METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING PAY-PER-USE DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING RESOURCES

• US 20090210356A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clouding Corporation (Marathon Patent Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Clouding IP, LLC (f/k/a STEC IP, LLC) (IPNav)
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Robert, Bharadhwaj, Rajeev, Nathan, Swami, Martyn, Craig W., Abrams, Peter C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,533,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/126 minimising geographical or physical path length

Abstract

Method, system, apparatus, and computer program and computer program product provide on-demand, scalable computational resources to application providers over a distributed network and system. Resources are made available based on demand for applications. Application providers are charged fees based on the amount of resources utilized to satisfy the needs of the application. In providing compute resources, method and apparatus is capable of rapidly activating a plurality of instances of the applications as demand increases and to halt instances as demand drops. Application providers are charged based on metered amount of computational resources utilized in processing their applications. Application providers access the network to distribute applications onto network to utilize distributed compute resources for processing of the applications. Application providers are further capable of monitoring, updating and replacing distributed applications. Apparatus and system includes plurality of computing resources distributed across a network capable of restoring and snapshotting provisioned applications based on demand.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method of providing scalable computational resources, comprising:

receiving a first request for a first application;

determining routing of the first request;

routing the first request to access the first application; and

determining an amount charged to a first application provider.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein:

the determining routing including;

determining if a first instance of a first application is active; and

determining if the first instance is at a capacity if the first instance of the first application is active.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein:

the routing including routing the request to the first instance if the first instance is not at capacity.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein:

the routing the request to the first instance including providing a first set of compute resources to satisfy the first request; and

the determining the amount charged including increasing the amount charged to the first application provider based on the first set of compute resources.

25. The method as claimed in claim 22, further comprising:

the determining routing including determining if compute resources are available for activating a second instance of the first application if the first instance is at capacity;

activating the second instance of the first application on a second set of the available compute resources if the first instance is at capacity and the compute resources are available; and

the routing including routing the request to the second instance on the second set of the available compute resources.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

the determining the amount charged including increasing the amount charged to the first application provider based on the second set of compute resources.

27. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:

freeing up a third set of compute resources if in the step of determining if compute resources are available it is determined that compute resources are not available;

activating the second instance of the first application on a fourth set of compute resources such that the fourth set of compute resources includes at least a portion of the freed up third set of compute resources; and

the routing including routing the request to the second instance on the fourth set of the compute resources.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein:

the determining the amount charged including increasing the amount charged to the first application provider based on the fourth set of compute resources.

29. The method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising:

the freeing up including snapshotting a first instance of a second application, wherein the second application is provided by a second application provider; and

reducing an amount charged to the second application provider based on the freed up third set of compute resources.

30. The method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:

activating the first application such that the first application is active on a first set of the compute resources.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein:

the determining the amount charged including increasing the amount charged to the first application provider based on the first set of compute resources.

32. The method as claimed in claim 31, further comprising:

freeing up the first set of compute resources prior to activating the first application on the first set of compute resources.

33. The method as claimed in claim 32, wherein:

the determining routing including determining that a second application operating on a second set of compute resources is to be snapshotted;

the freeing up including snapshotting the second application to free up the second set of the compute resources to allow the first application to be activated on the first set of compute resources, wherein the first set of compute resources includes at least a portion of the second set of compute resources.

34. The method as claimed in claim 33, further comprising:

reducing an amount charged to a second application provider providing the second application proportional to the second set of compute resources.

35. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein:

the determining the routing including determining if the requested application is currently active on the compute resources.

36. The method as claimed in claim 35, further comprising:

the determining the routing including determining that a first set of the compute resources is the optimal compute resources to utilize in the step of activating the first application if the first application is not currently active;

activating the first application such that the first application is active on the first set of the compute resources; and

the determining the amount charged including increasing the amount charged proportional to the metered amount of first set of compute resources used.

37. The method as claimed in claim 36, wherein:

the determining the optimal compute resources including determining which of a plurality of compute modules is least utilized.

38. The method as claimed in claim 36, wherein:

the determining routing including determining which of a plurality of compute resources an optimal compute resource.

39. A computer readable medium containing instructions, which, when executed by at least a first processor performs the following:

receiving a request from an entity for processing of a first application;

determining an amount of compute resources needed to satisfy the request;

restoring the first application on a first amount of compute resources; and

providing the entity with access to the restored first application.

40. A computer readable medium containing instructions, which, when executed by at least a first processor performs the following:

operating a first instance of a first application on a first amount of compute resources;

halting the first application along with state information associated with the first application;

freeing up a first amount of compute resources; and

reducing an amount charged to a first application provider providing the first application based on the first amount of compute resources freed up.

41. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 40, wherein:

the freeing up the first amount of compute resources including placing the halted first application and accompanying state information into a form which can be transferred.

42. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 41, wherein:

the freeing up the resources including transferring the halted first application to a memory.

43. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 41, wherein:

the freeing up the resources including transferring the halted first application to a second amount of compute resources.

44. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 40, further comprising:

activating a second application on a third amount of compute resources where the third amount of compute resources includes at least a portion of the freed up first amount of compute resources.

45. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 44, further comprising:

increasing an amount charged to a second application provider providing the second application based on the third amount of compute resources.

46. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 44, further comprising:

restoring the halted first application and accompanying state information on a second amount of compute resources to allow the second amount of compute resources to process the restored first application.

47. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 40, further comprising:

receiving a request from an entity for processing of a third application;

determining an amount of compute resources needed to satisfy the request;

restoring the third application on a fourth amount of compute resources; and

providing the entity with access to the restored third application.

48. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 47, further comprising:

increasing an amount charged to a third application provider providing the third application based on the fourth amount of compute resources.

49. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 47, wherein:

the restoring the third application including restoring the third application from a snapshotted state.

50. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 47, wherein:

the entity is a user.

51. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 47, wherein:

the entity is an application.

52-96. -96. (canceled)