System and method for selectively controlling the addition of reserve computing capacity

• US 20080104245A1
• Filed: 10/25/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2006
• 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: Romero, Francisco
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5022 Workload threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system and method is disclosed for changing the resource availability of a particular user in a manner calculated to add the least cost to the user. A cluster of partition servers are arranges, in one embodiment, with a master controller for keeping track at any point in time as to the different licensing costs involved with different methods of adding resource capacity. When a user requires additional capacity the system calculates which of several possible resource enhancements to initiate based upon a least cost analysis.

Claims

1. The method of changing resource availability to a particular user, said method comprising:

determining a need to change a user'"'"'s resource allocation for a particular time period; and

changing said resource allocation for said particular time period in a manner calculated to add the least additional cost to said user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said calculation of said least additional cost to said user is done at time of said changing.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

changing said resource allocation a second time again in a manner calculated at the time of said second changing to add the least additional cost to said user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said changing comprises:

selecting resources from among the following resource types;

intra-transfer, inter-transfer and temporary activation;

wherein said intra-transfer is the deactivation of a resource in one partition of a server and the concurrent activation of a resource in another partition of the same server, and wherein said inter-transfer is the deactivation of a resource in one server and the concurrent activation of a resource in a second server; and

wherein said temporary activation is the activation of a resource not previously allocated to said user.

5. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of resources of a particular type available to the user;

means for establishing limits on the number of said particular type resources available to said user at a particular time from a particular partition server;

means for determining the need for additional ones of said particular resources;

means initialized by said determining means for making additional ones of said particular resources available for use by said user, said additional ones of said particular resource selectable from various available pools of resources, each said pool having a different cost associated therewith; and

means for selecting which resource pool to obtain said additional resource from.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said pools are selected from at least two of the following pool types:

intra-transfer, inter-transfer and temporary activation;

wherein said intra-transfer is the deactivation of a resource in one partition of a server and the concurrent activation of a resource in another partition of the same server, and wherein said inter-transfer is the deactivation of a resource in one server and the concurrent activation of a resource in a second server; and

wherein said temporary activation is the activation of a resource not previously allocated to said user.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said resources are selected from the list consisting of:

CPU, input/output, bandwidth between resources.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein said resources are CPUs and wherein said additional resources are made available on a temporary basis.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein each said server is controlled by a controller and wherein individual server controllers are controlled, at least in part, by a system controller.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said means for determining is at least in part contained within said individual server controlling said particular server.

11. A computer system comprising:

a server having partitions with each partition having a fixed amount of resources available to a user and wherein some of said fixed amount of resources in each said partition are active and some of said fixed amount of resources in said partition are inactive;

at least one additional pool of resources available to said user from time to time, said resources from said additional pool, when activated for use by said user, cause a charge to be made to said user for said use;

a controller for determining when a user requires activation of additional resources; and

said controller further operable to determine from between said inactive same partition resources and said resources from said at least one pool which resources, when activated for use by said user, will result in the least additional cost to said user.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said controller is further operable for making available to said user from time to time said determined least cost additional resources when said user is determined to require said additional resources.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

an additional server having resources which could be made available to said user; and

wherein at least some of said resources from said at least one pool are resources on said additional server.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein each of said servers is controlled by a controller and wherein individual server controllers are controlled, at least in part, by a system controller.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein said resources are selected from the list of CPU, input/output, bandwidth between resources.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein said resources are CPUs and wherein said additional resources are made available on a temporary basis.

17. A computer program product having a computer readable media, said readable media comprising:

code for controlling the determination of a need to add resources for a particular user;

code for identifying a set of additional resources that will accomplish the desired workload;

code for controlling the configuration of resources from said identified additional resources that will yield the least amount of cost to said user; and

code for controlling the addition of said selected resource configuration to said user'"'"'s available resources.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein said resources are added on a temporary basis.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising:

code for controlling the determination of a need for reducing resources for a particular user; and

code for controlling the removal of resources from said user in a manner that will yield the least amount of cost to said user.

20. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein said resources are selected from the list of:

CPU, input/output, bandwidth between resources.