Method of allocating computing resources

• US 20050262509A1
• Filed: 05/19/2004
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2004
• 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: Kelly, Terence P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

An embodiment of a method of allocating computing resources begins with a first step of identifying applications which comprise candidates for execution on a shared computing system. In a second step, the method identifies at least one subset of the computing resources for each application. Each subset for a particular application comprises sufficient resources to support the particular application. The method continues with a third step of assigning a value to each subset. The method concludes with a fourth step of determining an assignment of the computing resources to the applications which provides a near maximal overall value.

Claims

1. A method of allocating computing resources comprising the steps of:

identifying applications which comprise candidates for execution on a shared computing system;

for each application, identifying at least one subset of the computing resources, each subset for a particular application comprising sufficient resources to support the particular application;

assigning a value to each subset; and

determining an assignment of the computing resources to the applications which provides a near maximal overall value.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the near maximal overall value comprises a maximal overall value.

3. The method of claim 1:

wherein the applications comprise first and second applications; and

further comprising the step of assigning particular computing resources to a third application.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of determining the assignment of the computing resources to the first and second applications limits available computing resources for the first and second applications to the computing resources less the particular computing resources.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the shared computing system comprises processors, memory, and storage.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein a particular subset of the computing resources comprises a quantity of the processors.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein a particular subset of the computing resources comprises a memory capacity.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein a particular subset of the computing resources comprises a storage capacity.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the shared computing system further comprises network links.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein a particular subset of the computing resources comprises a network bandwidth.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of identifying the applications identifies a non-operation application.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of identifying the subset of the computing resources for each application assigns a particular subset of the computing resources to the non-operation application.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of identifying the subset of the computing resources for each application assigns all of the computing resources to the non-operation application.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of assigning the value to each subset comprises assigning a cost of operating the shared computing system as the value for the subset of the computing resources for the non-operation application.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the applications comprise the non-operation application and remaining applications; and

if the step of determining the assignment of the computing resources to the applications assigns the computing resources to the non-operation application, the shared computing system executes none of the remaining applications.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the assignment of the computing resources to the applications employs constraints and an objective.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the constraints comprise:

limiting assignment of the computing resources to available computing resources; and

for each application;

assigning no computing resources;

or

assigning the computing resources identified in one and only one particular subset of the computing resources identified for the application.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the objective comprises maximizing a sum of the values for the applications.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of modifying at least one of the subsets of the computing resources.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of determining a reassignment of the computing resources to the applications which provides a new near maximal overall value.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of modifying at least one of the values assigned to the subsets of the computing resources.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of determining a reassignment of the computing resources to the applications which provides a new near maximal overall value.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

identifying a new application which is added to the candidates for execution on the shared computing system;

for the new application, identifying at least one additional subset of the computing resources; and

assigning the value to each additional subset.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising the step of determining a reassignment of the computing resources to the applications and the new application which provides a new near maximal overall value.

25. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of reducing the candidates by at least one of the applications.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of determining a reassignment of the computing resources to the applications which provides a new near maximal overall value.

27. A method of allocating computing resources comprising the steps of:

identifying applications which comprise candidates for execution on a shared computing system;

for each application, identifying at least one subset of the computing resources, each subset for a particular application comprising sufficient resources to support the particular application;

assigning a value to each subset;

limiting assignment of the computing resources to available computing resources; and

for each application;

assigning no computing resources;

or

assigning the computing resources identified in one and only one particular subset of the computing resources identified for the application; and

determining an assignment of the computing resources to the application which provides a near maximal sum of the values for the applications.

28. A computer readable media comprising computer code for implementing a method of allocating computing resources, the method of allocating the computing resources comprising the steps of:

identifying applications which comprise candidates for execution on a shared computing system;

for each application, identifying at least one subset of the computing resources, each subset for a particular application comprising sufficient resources to support the particular application;

assigning a value to each subset; and

determining an assignment of the computing resources to the applications which provides a near maximal overall value.

29. A computer readable media comprising computer code for implementing a method of allocating computing resources, the method of allocating the computing resources comprising the steps of:

identifying applications which comprise candidates for execution on a shared computing system;

for each application, identifying at least one subset of the computing resources, each subset for a particular application comprising sufficient resources to support the particular application;

assigning a value to each subset;

limiting assignment of the computing resources to available computing resources; and

for each application;

assigning no computing resources;

or

assigning the computing resources identified in one and only one particular subset of the computing resources identified for the application; and

determining an assignment of the computing resources to the application which provides a near maximal sum of the values for the applications.