shifted from their current location in the computer to a corresponding location in another computer according to the layout, so that the consumption level of the resource(s) for a computer may be reduced.

Claims

1. A method for balancing the load of computer resource(s) among a plurality of computers having consumers consuming said resource(s), comprising:

a) For each of said computers, defining the lower threshold of the consumption level of said resource(s);

b) Obtaining the consumption level of said resource(s) for each of said consumers;

c) Obtaining the consumption level of said resource(s) for each of said computers;

d) Periodically, comparing the consumption level for each of said computers during a period with its associated lower threshold;

e) Whenever a computer having a consumption level of said resource(s) higher than said lower threshold is identified, determining a new layout, being a definition for each of said consumers from which computer of said group said computer resource(s) should be provided, and shifting consumer(s) from their current location in the computer to the corresponding location in said or in another computer according to said layout, thereby reducing the consumption level of said resource(s) on said computer.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the consumption level is a numerical value representing the consumption of the resource(s) during a period.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the consumption level is a numerical value representing the highest consumption of the resource(s) during a period.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the resource is disk quota, and/or network traffic, and/or CPU time, and/or system physical memory, and/or system virtual memory.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the consumers are Web sites, and/or Web servers, and/or virtual dedicated servers, and/or computer users.

6. A system for balancing the load of computer resource(s) among a plurality of computers having consumers consuming said resource(s), comprising:

Measurement means for measuring the consumption level of said resource(s) on each of said computers;

A first software module, for retrieving the consumption level from said computers;

A second software module, for comparing the consumption level of said computers with their allowed lower threshold;

A third software module, for determining the consumer(s) to be moved, and the computer to be moved to; and

A fourth software module, for moving a consumer from one of said computers to another.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the measurement means for measuring the consumption level of the resource(s) is a software module hooking calls for service(s) on each of the computer.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth software modules are executed by one of the computers.

9. A system according to claim 6, further comprising a user interface for administrating the first, second, third, and fourth software modules.