Adaptive management method with workflow control

• US 20060020801A1
• Filed: 12/08/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Donatelli, Alessandro, Marinelli, Claudio, D'Alo, Salvatore, Lanfranchi, Giovanni
• Granted Patent: US 7,743,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition

Abstract

A self-adaptive resource management method and a corresponding system. An authority publishes multiple rules into a corresponding repository. Each rule defines a desired target configuration for a category of subjects. Some rules are also associated with a corresponding stage in a predefined flow of application of the rules. A supervisor publishes the value of a current stage into a workflow repository. Each subject retrieves and applies the rules for its category and corresponding to the current stage. Information about the compliance of the subjects with the corresponding rules is published in a membership data repository. The supervisor detects the completion of the current stage when the subjects are compliant with the corresponding rules, and updates the value of the current stage to start a further stage.

Claims

1. In a data processing system including a plurality of subject entities and at least one authority entity, an autonomic management method for self-configuring the subject entities, each subject entity belonging to at least one of a plurality of categories, wherein the method includes:

the at least one authority entity publishing a plurality of rules each one defining a target state for a category, at least one of the rules being associated with at least one stage in a predefined flow of application of the rules;

the at least one authority entity publishing an indication of at least one current stage; and

each subject entity applying each rule for the at least one category of the subject entity and corresponding to the at least one current stage, to configure the subject entity according to the target state defined in the rule.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including, under the control of each subject entity:

retrieving each rule for the at least one category of the subject entity and corresponding to the at least one current stage; and

applying each retrieved rule.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one authority entity includes a first authority entity for publishing the rules and a second authority entity for publishing the indication of the at least one current stage.

4. The method according to claim 3, further including:

each subject entity publishing an indication of a configuration of the subject entity; and

the at least one authority entity setting a global variable indicative of the at least one current stage according to the configuration of the subject entities.

5. The method according to claim 4, further including, under the control of the at least one authority entity:

adding at least one first stage to the global variable;

monitoring a compliance of the subject entities with the rules corresponding to the at least one first stage; and

adding at least one second stage to the global variable according to the compliance of the subject entities with the rules corresponding to the at least one first stage.

6. The method according to claim 5, further including:

detecting a completion of each first stage in response to the compliance of the subject entities with the corresponding rules;

evaluating a predefined logical expression for each second logical stage, the logical expression being based on at least one parameter indicative of the completion of a corresponding first stage; and

adding each second stage to the global variable in response to an assertion of the corresponding logical expression.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the at least one first stage is maintained in the global variable after adding the at least one second stage.

8. In a data processing system including a plurality of subject entities and at least one authority entity, computer program instructions directly loadable into a working memory of the system for performing an autonomic management method for self-configuring the subject entities, each subject entity belonging to at least one of a plurality of categories, wherein the method includes:

the at least one authority entity publishing a plurality of rules each one defining a target state for a category, at least one of the rules being associated with at least one stage in a predefined flow of application of the rules;

the at least one authority entity publishing an indication of at least one current stage; and

each subject entity applying each rule for the at least one category of the subject entity and corresponding to the at least one current stage, to configure the subject entity according to the target state defined in the rule.

9. A program product comprising a computer readable medium embodying program instructions for an autonomic management method for self-configuring the subject entities, each subject entity belonging to at least one of a plurality of categories, wherein the method includes:

the at least one authority entity publishing a plurality of rules each one defining a target state for a category, at least one of the rules being associated with at least one stage in a predefined flow of application of the rules;

the at least one authority entity publishing an indication of at least one current stage; and

each subject entity applying each rule for the at least one category of the subject entity and corresponding to the at least one current stage, to configure the subject entity according to the target state defined in the rule.

10. In a data processing system including a plurality of subject entities and at least one authority entity, an autonomic management system for self-configuring the subject entities, each subject entity belonging to at least one of a plurality of categories, wherein the at least one authority entity includes means for publishing a plurality of rules each defining a target state for a category, at least one of the rules being associated with at least one stage in a predefined flow of application of the rules, and means for publishing an indication of at least one current stage, and wherein each subject entity includes means for applying each rule for the at least one category of the subject entity and corresponding to the at least one current stage, to configure the subject entity according to the target state defined in the rule