Computer workload redistribution

• US 20070250838A1
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Herington, Daniel, Vaden, Thomas, Belady, Christian, Turicchi, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,104,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3433 for load management allocation of a server based on load conditions G06F9/505; load rebalancing G06F9/5083; redistributing the load in a network by a load balancer H04L67/1029
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3452 Performance evaluation by statistical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring

Abstract

The present invention provides for redistributing workloads among computers to optimize resource utilization. Utilization by software workloads of computer resources is monitored to yield utilization data. A utilization chronology is updated using the utilization data. The chronology is analyzed to yield resource utilization predictions. The workloads are redistributed among the resources at least in part as function of said predictions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

monitoring utilization of computer resources by software workloads to yield utilization data;

updating a utilization chronology using said utilization data;

analyzing said chronology to yield resource utilization predictions; and

redistributing said workloads among said resources at least in part as a function of said predictions.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said redistributing involves migrating at least a first workload to a resource that is also serving a second workload wherein said workloads have periodic peaks of the same periodicity and different phases.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said chronology includes data collected at least daily for at least a year and said analyzing involves looking for annual variations in utilization.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising powering down or causing to enter a low-power state a computing resource from which a workload has been removed by said redistributing.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein said monitoring, updating, analyzing, and redistributing are iterated so that further redistributing involves causing said computer resource to enter a high-power state and migrating a workload to said computer resource.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising issuing an alarm as a function of said utilization data, said redistributing being performed in response to said alarm.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein an orchestrator program in computer readable media coordinates said monitoring, analyzing, and redistributing.

8. A system comprising:

hardware resources; and

computer readable media including

workloads distributed for utilizing respective combinations of said hardware resources;

a monitoring program for monitoring utilization of said computer resources by said workloads to yield utilization data; and

a workload manager for updating a utilization chronology using said utilization data, for analyzing said chronology to yield resource utilization predictions, and for redistributing said workloads among said resources at least in part as a function of said predictions.

9. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein said redistributing involves migrating at least a first workload to a resource that is also serving a second workload wherein said workloads have periodic peaks of the same periodicity and different phases.

10. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein said chronology includes data collected at least daily for at least a year and said analyzing involves looking for annual variations in utilization.

11. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein said workload manager means for powering down or causing to enter a low-power state a computing resource from which a workload has been removed by said redistributing.

12. A system as recited in claim 11 wherein said workload manager includes means for causing said computing resource to enter a high-performance state and migrating a workload to said computing resource.

13. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein said workload manager provides for issuing an alarm when said utilization data indicates a criterion has been met, said workload manager providing for redistribution of said workloads in response to said alarm.

14. Computer readable media comprising:

a resource-utilization chronology; and

a workload manager program for

monitoring utilization of computer resources by software workloads to yield utilization data;

updating said chronology using said utilization data;

analyzing, using a program in computer-readable media, said chronology to yield resource utilization predictions; and

redistributing said workloads among said resources at least in part as a function of said predictions.

15. Computer-readable media as recited in claim 14 wherein said redistributing involves migrating at least a first workload to a resource that is also serving a second workload wherein said workloads have periodic peaks of the same periodicity and different phases.

16. Computer-readable media as recited in claim 14 wherein said chronology includes data collected at least daily for at least a year and said analyzing involves looking for annual variations in utilization.

17. Computer-readable media as recited in claim 14 further comprising powering down or causing to enter a low-power state a computing resource from which a workload has been removed by said redistributing.

18. Computer-readable media as recited in claim 17 wherein said monitoring, updating, analyzing, and redistributing are iterated so that further redistributing involves causing said computer resource to enter a high-performance state.

19. Computer readable media as recited in claim 14 wherein said workload manager performs said redistribution in response to a received alarm.