Methods and systems for control discovery in computing systems

• US 20050086645A1
• Filed: 10/17/2003
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Keller, Alexander, Surendra, Maheswaran, Froehlich, Steven E., Spainhower, Lisa F., Diao, Yixin, Hellerstein, Joseph L., Eskesen, Frank N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,565,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3447 Performance evaluation by modeling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions

Abstract

Techniques are provided for generically controlling one or more resources associated with at least one computing system. In one aspect of the invention, the technique comprises evaluating one or more performance metrics associated with the one or more resources given one or more configurations of the one or more resources. The technique then causes a change in the one or more configurations of the one or more resources based on the performance metric evaluating step. The one or more performance metrics and the one or more configurations are expressed in generic formats.

Claims

1. A method of generically controlling one or more resources associated with at least one computing system, comprising the steps of:

evaluating one or more performance metrics associated with the one or more resources given one or more configurations of the one or more resources; and

causing a change in the one or more configurations of the one or more resources based on the performance metric evaluating step;

wherein the one or more performance metrics and the one or more configurations are expressed in generic formats.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more resources are at least one of real resources and virtual resources.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of evaluating the one or more generically-expressed performance metrics further comprises determining whether one or more performance goals are being met based on the one or more generically-expressed performance metrics.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of obtaining the one or more generically-expressed performance metrics from a probe.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the probe measures performance of the one or more resources in the context of a particular workload.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the particular workload is a current workload.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of obtaining the one or more generically-expressed performance metrics via one or more measurements of at least a part of an end user performance experience.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of obtaining the one or more generically-expressed configurations associated with the one or more resources prior to changing a configuration.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of categorizing the one or more obtained, generically-expressed configurations.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of causing a change in the one or more generically-expressed configurations further comprises building a model for use in determining changes in the one or more generically-expressed configurations.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the model building step comprises using at least one of a previous performance history and a previous configuration.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the model building step further comprises obtaining performance samples associated with the one or more resources and their one or more current configurations.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of causing a change in the one or more generically-expressed configurations further comprises instructing the one or more resources to change one or more configurations associated therewith.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the one or more changed, generically-expressed configurations.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more performance metrics and the one or more configurations are expressed in generic formats in accordance with one or more common generic interfaces.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a common generic interface comprises a Common Interface Model.

17. Apparatus for generically controlling one or more resources associated with at least one computing system, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative to;

(i) evaluate one or more performance metrics associated with the one or more resources given one or more configurations of the one or more resources; and

(ii) cause a change in the one or more configurations of the one or more resources based on the performance metric evaluating operation;

wherein the one or more performance metrics and the one or more configurations are expressed in generic formats.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more resources are at least one of real resources and virtual resources.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operation of evaluating the one or more generically-expressed performance metrics further comprises determining whether one or more performance goals are being met based on the one or more generically-expressed performance metrics.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to obtain the one or more generically-expressed performance metrics from a probe.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to obtain the one or more generically-expressed performance metrics via one or more measurements of at least a part of an end user performance experience.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to obtain the one or more generically-expressed configurations associated with the one or more resources prior to changing a configuration.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operation of causing a change in the one or more generically-expressed configurations further comprises building a model for use in determining changes in the one or more generically-expressed configurations.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operation of causing a change in the one or more generically-expressed configurations further comprises instructing the one or more resources to change one or more configurations associated therewith.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to store the one or more changed, generically-expressed configurations.

26. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more performance metrics and the one or more configurations are expressed in generic formats in accordance with one or more common generic interfaces.

27. An article of manufacture for generically controlling one or more resources associated with at least one computing system, comprising a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

evaluating one or more performance metrics associated with the one or more resources given one or more configurations of the one or more resources; and

causing a change in the one or more configurations of the one or more resources based on the performance metric evaluating step;

wherein the one or more performance metrics and the one or more configurations are expressed in generic formats.

28. A method of providing a service for generically controlling one or more resources associated with at least one computing system, comprising the step of:

a service provider deploying a system operative to;

(i) evaluate one or more performance metrics associated with the one or more resources given one or more configurations of the one or more resources; and

(ii) cause a change in the one or more configurations of the one or more resources based on the performance metric evaluating step;

wherein the one or more performance metrics and the one or more configurations are expressed in generic formats.