System and method for autonomic system management through modulation of network controls

• US 20060280161A1
• Filed: 06/11/2005
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Zhen, Wynter, Laura, Silber, Jeremy I., Pendarakis, Dimitrios
• Granted Patent: US 8,473,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/083 for increasing network speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to determine an allocation of network resources in a distributed on-demand information technology (IT) systems using existing control mechanisms for other operating system resources in order to achieve a desired operating point within the IT system. This desired operating point is obtained by optimizing a goal-based objective function while taking into account system constraints. The relationship between utilization of all system resources, i.e. network resources and processing resources, and attainment of performance objectives is autonomously obtained for a plurality of actions that could be required by a range of system applications. This relationship is used to allocate network resources to applications while maintaining desired performance objectives. The allocation is enforced using existing control mechanisms.

Claims

1. A method for processor and network resource management in a computing system, the method comprising:

identifying a performance objective for an application that utilizes network and processing resources and is running on a computer in a computing system containing a plurality of computers each running a plurality of applications;

determining a relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of a network resource by the application;

using the determined relationship to calculate an allocation of the network resource to the application that optimizes the identified performance objective; and

implementing the calculated allocation of the network resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the relationship comprises using learning algorithms to determine the relationships.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the relationship comprises using a stochastic control algorithm to determine the relationship.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the determined relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of a network resource and the calculated allocation of the network resource to the application continuously in real time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying a performance objective for an application further comprises identifying a performance objective for an application that is running on a computer in computing system containing a plurality of computers in communication across a network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of a processing resource by the application, using the determined relationship to calculate an allocation of the processing resource to the application that optimizes the identified performance objective, and implementing the calculated allocation of the processing resource.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining the relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of the processing resource comprises determining the relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of central processing unit capacity.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying at least one constraint on at least one of the allocation of processing resources and the allocation of network resources.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of using the determined relationship to calculate the allocation of the network resource further comprises increasing the allocation of the network resource to the application or decreasing the allocation of the network allocation to the application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of implementing the allocation of network resources comprises using network filters or network resource reservation mechanisms to implement the allocation of network resources.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified network resource comprises link bandwidth, network switching bandwidth, network interface buffer capacity, operating system buffer capacity, application buffer capacity, network switching buffer capacity, or combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the network resource comprises bandwidth, the processing resource comprises central processing unit capacity and the identified performance objective comprises allocation of processing unit power among the plurality of applications running on a single computer in the computer system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying a performance objective comprises identifying a plurality of performance objectives for the application, the step of determining the relationship comprises determining a plurality of relationships between the identified performance objectives and the utilization of the network resource by the application and the step of using the determined relationship comprises using the determined plurality of relationships to calculate an allocation of the network resource to the application that optimizes the identified performance objective.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying the performance objective further comprises identifying a plurality of performance objectives for a plurality of applications, the step of determining the relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of the network resource comprises determining a separate relationship for each one of the plurality of applications, and the step of using the determined relationship comprises using all of the separate relationships to calculate the allocation of the network resource among the plurality of applications that optimizes the identified performance objective.

15. A computer readable medium containing a computer executable code that when read by a computer causes the computer to perform a method for processing and network resource management in a computing system, the method comprising:

identifying a performance objective for an application that utilizes network and processing resources and is running on a computer in a computing system containing a plurality of computers each running a plurality of applications;

determining a relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of a network resource by the application;

using the determined relationship to calculate an allocation of the network resource to the application that optimizes the identified performance objective; and

implementing the calculated allocation of the network resource.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the step of determining the relationship comprises using learning algorithms to determine the relationships.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the step of determining the relationship comprises using a stochastic control algorithm to determine the relationship.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises updating the determined relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of a network resource and the calculated allocation of the network resource to the application continuously in real time.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the step of identifying a performance objective for an application further comprises identifying a performance objective for an application that is running on a computer in computing system containing a plurality of computers in communication across a network.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises determining a relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of a processing resource by the application, using the determined relationship to calculate an allocation of the processing resource to the application that optimizes the identified performance objective, and implementing the calculated allocation of the processing resource.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the step of determining the relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of the processing resource comprises determining the relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of central processing unit capacity.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises identifying at least one constraint on at least one of the allocation of processing resources and the allocation of network resources.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the step of using the determined relationship to calculate the allocation of the network resource further comprises increasing the allocation of the network resource to the application or decreasing the allocation of the network allocation to the application.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the step of implementing the allocation of network resources comprises using network filters or network resource reservation mechanisms to implement the allocation of network resources.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the identified network resource comprises link bandwidth, network switching bandwidth, network interface buffer capacity, operating system buffer capacity, application buffer capacity, network switching buffer capacity, or combinations thereof.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the network resource comprises bandwidth, the processing resource comprises central processing unit capacity and the identified performance objective comprises allocation of processing unit power among the plurality of applications running on a single computer in the computer system.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the step of identifying a performance objective comprises identifying a plurality of performance objectives for the application, the step of determining the relationship comprises determining a plurality of relationships between the identified performance objectives and the utilization of the network resource by the application and the step of using the determined relationship comprises using the determined plurality of relationships to calculate an allocation of the network resource to the application that optimizes the identified performance objective.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the step of identifying the performance objective further comprises identifying a plurality of performance objectives for a plurality of applications, the step of determining the relationship between the identified performance objective and the utilization of the network resource comprises determining a separate relationship for each one of the plurality of applications, and the step of using the determined relationship comprises using all of the separate relationships to calculate the allocation of the network resource among the plurality of applications that optimizes the identified performance objective.