Algorithm for Minimizing Rebate Value Due to SLA Breach in a Utility Computing Environment

• US 20060085544A1
• Filed: 10/18/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yen-Fu, Shankar, Hari, Qiao, Wenjian, Daughtrey, Erik Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,269,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load

Abstract

The invention described is a new and useful process for minimizing the overall rebate a provider disburses to customers when a service level agreement (SLA) breach occurs in a utility computing environment. Specifically, the process compares performance data and resource usage with the SLAs of the customers, and reallocates shared resources to those customers who represent a lesser penalty to the provider in the event of an SLA breach. The process determines which resources, used by customers representing the lesser penalty, are operating below peak capacity. The process then reallocates these under-utilized resources to those customers requiring additional resources to meet SLA thresholds. If all resources are operating at peak capacity, the process reallocates the resources to those customers whose SLAs represent a greater penalty in the event of an SLA breach as compared to those customers whose SLAs provide for a lesser penalty, thereby minimizing the total rebate due upon an SLA breach.

Claims

1. A process for allocating a resource to a premium customer in a shared computing environment when a profiling tool indicates that the premium customer'"'"'s available resource cannot provide an agreed service level, the process comprising:

determining if the resource has been allocated to any customer that is not using the resource;

responsive to determining that the resource has been allocated to any customer that is not using the resource, reallocating the resource to the premium customer;

responsive to determining that the resource has not been allocated to any customer that is not using the resource, determining if the resource has been allocated to a standard customer; and

responsive to determining that the resource has been allocated to a standard customer, re-allocating the resource from the standard customer to the premium customer;

whereby a service provider can minimize a penalty for breaching the agreed service level.

2. A data processing machine for allocating a resource to a premium customer in a shared computing environment, the machine comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a service level agreement stored in the memory, the service level agreement setting a threshold performance level for the resource and a penalty for failing to meet the threshold performance level;

means for causing the processor to measure the performance level of the resource; and

means for causing the processor to compare the measured performance level with the threshold performance level; and

responsive to determining that the measured performance level does not meet the threshold performance level, means for

determining if the resource has been allocated to any customer that is not using the resource,

responsive to determining that the resource has been allocated to any customer that is not using the resource, re-allocating the resource to the premium customer,

responsive to determining that the resource has not been allocated to any customer that is not using the resource, determining if the resource has been allocated to a standard customer, and

responsive to determining that the resource has been allocated to a standard customer, re-allocating the resource from the standard customer to the premium customer;

whereby a service provider can minimize the penalty for breaching the service level agreement.

3. A program, encoded in a computer-readable medium, for allocating a resource to a premium customer in a shared computing environment, the program comprising:

means for determining if the resource has been allocated to any customer that is not using the resource;

responsive to determining that the resource has been allocated to any customer that is not using the resource, means for re-allocating the resource to the premium customer;

responsive to determining that the resource has not been allocated to any customer that is not using the resource, means for determining if the resource has been allocated to a standard customer; and

responsive to determining that the resource has been allocated to a standard customer, means for re-allocating the resource from the standard customer to the premium customer;

whereby a service provider can minimize a penalty for breaching the agreed service level.