METHOD AND SYSTEM TO EVALUATE UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES

• US 20060039293A1
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Uthe, Robert T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,627,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level

Abstract

A method to evaluate utilization of a plurality of resources linked by segments may include tracking a sequence of utilization of the plurality of resources in responding to a request or a set of requests and representing a quantity of occurrences of each segment linking resources in the sequence. The method may also include representing a time duration since each resource was last utilized.

Claims

1. A method to evaluate utilization of a plurality of resources linked by segments, comprising:

tracking a sequence of utilization of the plurality of resources in responding to a request or a set of requests; and

representing a quantity of occurrences of each segment linking resources in the sequence.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

representing each resource by a predetermined resource symbol; and

representing each segment between a pair of resources in the sequence by a line between the resource symbols corresponding to the pair of resources, wherein each line has a selected line width corresponding to a quantity of occurrences of the segment in responding to the request or set of requests.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising representing a time duration since each resource was last utilized.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

representing each resource by a predetermined resource symbol; and

presenting each resource symbol at a predetermined level or degree of translucency corresponding to a time duration since the resource was last utilized.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

representing each resource by a predetermined resource symbol; and

presenting each resource symbol at a predetermined level or degree of translucency corresponding to a number of times the resource was utilized in responding to the request or set of requests.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sequentially storing at least a resource identification, segment or path information between sequential resources and a time of access for each resource in the sequence.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising continuing to sequentially store the resource identification, segment or path information between sequential resources and time of access for each resource in the sequence until one of a predetermined time period expires, the sequence is completed, the request or set of requests is satisfied, or a request for a resource utilization diagram is received.

8. A method to evaluate utilization of a plurality of resources linked by segments, comprising:

tracking a sequence of utilization of the plurality of resources in responding to a request or a set of requests; and

representing a time duration since each resource was last utilized.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising representing each resource by a predetermined resource symbol and wherein representing a time duration since each resource was last utilized comprises presenting each resource symbol at a predetermined level or degree of translucency corresponding to the time duration since the resource was last utilized.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising representing a quantity of occurrences of each segment linking resources in the sequence.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

representing each resource by a predetermined resource symbol; and

representing each segment between a pair of resources in the sequence by a line between the resource symbols corresponding to the pair of resources, wherein each line has a selected line width corresponding to a quantity of occurrences of the segment in responding to the request or the set of requests.

12. A method to evaluate utilization of a plurality of resources linked by segments, comprising:

tracking a sequence of utilization of the plurality of resources in responding to a request or set of requests;

determining a quantity of occurrences of each segment linking a pair of resources in the sequence; and

determining a time duration since each resource in the sequence was last utilized.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising representing in a resource utilization diagram the quantity of occurrences of each segment linking resources in the sequence.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

representing each resource by a predetermined resource symbol; and

representing each segment by a line between the resource symbols corresponding to the pair of resources, wherein each line has a selected line width corresponding to the quantity of occurrences of the segment in responding to the request or set of requests.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

representing each resource by a predetermined resource symbol; and

representing a time duration since each resource was last utilized.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein representing a time duration since each resource was last utilized comprises presenting each resource symbol at a predetermined level or degree of translucency corresponding to the time duration since the resource was last utilized.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising sequentially storing at least a resource identification, segment or path information between sequential resources and a time of access for each resource in the sequence.

18. A system to evaluate utilization of a plurality of resources linked by segments, comprising:

a processor;

a resource utilization program operable on the processor, wherein the resource utilization program includes;

computer executable instructions to track a sequence of utilization of the plurality of resources in responding to a request or set of requests; and

computer executable instructions to determine a quantity of occurrences of each segment linking a pair of resources in the sequence.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the resource utilization program comprises computer executable instructions to generate a resource utilization representation including a representation of the quantity of occurrences of each segment linking resources in the sequence.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the resource utilization program comprises computer executable instructions to generate a resource utilization representation including a representation of a time duration since each resource in the sequence was last utilized.

21. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

means for representing each resource by a predetermined symbol; and

means for representing each segment between resources by a line between corresponding resource symbols, wherein each line has a selected line width corresponding to the quantity of occurrences of the segment in responding to the request or set of requests.

22. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

means for representing each resource by a predetermined symbol; and

means for representing each resource symbol at a predetermined level or degree of translucency corresponding to a time duration since the resource corresponding to the resource symbol was last utilized.

23. The system of claim 18, further comprising a database to sequentially store a resource identification, segment or path information between sequential resources and time of access for each resource in the sequence.

24. A system to evaluate utilization of a plurality of resources, comprising:

a processor; and

a resource utilization program operable on the processor, wherein the resource utilization program includes;

computer executable instructions to track a sequence of utilization of the plurality of resources in responding to a request or set of requests; and

computer executable instructions to represent a time duration since each resource was last utilized.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising computer executable instructions to generate a representation of the quantity of occurrences of each segment linking resources in the sequence.

26. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

computer executable instructions to represent each resource by a predetermined resource symbol; and

computer executable instructions to represent a segment between each pair of resources in the sequence by a line between resource symbols corresponding to the pair of resources, wherein each line has a selected line width corresponding to a quantity of occurrences of the segment in responding to the request or set of requests.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

computer executable instructions to represent each resource by a predetermined resource symbol; and

computer executable instructions to present each resource symbol at a predetermined level or degree of translucency corresponding to a time duration since the resource corresponding to the resource symbol was last utilized.

28. A method of making a system to evaluate utilization of a plurality of resources, comprising:

providing a processor;

providing a resource utilization program operable on the processor, wherein providing the resource utilization program includes;

providing computer executable instructions to track a sequence of utilization of the plurality of resources in responding to a request or set of requests; and

providing computer executable instructions to determine a quantity of occurrences of each segment linking a pair of resources in the sequence.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising providing computer executable instructions to generate a resource utilization representation including a representation of the quantity of occurrences of each segment linking resources in the sequence.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising providing computer executable instructions to generate a resource utilization representation including a representation of a time duration since each resource in the sequence was last utilized.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

providing means for representing each resource by a predetermined symbol; and

providing means for representing each segment between resources by a line between corresponding resource symbols, wherein each line has a selected line width corresponding to the quantity of occurrences of the segment in responding to the request or set of requests.

32. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

providing means for representing each resource by a predetermined symbol; and

providing means for representing each resource symbol at a predetermined level or degree of translucency corresponding to a time duration since the resource corresponding to the resource symbol was last utilized.

33. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method, comprising:

tracking a sequence of utilization of the plurality of resources in responding to a request or set of requests; and

determining a quantity of occurrences of each segment linking resources in the sequence.

34. The computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for the method of claim 33, further comprising determining a time duration since each resource in the sequence was last utilized.

35. The computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 33, further comprising:

representing each resource by a predetermined resource symbol; and

representing each segment by a line between the resource symbols corresponding to the pair of resources, wherein each line has a selected line width corresponding to the quantity of occurrences of the segment in responding to the request or set of requests.

36. The computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 33, further comprising:

representing each resource by a predetermined resource symbol; and

representing a time duration since each resource was last utilized.