System and method of determining an optimal distribution of source servers in target servers

• US 20070226341A1
• Filed: 03/23/2006
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mateo, Luis
• Granted Patent: US 8,347,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources

Abstract

A method of, and a system for, optimizing the distribution of a plurality of source servers amongst a plurality of target servers each having a resource, wherein each of the source servers has a functional characteristic and two or more of the source servers belong to a cluster.

Claims

1. A method of optimizing the distribution of a plurality of source servers amongst a plurality of target servers each having a resource, wherein each of the source servers has a functional characteristic and two or more of the source servers belong to a cluster;

the method comprising the steps of;

determining the available resources of one of the plurality of target servers;

determining predetermined limits associated with a relationship to the target server for the functional characteristic for one of the plurality of source servers;

determining a relationship between the source server and the target server based on the target server having sufficient resource to accommodate the source server and the predetermined limits being met between the source server and target server; and

repeating each of the determining steps in order to relate each of the plurality of source servers to an appropriate one of the plurality of target servers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the predetermined limits comprises determining the predetermined limits relating to virtualization rules and cluster rules between the source server and the target server.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein each source server possesses an availability requirement and the method comprises the additional step of matching the availability requirements of the source server with those of a source server already allocated to the target server.

4. The method of claim 3 further including the step of generating an error when the target server has insufficient resource to accommodate the source server or the predetermined limits between the source server and target server are not met.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 comprising the additional step of maintaining a record of errors generated.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising making a relationship between the source server and the target server.

7. The method of claim 6 comprising the step of maintaining a record of which of the plurality of source servers are distributed to which of the plurality of target servers.

8. A system for optimizing the distribution of a plurality of source servers amongst a plurality of target servers, the system comprising means for determining the available resources of one of the plurality of target servers, means for determining predetermined limits associated with a relationship to the target server for the functional characteristic for one of the plurality of source servers, means for determining a relationship between the source server and the target server based on the target server having sufficient resource to accommodate the source server and the predetermined limits being met between the source server and target server, and means for repeating each of the means for determining steps in order to relate each of the plurality of source servers to an appropriate one of the plurality of target servers.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the functional characteristics for each source server comprise hardware resource requirements for the source server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the functional characteristics of each source server comprise details of cluster membership for each source server.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the functional characteristics for each source server comprise details of network zones to which each source server is related.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the functional characteristics for each source server comprise details of the environment for each source server.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the functional characteristics for each source server comprise details of the location of each source server.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising an additional means of reporting the number of the plurality target servers employed, the distribution of the plurality of source servers therein and the remaining resources of the plurality of target servers.

15. A computer program executed on a computer system comprising instructions for carrying out a method of optimizing the distribution of a plurality of source servers amongst a plurality of target servers each having a resource, wherein each of the source servers has a functional characteristic and two or more of the source servers belong to a cluster, the method comprising the steps of determining the available resources of one of the plurality of target servers, determining predetermined limits associated with a relationship to the target server for the functional characteristic for one of the plurality of source servers, determining a relationship between the source server and the target server based on the target server having sufficient resource to accommodate the source server and the predetermined limits being met between the source server and target server, and repeating each of the determining steps in order to relate each of the plurality of source servers to an appropriate one of the plurality of target servers.