Selecting a resource manager to satisfy a service request

• US 20060218127A1
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Reimer, James Allen, Mega, Cataldo, Tate, Stewart Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for selecting a resource manager to satisfy a service request. A catalog indicating a plurality of resource managers and at least one service offered by the resource managers is provided. Further provided is resource manager information indicating resource availability information for resource managers offering at least one service. A request for a requested service from a subscriber is received. The catalog is processed to identify resource managers publishing the requested service and the resource manager information is processed to determine at least one identified resource manager publishing the requested service that also satisfies at least one rule applicable to the service request.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a catalog indicating a plurality of resource managers and at least one service offered by the resource managers;

providing resource manager information indicating resource availability information for resource managers offering at least one service;

receiving a request for a requested service from a subscriber;

processing the catalog to identify resource managers publishing the requested service; and

processing the resource manager information to determine at least one identified resource manager publishing the requested service that also satisfies at least one rule applicable to the service request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one rule applicable to the service request indicates a technical parameter that the resource manager must satisfy, wherein processing the resource manager information to determine at least one resource manager comprises:

determining at least one resource manager publishing the requested service that satisfies the technical parameter indicated in the at least one rule applicable to the service request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the technical parameter specifies one of the technical parameters that are a member of a set of technical parameters comprising:

a minimum amount of available storage at the resource manager a minimum amount of available computational resources at the resource manager, a minimum amount of connection bandwidth available at the resource manager, and technical specifications that must be supported by the resource manager.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one rule applicable to the service request indicates a quality of service parameter, and wherein processing the resource manager information to determine at least one resource manager comprises:

determining at least one resource manager publishing the requested service that is capable of providing the requested service to the subscriber and that satisfies the quality of service parameter applicable to the service request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the quality of service parameter specifies one of the quality of service parameters that are a member of a set of quality of service parameters comprising:

a required hardware redundancy available at the resource manager;

a required connection bandwidth available at the resource manager;

a required computational resource availability at the resource manager; and

a maximum number of connected users at the resource manager.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one rule indicates a business parameter applicable to the service request that must be satisfied by the resource manager publishing the service that is not related to the technical performance of the resource manager, wherein processing the resource manager information to determine at least one resource manager comprises:

determining at least one resource manager publishing the requested service whose publication of the service satisfies the business parameter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the business parameter specifies a required security level at the resource manager;

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one rule indicates a business parameter that must be satisfied by the subscriber initiating the request that is not related to the technical performance of the resource manager, further comprising:

determining whether the subscriber satisfies the business parameter, wherein access to one determined resource manager publishing the service is permitted in response to determining that the subscriber satisfies the business parameter.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the business parameter specifies one of the business parameters that is a member of a set of business parameters comprising:

an access level required of the subscriber to the service or the resource manager publishing the service and a required account status associated with the subscriber.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested service comprises a request to process an object, wherein at least one rule comprises a business process rule for processing the object subject to the service request, comprising:

processing object parameters and the business process rule to select least one resource manager to process the object; and

transmitting the object to the determined resource manager.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the resource managers comprise computer readable devices, wherein the business process rule specifies a retention and archival policy that selects one computer readable media in which to store the object based on the object parameters.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the services published by resource managers include data storage services, data access services to access files, and computational services to execute processes.

13. A system in communication with a subscriber, comprising:

a processor;

a plurality of resource managers, wherein each resource manager offers at least one service;

a memory accessible to the processor, including;

(i) a catalog indicating the plurality of resource managers and at least one service offered by the resource managers;

(ii) resource manager information indicating resource availability information for resource managers offering at least one service;

a computer readable medium including code executed by a processor to perform;

(i) receiving a request for a requested service from the subscriber;

(ii) processing the catalog to identify resource managers publishing the requested service; and

