CONGRUENCY AND SIMILARITY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) STRUCTURES AND ASSOCIATED APPLICATIONS

• US 20080183782A1
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Andreev, Dmitry, Greenstein, Paul Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 708/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method and system for consolidating N elements of an enterprise IT structure that consists of L elements (N≦L). All combinations of M elements of the N elements are generated (M<N). M is a specified positive integer of at least 1 and less than N. One or more pairs of combinations selected from all of the combinations are ascertained such that each ascertained pair consists of IT structures S1 and an IT structure S2 which are specifically congruent with respect to each other. Specifically congruent means composition congruent, topologically congruent, interface congruent, composition congruent and topologically congruent, composition congruent and interface congruent, topologically congruent and interface congruent, or fully congruent. At least one pair of combinations selected is consolidated. Consolidating each pair P reduces a goal function G that is a function of a total cost of ownership (TCO) of the enterprise IT structure.

Claims

1. A method for consolidating N elements an enterprise Information Technology (IT) structure that consists of L elements, L being a positive integer of at least 2, N being a specified positive integer of at least 2 subject to N not exceeding L, said method comprising:

generating all combinations of M elements of the N elements, wherein M is a specified positive integer of at least 1 and less than N, each combination being an IT structure of the M elements that said each combination consists of;

ascertaining one or more pairs of combinations selected from said all combinations such that each ascertained pair consists of an IT structure S1 and an IT structure S2 which are specifically congruent with respect to each other, and wherein said specifically congruent is selected from the group consisting of composition congruent, topologically congruent, interface congruent, composition congruent and topologically congruent, composition congruent and interface congruent, topologically congruent and interface congruent, and fully congruent; and

consolidating at least one pair of combinations selected from said one or more pairs of combinations into a consolidated enterprise IT structure, wherein said consolidating each pair P reduces a goal function G that is a function of a total cost of ownership (TCO) of the enterprise IT structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said specifically congruent comprises composition congruent.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said specifically congruent comprises topologically congruent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said specifically congruent comprises interface congruent.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said specifically congruent consists of fully congruent.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein G=k₁*TCO+k₂*CC+k₃*CH, wherein CC is a cost of performing consolidation operations for the pair P, wherein CH is a cost of new hardware required for each said consolidating the pair P, wherein k, is a real positive number, and wherein k₂ and k₃ are each independently zero or a real positive number.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein k₁=C₁ raised to a power of a number of years, wherein C₁ is equal to one minus a current Federal Reserve discount rate, and wherein the number of years is equal to an expected lifetime of the enterprise IT structure.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein k₂=C₂ divided by a probability of performing said consolidating the pair P within a specified budget and by a specified date, and wherein C₂ is a positive real number not exceeding 1.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein k₃=C₃ divided by a probability of acquiring the new hardware within a specified budget and by a specified date, and wherein C₃ is a positive real number not exceeding 1.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein k₂>

0 and k₃>

0.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein k₁=1, k₂=0, and k₃=0.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein k₂>

0 and k₃=0.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein k₂=0 and k₃>

0.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein N=L.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein N<

L.

16. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm configured to implement the method of claim 1.

17. A computer system comprising a processor and a computer readable memory unit coupled to the processor, said memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor perform the method of claim 1.

18. A process for deploying computing infrastructure, said process comprising integrating computer-readable code into a computing system, wherein the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing a method for consolidating N elements an enterprise Information Technology (IT) structure that consists of L elements, L being a positive integer of at least 2, N being a specified positive integer of at least 2 subject to N not exceeding L, said method comprising:

generating all combinations of M elements of the N elements, wherein M is a specified positive integer of at least 1 and less than N, each combination being an IT structure of the M elements that said each combination consists of;

ascertaining one or more pairs of combinations selected from said all combinations such that each ascertained pair consists of an IT structure S1 and an IT structure S2 which are specifically congruent with respect to each other, and wherein said specifically congruent is selected from the group consisting of composition congruent, topologically congruent, interface congruent, composition congruent and topologically congruent, composition congruent and interface congruent, topologically congruent and interface congruent, and fully congruent; and

consolidating at least one pair of combinations selected from said one or more pairs of combinations into a consolidated enterprise IT structure, wherein said consolidating each pair P reduces a goal function G that is a function of a total cost of ownership (TCO) of the enterprise IT structure.

19. The process of claim 18, wherein said specifically congruent comprises composition congruent.

20. The process of claim 18, wherein said specifically congruent comprises topologically congruent.

21. The process of claim 18, wherein said specifically congruent comprises interface congruent.

22. The process of claim 18, wherein said specifically congruent consists of fully congruent.

23. The process of claim 18, wherein G=k₁*TCO+k₂*CC+k₃*CH, wherein CC is a cost of performing consolidation operations for the pair P, wherein CH is a cost of new hardware required for each said consolidating the pair P, wherein k₁ is a real positive number, and wherein k₂ and k₃ are each independently zero or a real positive number.

24. The process of claim 23, wherein k₁=C₁ raised to a power of a number of years, wherein C₁ is equal to one minus a current Federal Reserve discount rate, and wherein the number of years is equal to an expected lifetime of the enterprise IT structure.

25. The process of claim 23, wherein k₂=C₂ divided by a probability of performing said consolidating the pair P within a specified budget and by a specified date, and wherein C₂ is a positive real number not exceeding 1.

26. The process of claim 23, wherein k₃=C₃ divided by a probability of acquiring the new hardware within a specified budget and by a specified date, and wherein C₃ is a positive real number not exceeding 1.

27. The process of claim 23, wherein k₂>

0 and k₃>

0.

28. The process of claim 23, wherein k₁=1 and k₂=0, and k₃=0.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein N=L.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein N<

L.