DYNAMIC SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT FOR CLOUD COMPUTING SERVICES

• US 20110131309A1
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Akiyama, Kazuhito, Tsumura, Tadashi, Ohkado, Akira, Iwano, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,782,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/145 trading network capacity or selecting route based on tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications

Abstract

A method for dynamically updating a service level agreement, performed by a cloud computing server, includes storing a preference for service selection, acquiring an actual usage level of a first service provided to a user during a predetermined time period in accordance with a first service level agreement, determining a second service level agreement different from the first service level agreement based on the actual usage level acquired during the predetermined time period, and selecting a second service that satisfies the second service level agreement.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically updating a service level agreement, the method performed by a cloud computing server, the method comprising:

storing a preference for service selection;

acquiring an actual usage level of a first service provided to a user during a predetermined time period in accordance with a first service level agreement;

determining a second service level agreement different from said first service level agreement based on said actual usage level acquired during said predetermined time period; and

selecting a second service that satisfies said second service level agreement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said second service is selected from services from among at least one of:

a primary cloud and a secondary cloud.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said preference is one of:

a limitation on fees charged, and a limitation on power consumed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring said actual usage level of the first service provided during said predetermined period; and

determining said second service level agreement based on a ratio of said actual usage level to a planned service level set by said first service level agreement.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing preference information comprising constraints on respective items of a first service level agreement;

determining a new second service level agreement by merging updated constraints on said items of said first service level agreement with stored constraints on said items of said first service level agreement.

selecting, from services provided by a primary cloud and a secondary cloud, a second service that satisfies said determined new second service level agreement on the basis of said preference for service selection in said first service level agreement; and

providing said first service and said selected second service.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining whether said stored constrains on said items of said first service level agreement have been updated.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a service list comprising information for identifying available services in association with service levels;

extracting additional services comprising a service level that satisfies said second service level agreement based on said stored service list; and

selecting one of said additional services based on said stored preference for service selection in said first service level agreement.

8. A cloud computing system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to said processor, said processor configured to;

store a preference for service selection;

acquire an actual usage level of a first service provided to a user during a predetermined time period in accordance with a first service level agreement;

determine a second service level agreement different from said first service level agreement based on said actual usage level acquired during said predetermined time period; and

select a second service that satisfies said second service level.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said second service is selected from services from among at least one of:

a primary cloud and a secondary cloud.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said preference is one of:

a limitation on fees charged, and a limitation on power consumed.

11. The cloud system of claim 8, wherein said processor is further configured to:

acquire said actual usage level of the first service provided during said predetermined period; and

determine said second service level agreement based on a ratio of said actual usage level to a planned service level set by said first service level agreement.

12. The cloud system of claim 8, wherein said processor is further configured to:

store preference information comprising constraints on respective items of a first service level agreement;

determine a new second service level agreement by merging updated constraints on said items of said first service level agreement with stored constraints on said items of said first service level agreement.

select, from services provided by a primary cloud and a secondary cloud, a second service that satisfies said determined new second service level agreement on the basis of said preference for service selection in said first service level agreement; and

provide said first service and said selected second service.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said processor is further configured to determine whether said stored constrains on said items of said first service level agreement have been updated.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein said process is further configured to:

store, in said memory, a service list comprising information for identifying available services in association with service levels;

extracts additional services comprising a service level that satisfies said second service level agreement based on said stored service list; and

select one of said additional services based on said stored preference for service selection in said first service level agreement.

15. A computer program product for dynamically updating a service level agreement for use of a cloud computing system, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable code embodied therewith, said computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to store a preference for service selection;

computer readable program code configured to acquire an actual usage level of a first service provided to a user during a predetermined time period in accordance with a first service level agreement;

computer readable program code configured to determine a second service level agreement different from said first service level agreement based on said actual usage level acquired during said predetermined time period; and

computer readable program code configured to select a second service that satisfies said second service level agreement.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said second service is selected from services from among at least one of:

a primary cloud and a secondary cloud.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to acquire said actual usage level of the first service provided during said predetermined period; and

computer readable program code configured to determine said second service level agreement based on a ratio of said actual usage level to a planned service level set by said first service level agreement.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said processor is further configured to:

computer readable program code configured to store preference information comprising constraints on respective items of a first service level agreement;

computer readable program code configured to determine a new second service level agreement by merging updated constraints on said items of said first service level agreement with stored constraints on said items of said first service level agreement.

computer readable program code configured to select, from services provided by a primary cloud and a secondary cloud, a second service that satisfies said determined new second service level agreement on the basis of said preference for service selection in said first service level agreement; and

computer readable program code configured to provide said first service and said selected second service.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising computer readable program code configured to determine whether said stored constrains on said items of said first service level agreement have been updated.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to store, in said memory, a service list comprising information for identifying available services in association with service levels;

computer readable program code configured to extracts additional services comprising a service level that satisfies said second service level agreement based on said stored service list; and

computer readable program code configured to select one of said additional services based on said stored preference for service selection in said first service level agreement.