Automated alerts for resource retention problems

• US 20060173877A1
• Filed: 01/10/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Seidman, David Isaiah, Findeisen, Piotr, Coha, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US11/032,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20060173877A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0706 the processing taking place on a specific hardware platform or in a specific software environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats

Abstract

One embodiment disclosed relates to a method of automated alerts for resource retention problems. Data on the resource usage as a function of time is obtained, and an automated analysis of the resource usage data is performed to determine whether the data indicates a minimum level of retention of the resource that increases over time for a period of time longer than a threshold time period. An alert notification is provided if the analysis determines that said indication is inferred from the data. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of automated alerts for resource retention problems, the method comprising:

obtaining data on the resource usage as a function of time;

performing an automated analysis of the resource usage data to determine whether the data indicates a minimum level of retention of the resource that increases over time for a period of time longer than a threshold time period; and

providing an alert notification if the analysis determines that said indication is inferred from the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource usage data is obtained periodically.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the automated analysis includes determining a linear function.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the linear function intersects the resource usage data at a first time and at a second time, wherein the first time is before the second time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the linear function is lower than the resource usage data for all times after the first time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said indication is determined to be present if (a) the linear function has a positive slope, such that the linear function increases with time, and (b) time elapsed since the first time is greater than the threshold time period.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, if the analysis determines that said indication is present in the data, then further comprising:

determining a severity of the resource retention problem depending on the slope of the linear function.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein an estimated lifetime before depletion of the resource is determined by dividing an amount of unretained resources by the slope of the linear function.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert notification notifies a user as to an estimated time before unavailability of the resource.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold time period is tunable by a user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource comprises available memory for programs at runtime.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data on the resource usage comprises a size of a memory heap.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the data is obtained after garbage collection by an automated memory manager.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource comprises a resource of a computer system.

15. An apparatus providing automated alerts for resource retention problems, the apparatus comprising:

computer-readable code configured to obtain data on the resource usage as a function of time;

computer-readable code configured to perform an automated analysis of the resource usage data to determine whether the data indicates a minimum level of retention of the resource that increases over time for a period of time longer than a threshold time period; and

computer-readable code to provide an alert notification if the analysis determines that said indication is present in the data.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the automated analysis includes determining a linear function.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the linear function intersects the resource usage data at a first time and at a second time after the first time, and wherein the linear function is lower than the resource usage data for all times after the first time.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said indication is determined to be present if (a) the linear function has a positive slope, such that the linear function increases with time, and (b) time elapsed since the first time is greater than the threshold time period.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein, if the analysis determines that said indication is present in the data, then further comprising:

determining a severity of the resource retention problem depending on the slope of the linear function.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein an estimated lifetime before depletion of the resource is determined by dividing an amount of unretained resources by the slope of the linear function.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the resource comprises available memory for programs at runtime, and wherein the data on the resource usage comprises a size of a memory heap.