System for First Pass Filtering of Anomalies and Providing a Base Confidence Level for Resource Usage Prediction in a Utility Computing Environment

• US 20080221820A1
• Filed: 05/12/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Childress, Rhonda L., Tittizer, Abigail A., Pagan, Elfred, Gasca, Miguel E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,689,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/92
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring

Abstract

Provided is a system for monitoring resources in a utility computing environment (UCE). Measurements are evaluated to determine whether or not a particular resource requires remedial or other type of action. A sliding measurement window is employed to assemble a number of measurements corresponding to a particular resource. The number of intervals in a sliding measurement window is based upon best practices corresponding to the resource being measured and analyzed. A first threshold-crossing event and subsequent events are stored until the window is full, or closed. When the window is closed, the threshold-crossing measurements are analyzed to determine whether or not there exists an issue with the resource that requires action. Once a window has been closed and analyzed, the first threshold-crossing event and each subsequent event up to a second threshold-crossing event are discarded and the window reopens.

Claims

1. A system for evaluating resources coupled to a computing system, comprising:

a processor;

a physical, computer-readable memory coupled to the processor;

a polling interval corresponding to a resource;

a number of time intervals, each time interval corresponding to the polling interval and the number of time intervals corresponding to a user-defined period threshold;

a measurement threshold corresponding to a measurement associated with the resource;

a duration threshold;

logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for storing in the memory a first measurement threshold-crossing measurement and corresponding evaluation indicating the measurement crosses the measurement threshold;

logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for storing in the memory a plurality of measurements and corresponding evaluations subsequent to the first measurement, each evaluation corresponding to whether or not the corresponding measurement crosses the measurement threshold;

logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for determining when a total number of measurements, wherein the total number of measurements includes the first and subsequent measurements, equals the number of time intervals;

logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for calculating, once the total number of measurements equals the number of time intervals, a score corresponding to the number of total measurements that both cross the threshold and are included in any group of contiguous measurements in which the number of measurements in the corresponding group of contiguous measurements exceed the duration threshold; and

logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for signaling when the score crosses a scoring threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for investigating the functionality of the resource if the score exceeds the scoring threshold.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for generating a report on the measurements and the resource if the score exceeds the scoring threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising,

logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for discarding the first measurement and corresponding evaluation and each measurement of the plurality of measurements and corresponding evaluations preceding a first subsequent measurement in which the evaluation indicates the measurement threshold was crossed,

wherein all measurements and corresponding evaluations are discarded if there is no first subsequent measurement in which the evaluation indicates the measurement threshold was crossed.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for calculating a score corresponding to the plurality of duration attributes.

6. A computer programming product for evaluating resources coupled to a computing system, comprising:

a physical, computer-readable memory;

a polling interval, stored on the memory, corresponding to a resource coupled to a computing system;

a number, corresponding to a user-defined period threshold, of time intervals, stored on the memory, each time interval corresponding to the polling interval;

a measurement threshold, stored on the memory, corresponding to a measurement associated with the resource;

a duration threshold, stored on the memory;

a first measurement threshold-crossing measurement and corresponding evaluation indicating that the first measurement crosses the measurement threshold, both measurement and evaluation stored on the memory;

a plurality of subsequent measurements and corresponding evaluations following the first measurement threshold-crossing measurement, stored on the memory, each evaluation corresponding to whether or not the corresponding measurement crosses the measurement threshold;

logic, stored on the memory for execution on a processor, for determining when a total number of measurements, wherein the total number of measurements includes the first and subsequent measurements, equals the number of time intervals;

logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for calculating, once the total number of measurements equals the number of time intervals, a score corresponding to the number of measurements that both cross the measurement threshold and are included in any group of contiguous measurements in which the number of measurements in the corresponding group of contiguous measurements exceed the duration threshold; and

logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for signaling the score.

7. The computer programming product of claim 6, further comprising logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for investigating the functionality of the resource if the score exceeds a predetermined value.

8. The computer programming product of claim 6, further comprising logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for generating a report on the measurements and the resource if the score exceeds a predetermined value.

9. The computer programming product of claim 6, further comprising logic, stored on the memory for execution on the processor, for discarding the first measurement and corresponding evaluation and each measurement and corresponding evaluation preceding a second measurement in which the evaluation indicates the threshold was crossed,

wherein, if there is no first subsequent measurement in which the corresponding evaluation indicates the measurement threshold was crossed, all measurements and corresponding evaluations are discarded.

10. The computer programming product of claim 6, wherein the score is calculated based upon the evaluation and the duration attributes.