Dynamic Server Consolidation and Rationalization Modeling Tool

• US 20070094375A1
• Filed: 10/24/2006
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Steele, James, Bainter, Timothy, Konsur, Bogdan, Heo, Charles, Long, Jessica, Melnicoff, Richard, Schall, Edward, Snyder, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network

Abstract

A method and system for providing efficient and flexible techniques for modeling technical and economic benefits of consolidating information technology (IT) systems, hardware, software, network, and other infrastructure are described. The system includes a data processing system configured to receive data from a user. The system also includes an input collection system communicatively coupled to the data processing system, with the input collection system designed to organize, convert, and sort the data to generate baseline server information. In addition, the system includes an optimization system communicatively coupled to the data processing system, with the optimization system designed to generate one or more server consolidation models based on the baseline server information. Further, based on the generated one or more server consolidation models, a recommendation can be generated.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a data processing system configured to receive data from a user;

an input collection system communicatively coupled to the data processing system, the input collection system configured to process the received data to generate baseline server information; and

an optimization system communicatively coupled to the data processing system, the optimization system configured to generate one or more server consolidation models based on the baseline server information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein processing the received data comprises one or more of organize, convert and sort.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the received data describes existing physical and logical server infrastructures including a total number of physical servers and a total number of logical servers.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the input collection system further comprises a data collecting module configured to organize the received data based on a plurality of server identification information.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of server identification information comprises at least one of server functionality, a total number of processors present in each server, a server type, a platform type, a total number of operating system resident on each server, and processor speed.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the data collection module is further configured to filter the received data to identify and correct errors.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the input collection system further comprises a data conversion module communicatively coupled to the data collection module, the data conversion module configured to convert the organized data to a format suitable for the optimization system to receive and process.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data conversion module is further configured to convert the processor speed as a gross Megahertz value by multiplying the processor speed by a total number of processors resident in each physical server.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the input collection system further comprises a data sorting module communicatively coupled to the data conversion module, the data sorting module configured to sort the physical servers based on the server type.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the data sorting module is further configured to sort the physical servers based on the platform type.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the data conversion module is further configured to determine a baseline number of current generation processors needed to satisfy an overall gross performance requirement for the server type.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the data conversion module is further configured to dynamically update the determined baseline number of current generation processors by adjusting a scaling factor.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the optimization system further comprises a technical model module configured to perform server consolidation based on the baseline server information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the technical model module is further configured to increase a logical server to physical server ratio to increase a utilization ratio and reduce technology investment costs.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the technical model module is further configured to determine a total number of servers that can be consolidated.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the technical model module is further configured to determine a total number of processors that can be consolidated.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the technical model module is further configured to adjust a processor utilization rate to determine a capacity adjusted number of processors.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the technical model module is further configured to determine a workload adjusted number of processors based on at least one of a fragmentation of workload, a percentage of high available overhead servers for failover, and a margin or error.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the technical model module is further configured to reduce the total number of logical servers through virtualization.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the technical model module is further configured to reduce the total number of physical servers based on the workload adjusted number of processors and a selected server size.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the technical model module is further configured to determine a total number of servers that cannot be consolidated.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the optimization module further comprises a financial model module communicatively linked to the technical model module, the financial model module configured to generate a total cost savings based on the server consolidation performed by the technical model module.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the financial model module is further configured to dynamically recalculate the total cost savings based on one or more key parameters, including an efficiency factor.

24. A computer program product, encoded on a computer-readable medium, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving data from a user;

processing the data to generate a baseline server information; and

generating one or more server consolidation models based on the baseline server information.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein processing the data comprises one or more of organizing, converting and sorting.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising receiving the data to determine existing physical and logical server infrastructures including a total number of physical servers and a total number of logical servers.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising organizing the received data based on a plurality of server identification information including at least one of a server functionality, a total number of processors present in each server, a server type, a platform type, a number of operating system resident on each server, and a processor speed.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising filtering the received data to identify and correct errors.

29. The computer program product of claim 27, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising converting the organized data to a format suitable for the optimization system to receive and process.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising converting the processor speed as a gross Megahertz value by multiplying the processor speed by a total number of processors resident in each physical server.

31. The computer program product of claim 29, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising sorting the physical servers based on the server type.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising sorting the physical servers based on the platform type.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising determining a baseline number of current generation processors needed to satisfy an overall gross performance requirement for the server type.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising dynamically updating the determined baseline number of current generation processors by adjusting a scaling factor.

35. The computer program product of claim 33, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising performing server consolidation based on the baseline server information.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising increasing a logical server to physical server ratio to increase a utilization ratio and reduce technology investment costs.

37. The computer program product of claim 35, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising determining a total number of servers that can be consolidated.

38. The computer program product of claim 36, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising determining a total number of processors that can be consolidated.

39. The computer program product of claim 38, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising adjusting a processor utilization rate to determine a capacity adjusted number of processors.

40. The computer program product of claim 39, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising determining a workload adjusted number of processors based on at least one of a fragmentation of workload, a percentage of high available overhead servers for failover, and a margin or error.

41. The computer program product of claim 40, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising reducing the total number of logical servers through virtualization.

42. The computer program product of claim 40, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising reducing the total number of physical servers based on the workload adjusted number of processors and a selected server size.

43. The computer program product of claim 35, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising determining a total number of servers that cannot be consolidated.

44. The computer program product of claim 35, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising determining a total cost savings based on the server consolidation performed by the technical model module.

45. The computer program product of claim 44, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising dynamically recalculating the total cost savings based on one or more key parameters including an efficiency factor.

46. A method comprising:

receiving data from a user;

processing the data to generate a baseline server information;

generating one or more server consolidation models based on the baseline server information; and

generating a recommendation based on the generated one or more server consolidation models.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein processing the data comprises one or more of organizing, converting, and sorting.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein receiving the data further comprises receiving information to determine existing physical and logical server infrastructures including a total number of physical servers and a total number of logical servers.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein sorting the data further comprises sorting the physical servers based on a server type.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein organizing, converting, and sorting the data further comprises determining a baseline number of current generation processors needed to satisfy an overall gross performance requirements for the server type.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein generating one or more server consolidation models further comprises determining a total number of servers that can be consolidated.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein generating one or more server consolidation models further comprises reducing the total number of logical servers through virtualization.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein generating one or more server consolidation models further comprises generating a total cost savings.