(iii) processing the resource manager information to determine at least one identified resource manager publishing the requested service that also satisfies at least one rule applicable to the service request.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one rule applicable to the service request indicates a technical parameter that the resource manager must satisfy, wherein processing the resource manager information to determine at least one resource manager comprises:

determining at least one resource manager publishing the requested service that satisfies the technical parameter indicated in the at least one rule applicable to the service request.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one rule applicable to the service request indicates a quality of service parameter, and wherein processing the resource manager information to determine at least one resource manager comprises:

determining at least one resource manager publishing the requested service that is capable of providing the requested service to the subscriber and that satisfies the quality of service parameter applicable to the service request.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one rule indicates a business parameter applicable to the service request that must be satisfied by the resource manager publishing the service that is not related to the technical performance of the resource manager, wherein processing the resource manager information to determine at least one resource manager comprises:

determining at least one resource manager publishing the requested service whose publication of the service satisfies the business parameter.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one rule indicates a business parameter that must be satisfied by the subscriber initiating the request that is not related to the technical performance of the resource manager, further comprising:

determining whether the subscriber satisfies the business parameter, wherein access to one determined resource manager publishing the service is permitted in response to determining that the subscriber satisfies the business parameter.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the requested service comprises a request to process an object, wherein at least one rule comprises a business process rule for processing the object subject to the service request, comprising:

processing object parameters and the business process rule to select least one resource manager to process the object; and

transmitting the object to the determined resource manager.

19. An article of manufacture implementing code in communication with resource managers and a subscriber, wherein the code is capable of causing operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

providing a catalog indicating a plurality of the resource managers and at least one service offered by the resource managers;

providing resource manager information indicating resource availability information for resource managers offering at least one service;

receiving a request for a requested service from the subscriber;

processing the catalog to identify resource managers publishing the requested service; and

processing the resource manager information to determine at least one identified resource manager publishing the requested service that also satisfies at least one rule applicable to the service request.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein at least one rule applicable to the service request indicates a technical parameter that the resource manager must satisfy, wherein processing the resource manager information to determine at least one resource manager comprises:

determining at least one resource manager publishing the requested service that satisfies the technical parameter indicated in the at least one rule applicable to the service request.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein the technical parameter specifies one of the technical parameters that are a member of a set of technical parameters comprising:

a minimum amount of available storage at the resource manager a minimum amount of available computational resources at the resource manager, a minimum amount of connection bandwidth available at the resource manager, and technical specifications that must be supported by the resource manager.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein at least one rule applicable to the service request indicates a quality of service parameter, and wherein processing the resource manager information to determine at least one resource manager comprises:

determining at least one resource manager publishing the requested service that is capable of providing the requested service to the subscriber and that satisfies the quality of service parameter applicable to the service request.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein the quality of service parameter specifies one of the quality of service parameters that are a member of a set of quality of service parameters comprising:

a required hardware redundancy available at the resource manager;

a required connection bandwidth available at the resource manager;

a required computational resource availability at the resource manager; and

a maximum number of connected users at the resource manager.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein at least one rule indicates a business parameter applicable to the service request that must be satisfied by the resource manager publishing the service that is not related to the technical performance of the resource manager, wherein processing the resource manager information to determine at least one resource manager comprises:

determining at least one resource manager publishing the requested service whose publication of the service satisfies the business parameter.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein the business parameter specifies a required security level at the resource manager;

26. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein at least one rule indicates a business parameter that must be satisfied by the subscriber initiating the request that is not related to the technical performance of the resource manager, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the subscriber satisfies the business parameter, wherein access to one determined resource manager publishing the service is permitted in response to determining that the subscriber satisfies the business parameter.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 26, wherein the business parameter specifies one of the business parameters that is a member of a set of business parameters comprising:

an access level required of the subscriber to the service or the resource manager publishing the service and a required account status associated with the subscriber.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the requested service comprises a request to process an object, wherein at least one rule comprises a business process rule for processing the object subject to the service request, wherein the operations further comprise:

processing object parameters and the business process rule to select least one resource manager to process the object; and

transmitting the object to the determined resource manager.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the resource managers comprise computer readable devices, wherein the business process rule specifies a retention and archival policy that selects one computer readable media in which to store the object based on the object parameters.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 29, wherein the services published by resource managers include data storage services, data access services to access files, and computational services to execute processes.