System and method for selecting a portfolio of resources in a heterogeneous data center

• US 20060064490A1
• Filed: 09/20/2004
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2004
• 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: Huberman, Bernardo, Clearwater, Scott H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,707,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a system and method facilitating selection of a portfolio of computational resources for a project. The system and method may comprise determining computational resource capacity characteristics from historical usage data relating to use of a heterogeneous inventory of computational resources, the computational resource capacity characteristics comprising a trace history representative of the availability of various components of the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources at various points in time. Additionally, embodiments of the present invention may comprise calculating a plurality of finishing times for a project by performing a plurality of simulation runs based on the computational resource capacity characteristics, wherein each of the plurality of simulation runs begins at a different time in the trace history. Further, embodiments of the present invention may comprise assembling the plurality of finishing times into a distribution, constructing a risk measure using the distribution, and facilitating selection of a portfolio for the project from the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources based on the risk measure and the plurality of finishing times.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining computational resource capacity characteristics from historical usage data relating to use of a heterogeneous inventory of computational resources, the computational resource capacity characteristics comprising a trace history representative of the availability of various components of the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources at various points in time;

calculating a plurality of finishing times for a project by performing a plurality of simulation runs based on the computational resource capacity characteristics, wherein each of the plurality of simulation runs begins at a different time in the trace history;

assembling the plurality of finishing times into a distribution;

constructing a risk measure using the distribution; and

facilitating selection of a portfolio for the project from the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources based on the risk measure and the plurality of finishing times.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising obtaining historical usage data from the use of the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising determining available capacity of a collection of resources in the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein spare capacity of the collection of resources, as a function of time, is assumed available.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the simulation takes into account the determined available capacity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the portfolio comprises an amount of each resource in the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources to be used.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising constructing a curve using the historical usage data to facilitate the selection of the portfolio.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising constructing a curve using the plurality of finishing times and the risk measure.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising deriving a price function from the Ramsey equation for use in the simulation.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising incorporating project parameters and decision criterion into the simulation.

11. A system, comprising:

a capacity module, the capacity module adapted to determine computational resource capacity characteristics from historical usage data relating to use of a heterogeneous inventory of computational resources, the computational resource capacity characteristics comprising a trace history representative of the availability of various components of the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources at various points in time;

a finishing time module, the finishing time module adapted to calculate a plurality of finishing times for a project by performing a plurality of simulation runs based on the computational resource capacity characteristics, wherein each of the plurality of simulation runs begins at a different time in the trace history;

a distribution module, the distribution module adapted to assemble the plurality of finishing times into a distribution;

a risk measure module, the risk measure module adapted to construct a risk measure using the distribution; and

a selection module, the selection module adapted to facilitate selection of a portfolio for the project from the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources based on the risk measure and the plurality of finishing times.

12. The system of claim 11, comprising a historical usage module, the historical usage module adapted to obtain historical usage data from the use of the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources.

13. The system of claim 11, comprising a capacity module, the capacity module adapted to determine available capacity of a collection of resources in the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources.

14. The system of claim 13, comprising a simulation module, the simulation module adapted to take into account the determined available capacity.

15. The system of claim 11, comprising a portfolio module, the portfolio module adapted to provide an amount of each resource in the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources to be used.

16. The system of claim 11, comprising a price module, the price module adapted to derive a price function from the Ramsey equation for use in the simulation.

17. The system of claim 11, comprising a curve module, the curve module adapted to construct a curve using the historical usage data to facilitate the selection of the portfolio.

18. The system of claim 11, comprising a parameter module, the parameter module adapted to incorporate project parameters and decision criterion into the simulation.

19. A computer program, comprising:

a tangible medium;

a capacity module stored on the tangible medium, the capacity module adapted to determine computational resource capacity characteristics from historical usage data relating to use of a heterogeneous inventory of computational resources, the computational resource capacity characteristics comprising a trace history representative of the availability of various components of the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources at various points in time;

a finishing time module stored on the tangible medium, the finishing time module adapted to calculate a plurality of finishing times for a project by performing a plurality of simulation runs based on the computational resource capacity characteristics, wherein each of the plurality of simulation runs begins at a different time in the trace history;

a distribution module stored on the tangible medium, the distribution module adapted to assemble the plurality of finishing times into a distribution;

a risk measure module stored on the tangible medium, the risk measure module adapted to construct a risk measure using the distribution; and

a selection module stored on the tangible medium, the selection module adapted to facilitate selection of a portfolio for the project from the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources based on the risk measure and the plurality of finishing times.

20. The computer program of claim 19, comprising a historical usage module stored on the tangible medium, the historical usage module adapted to obtain historical usage data from the use of the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources.

21. The computer program of claim 19, comprising a simulation module, the simulation module adapted to take into account a determined available capacity.

22. The computer program of claim 19, comprising a portfolio module stored on the tangible medium, the portfolio module adapted to provide an amount of each resource in the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources to be used.

23. The computer program of claim 19, comprising a price module stored on the tangible medium, the price module adapted to derive a price function from the Ramsey equation for use in the simulation.

24. The computer program of claim 19, comprising a curve module stored on the tangible medium, the curve module adapted to construct a curve using the historical usage data to facilitate the selection of the portfolio.

25. A system, comprising:

means for determining computational resource capacity characteristics from historical usage data relating to use of a heterogeneous inventory of computational resources, the computational resource capacity characteristics comprising a trace history representative of the availability of various components of the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources at various points in time;

means for calculating a plurality of finishing times for a project by performing a plurality of simulation runs based on the computational resource capacity characteristics, wherein each of the plurality of simulation runs begins at a different time in the trace history;

means for assembling the plurality of finishing times into a distribution;

means for constructing a risk measure using the distribution; and

means for facilitating selection of a portfolio for the project from the heterogeneous inventory of computational resources based on the risk measure and the plurality of finishing times.