Application management based on power consumption

• US 20050055590A1
• Filed: 09/04/2003
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ranganathan, Parthasarathy, Farkas, Keith Istvan
• Granted Patent: US 7,127,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A plurality of computer systems is operable to execute an application. A power consumption is determined for a first computer system if the first computer system were to execute the application, and a power consumption is determined for at least one other computer system if the second computer system were to execute the application. One of the computer systems is selected to execute the application based on the determined power consumptions.

Claims

1. A method of managing computer applications comprising:

determining computer resource needs of an application;

determining, based on the computer resource needs of the application, a first power consumption of a first computer system if the first computer system were to execute the application;

determining, based on the computer resource needs of the application, at least one other power consumption of at least one other computer system if the at least one other computer system were to execute the application;

selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system to execute the application based on at least the first power consumption and the at least one other power consumption.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system to execute the application comprises:

determining which of the first power consumption and the at least one other power consumption is smaller;

selecting the first computer system to execute the application in response to the first power consumption being smaller than the at least one other power consumption; and

selecting the at least one other computer system to execute the application in response to the at least one other power consumption being smaller than the first power consumption.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying performance level requirements for the application; and

selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system to execute the application further comprises;

selecting the first computer system to execute the application in response to the first computer system being operable to meet the performance level requirements for the application; and

selecting the at least one other computer system to execute the application in response to the at least one other computer system being operable to meet the performance level requirements for the application.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining a first temperature for the first computer system;

determining at least one other temperature for the at least one other computer system;

determining whether a difference between the first temperature and the at least one other temperature exceeds a threshold; and

selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system to execute the application further comprises;

in response to the difference exceeding the threshold, selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system having a lower temperature.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first temperature comprises temperature measured in a vicinity of the first computer system and the at least one other temperature comprises temperature measured in a vicinity of the at least one other computer system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system further comprises:

determining a first utilization of computer resources for the first computer system if the first computer system were to execute the application in addition to other applications intended to be executed by the first computer system;

determining at least one other utilization of computer resources for the at least one other computer system if the at least one other computer system were to execute the application in addition to other applications intended to be executed by the at least one other computer system;

determining the first power consumption based on the first utilization of computer resources; and

determining the at least one other power consumption based on the at least one other utilization of computer resources.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining a first derating factor for the first utilization of computer resources, the first derating factor being associated with utilization of common resources by the application and the other applications intended to be executed on the first computer system;

determining at least one other derating factor for the at least one utilization of computer resources, the at least one other derating factor being associated with utilization of common resources by the application and the other applications intended to be executed on the at least one other computer system;

determining the first power consumption further comprises determining the first power consumption based on the first utilization of computer resources and the first derating factor; and

determining the at least one other power consumption further comprises determining the second power consumption based on the at least one other utilization of computer resources and the at least one other derating factor.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first derating factor and the at least one other derating factor comprise one or more of commonalities and contentions of the common resources.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining computer resource needs of an application further comprises:

generating resource tuples for computer resources of the first computer system, each resource tuple including an array of utilization amounts for the computer resources for a period of time;

wherein the generated tuples further comprise tuples generated for each application executing on the first computer system;

calculating a future resource utilization for each application executing on the first computer system from the generated tuples; and

summing the future resource utilizations for each application executing on the first computer system to determine a future utilization of the computer resources for the first computer system.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining one or more of the future power consumption and future temperature of the first computer system based on the determined future utilization of the computer resources for the first computer system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining computer resource needs for an application further comprises:

generating resource tuples for computer resources of the at least one other computer system, each resource tuple including an array of utilization amounts for the computer resources for a period of time;

wherein the generated tuples further comprise tuples generated for each application executing on the at least one other computer system;

calculating a future resource utilization for each application executing on the at least one other computer system from the generated tuples; and

summing the future resource utilizations for each application executing on the at least one other computer system to determine a future utilization of the computer resources for the at least one other computer system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining the future power consumption of the at least one other computer system based on the determined future utilization of the computer resources for the at least one other computer system.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the first power consumption for the first computer system based on power consumption measurements of computer resources utilized by each application executing on the first computer system.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining the at least one other power consumption for the at least one other computer system based on power consumption measurements of computer resources utilized by each application executing on the at least one other computer system.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system to execute the application based on at least the first power consumption and the at least one other power consumption further comprises:

selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system to execute the application based on whether the first computer system or the at least one other computer system has sufficient computer resources to execute the application.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system to execute the application based on the first power consumption and the at one other power consumption further comprises:

determining performance level requirements for the application; and

selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system to execute the application based on whether the first computer system or the at least one other computer system can meet the performance level requirements for the application.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the steps of claim 1 prior to executing the application; and

executing the application on the selected first computer system or the selected at least one other computer system.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing at least one of the steps of claim 1 after the application is executing; and

migrating the application to the selected first computer system or the selected at least one other computer system.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer system comprises a plurality of first computer systems executing portions of the application, and the at least one other computer system comprises a plurality of other computer systems executing portions of the application.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer system receives power from a first nominal power supply and the at least one other computer system receives power from at least one other nominal power supply, and selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system further comprises:

selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system to execute the application based on whether the first nominal power supply is operable to meet the first power consumption and whether the at least one other power supply is operable to meet the at least one other power consumption.

21. A system for managing applications executing or to be executed on a plurality of computer systems, the system comprising:

a plurality of computer systems; and

a workload manager platform managing applications executing or to be executed on the plurality of computer systems, wherein the workload manager platform estimates power consumptions of at least two of the plurality of computer systems if the at least two computer systems were to execute an application, and the workload manager platform selects one of the at least two computer systems to execute the application based at least on a smaller one of the two estimated power consumptions.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of computer systems are provided in a data center.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of computer systems are connected to the workload manager platform via a network.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the workload manager platform estimates temperatures associated with the at least two computer systems if the at least two computer systems were to execute the application, and the workload manager selects one of the at least two computer systems to execute the application based on the estimated temperatures.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the workload manager platform comprises at least one database storing computer resources data received from the at least two computer systems, and one or more of the estimated power consumptions and the estimated temperatures is based on the computer resources data.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least two computer systems comprise sensors for measuring the computer resources data.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one database stores derating factors used to adjust one or more of the estimated power consumptions and the estimated temperatures, the derating factors being based on whether applications simultaneously executing on one of the at least two computer systems results in increased or decreased use of commonly utilized computer resources by the applications.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one database stores performance level requirements for the application, and the workload manager selects one of the at least two computer systems to execute the application based on whether performance level requirements are met.

29. An apparatus comprising:

means for determining computer resource needs of an application;

means for determining, based on the computer resource needs of the application, a first power consumption of a first computer system if the first computer system were to execute the application and for determining at least one other power consumption of at least one other computer system if the at least one other computer system were to execute the application; and

means for selecting one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system to execute the application based on at least the first power consumption and the at least one other power consumption.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the means for selecting determines which of the first power consumption and the at least one other power consumption is smaller, and selects one of the first computer system and the at least one other computer system having a smaller power consumption.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising storage means for storing computer resources data associated with utilizations of computer resources by the first computer system and the at least one other computer system, wherein the means for determining uses the computer resources data to determine the first power consumption and the at least one other power consumption.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising means for determining a first temperature associated with the first computer system if the first computer system were to execute the application and for determining at least one other temperature associated with the at least one other computer system if the at least one other computer system were to execute the application, wherein the means for selecting selects one of the first computer and the at least one other computer system based on whether a difference between the first temperature and the at least one other temperature exceeds a threshold.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the storage means stores one or more of performance level requirements and derating factors used by the means for selecting to select one of the first computer and the at least one other computer system to execute the application.