Capacity management and predictive planning systems and methods thereof

• US 20070283360A1
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BlueTie, Inc.
• Original Assignee: BlueTie, Inc.
• Inventors: Koretz, David A., Lambert, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,056,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/508 Monitor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis

Abstract

A method, computer readable medium and system for capacity management and predictive planning includes monitoring one or more factors related to an overall load on at least one of one or more server systems and trending a rate of change of at least one of the one or more monitored factors. A determination on when to at least one of increase capacity in at least one of the servers systems and add one or more additional server systems is made based on the monitoring and the trending. A notification is output when the determination determines at least one of: increasing capacity to at least one of the servers systems; and adding one or more additional server systems is needed.

Claims

1. A method for capacity management and predictive planning, the method comprising:

monitoring one or more factors related to an overall load on at least one of one or more server systems;

trending a rate of change of at least one of the one or more monitored factors;

determining when to at least one of increasing capacity in at least one of the servers systems and adding one or more additional server systems is needed based on the monitoring and the trending; and

at least one of providing a notification of at least one of the need to increase capacity and the need to add one or more additional server systems and implementing at least one of an increase in capacity in at least one of the server systems and the addition of one or more additional server systems when the determining determines the at least one of increasing capacity in at least one of the servers systems and adding one or more additional server systems is needed.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein one of the one or more factors comprises a size of one or more user loads in each of the overall loads.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the one or more factors further comprise at least one of processor utilization with respect to one or more user loads in at least one of the overall loads, disk space utilization in at least one of the overall loads, RAM utilization in at least one of the overall loads, I/O load in at least one of the overall loads, port utilization in at least one of the overall loads, and network load on the server systems.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein the determining is based on the trending indicating at least one threshold for the at least one of the one or more monitored factors will be exceeded within a first period of time.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 further comprising setting the first period of time.

6. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein the at least one threshold comprises at least one of the processor utilization exceeding a first percentage for greater than a first period of time, the disk space utilization exceeding a second percentage, the RAM utilization exceeding a third percentage for a greater than a second period of time, I/O load exceeding a fourth percentage for greater than a third period of time, port utilization exceeding a fifth percentage for greater than a fourth period of time, and the network load on the server systems exceeding a sixth percentage.

7. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein another one of the one or more factors comprises at least one type of usage in the at least one of the one or more server systems.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the at least one type of usage comprises at least one of sustained usage and peak usage.

9. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein another one of the one or more factors comprises configuration data for the at least one of the one or more server systems, wherein the determining is further based on the configuration data for the at least one of the one or more server systems.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising receiving the configuration data by automatically downloading the configuration data with at least one of an application program interface and an import utility.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprises:

receiving at least one type of cost data related to at least one of the server systems; and

determining an upgrade cost for at least one of the adding capacity to the at least one of the servers systems and the adding one or more additional server systems, wherein the providing the notification further comprises providing the determined upgrade cost.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 further comprising:

monitoring a number of users and which of one or more services are used on each of the at least one of the one or more server systems; and

determining an average cost per user per service on the at least one of the one or more server systems based on the received cost data and the monitored number of users services used, wherein the providing a notification further provides the average cost per user per service on the at least one of the one or more server systems.

13. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for capacity management and predictive planning comprising machine executable code which when executed by at least one processor, causes the processor to perform steps comprising:

monitoring one or more factors related to an overall load on at least one of one or more server systems;

trending a rate of change of at least one of the one or more monitored factors;

determining when to at least one of increasing capacity in at least one of the servers systems and adding one or more additional server systems is needed based on the monitoring and the trending; and

at least one of providing a notification of at least one of the need to increase capacity and the need to add one or more additional server systems and implementing at least one of an increase in capacity in at least one of the server systems and the addition of one or more additional server systems when the determining determines the at least one of increasing capacity in at least one of the servers systems and adding one or more additional server systems is needed.

14. The medium as set forth in claim 13 wherein one of the one or more factors comprises a size of one or more user loads in each of the overall loads.

15. The medium as set forth in claim 14 wherein the one or more factors further comprise at least one of processor utilization with respect to one or more user loads in at least one of the overall loads, disk space utilization in at least one of the overall loads, RAM utilization in at least one of the overall loads, I/O load in at least one of the overall loads, and network load on the server systems.

16. The medium as set forth in claim 15 wherein the determining is based on the trending indicating at least one threshold for the at least one of the one or more monitored factors will be exceeded within a first period of time.

17. The medium as set forth in claim 16 further comprising setting the first period of time.

18. The medium as set forth in claim 16 wherein the at least one threshold comprises at least one of the processor utilization exceeding a first percentage for greater than a first period of time, the disk space utilization exceeding a second percentage, the RAM utilization exceeding a third percentage for a greater than a second period of time, I/O load exceeding a fourth percentage for greater than a third period of time, port utilization exceeding a fifth percentage for greater than a fourth period of time, and the network load on the server systems exceeding a sixth percentage.

19. The medium as set forth in claim 14 wherein another one of the one or more factors comprises at least one type of usage in the at least one the one or more server systems.

20. The medium as set forth in claim 19 wherein the at least one type of usage comprises at least one of sustained usage and peak usage.

21. The medium as set forth in claim 19 wherein another one of the one or more factors comprises configuration data for the at least one of the one or more server systems, wherein the determining is further based on the configuration data for the at least one of the one or more server systems.

22. The medium as set forth in claim 21 further comprising receiving the configuration data by automatically downloading the configuration data with at least one of an application program interface and an import utility.

23. The medium as set forth in claim 13 further comprises:

receiving at least one type of cost data related to at least one of the server systems; and

determining an upgrade cost for at least one of the increasing capacity in the at least one of the servers systems and the adding one or more additional server systems, wherein the providing the notification further comprises providing the determined upgrade cost.

24. The medium as set forth in claim 23 further comprising:

monitoring a number of users and which of one or more services are used on each of the at least one of the one or more server systems; and

determining an average cost per user per service on the at least one of the one or more server systems based on the received cost data and the monitored number of users services used, wherein the providing a notification further provides the average cost per user per service on the at least one of the one or more server systems.

25. A system for capacity management and predictive planning, the system comprising:

a monitoring system monitors one or more factors related to an overall load on at least one of one or more server systems;

a trending system trends a rate of change of at least one of the one or more monitored factors;

a planning system determines when at least one of increasing capacity in at least one of the servers systems and adding one or more additional server systems are needed based on the monitoring and the trending; and

at least one of a notification system that outputs a notification of at least one of the need to increase capacity and the need to add one or more additional server systems and an initiation system that at least one of starts an implementation of an increase in capacity in at least one of the server systems and an addition of one or more additional server systems when the planning system determines at least one of increasing capacity to at least one of the servers systems and adding one or more additional server systems is needed.

26. The system as set forth in claim 25 wherein one of the one or more factors comprises a size of one or more user loads in each of the overall loads.

27. The system as set forth in claim 26 wherein the one or more factors comprise at least one of processor utilization with respect to one or more user loads in at least one of the overall loads, disk space utilization in at least one of the overall loads, RAM utilization in at least one of the overall loads, I/O load in at least one of the overall loads, port utilization in at least one of the overall loads, and network load on the server systems.

28. The system as set forth in claim 27 wherein the planning system bases the determination on the trending indicating at least one threshold for the at least one of the one or more monitored factors will be exceeded within a first period of time.

29. The system as set forth in claim 28 further comprising an input system that sets the first period of time.

30. The system as set forth in claim 28 wherein the at least one threshold comprises at least one of the processor utilization exceeding a first percentage for greater than a first period of time, the disk space utilization exceeding a second percentage, the RAM utilization exceeding a third percentage for a greater than a second period of time, I/O load exceeding a fourth percentage for greater than a third period of time, port utilization exceeding a fifth percentage for greater than a fourth period of time, and the network load on the server systems exceeding a sixth percentage.

31. The system as set forth in claim 26 wherein another one of the one or more factors comprises at least one type of usage in the at least one the one or more server systems.

32. The system as set forth in claim 31 wherein the at least one type of usage comprises at least one of sustained usage and peak usage.

33. The system as set forth in claim 31 wherein another one of the one or more factors comprises configuration data for at least one of the one or more server systems, wherein the determining is further based on the configuration data for the at least one of the one or more server systems.

34. The system as set forth in claim 33 further comprises a configuration input system that automatically downloads the configuration data.

35. The system as set forth in claim 25 wherein the planning system receives at least one type of cost data related to at least one of the server systems and determines an upgrade cost for at least one of the increasing capacity in the at least one of the servers systems and the adding one or more additional server systems, wherein the notification system outputs the determined upgrade cost.

36. The system as set forth in claim 35 wherein the monitoring system monitors a number of users and which of one or more services are used on each of the at least one of the one or more server systems, the planning system determines an average cost per user per service on the at least one of the one or more server systems based on the received cost data and the monitored number of users services used, and the notification system provides the average cost per user per service on the at least one of the one or more server systems.