MAXIMIZING EFFICIENCY IN A CLOUD COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120030356A1
• Filed: 07/30/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fletcher, James C.
• Application Number:
  US12/847,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20120030356A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5094 where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Power consumption efficiency of servers and data centers that comprise the servers can be taken into consideration when identifying servers from which to allocate resources for servicing a request. A subset of a plurality of servers from which resources can be allocated to service the request can be identified based on availability of resources at each of the plurality of servers. Facilities elements (including power distribution elements and cooling elements) associated with the each server of the subset of the plurality of servers are identified. An energy cost for each server of the subset of the plurality of servers is calculated based on power characteristics of the facilities elements. Resources of a first of the subset of the plurality of servers are allocated for servicing the request is identified based on determining that the first of the subset of the plurality of servers is associated with a lowest energy cost.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a plurality of servers from which resources can be allocated to service a request;

for each server of the plurality of servers,

identifying a power distribution element and a cooling element associated with the server;

determining an energy cost based, at least in part, on power characteristics of the power distribution element and the cooling element associated with the server;

determining a lowest energy cost for servicing the request based, at least in part, on said determining the energy cost of each of the plurality servers; and

allocating at least a subset of the resources for servicing the request from a first of the plurality of servers based, at least in part, on said determining the lowest energy cost for servicing the request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the lowest energy cost for servicing the request comprises determining that the first of the plurality of servers has the lowest of the energy costs determined for the plurality of servers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the lowest energy cost for servicing the request comprises determining that the resources for servicing the request can be allocated from a first set of the plurality servers at a first aggregate energy cost that is lower than either a second aggregate energy cost for allocating the resources from a second set of the plurality of servers or the energy cost of allocating the resources from a second of the plurality of servers, wherein the first set of the plurality of servers includes the first of the plurality of servers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the plurality of servers from which resources can be allocated to service the request comprises:

for each of a second plurality of servers, wherein the second plurality of servers comprise the plurality of servers,

determining, at the server, a current resource consumption that corresponds to allocated resources at the second of the plurality of servers;

determining whether the current resource consumption at the server is greater than a threshold resource consumption;

indicating that the available unallocated resources of the server cannot be allocated for servicing the request in response to determining that the current resource consumption at the server is greater than the threshold resource consumption;

determining at least a subset of the available unallocated resources of the server that can be allocated for servicing the request in response to determining that the current resource consumption at the server is not greater than the threshold resource consumption; and

identifying the plurality of servers as those of the second plurality of servers from which at least the subset of the available unallocated resources of the server that can be allocated for servicing the request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said determining the energy cost for each server of the plurality of servers comprises:

calculating, for each server of the plurality of servers, the energy cost for the server based, at least in part, on the at least the subset of the available unallocated resources of the server that can be allocated for servicing the request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a second of the plurality of servers is in a dormant state, wherein the dormant state represents that the second of the plurality of servers is in a low-powered state and cooling elements associated with the second of the plurality of servers is in the low-powered state;

indicating that available unallocated resources of the second of the plurality of servers cannot be allocated for servicing the request in response to determining that the second of the plurality of servers is in the dormant state; and

determining the energy cost for the second of the plurality of servers in response to determining that the second of the plurality of servers is not in the dormant state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the energy cost for each server of the plurality of servers comprises:

for each server of the plurality of servers,

estimating an increase in power consumption by the server and by the power distribution element and the cooling element associated with the server based on a simulated allocation of at least a subset of the resources from the server for servicing the request.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said estimating the increase in power consumption for each server of the plurality of servers comprises:

for each server of the plurality of servers,

determining, at the server, a current resource consumption that corresponds to allocated resources at the server;

determining, at the server, a current temperature that corresponds to the current resource consumption at the server; and

estimating a temperature rise at the server that could occur if at least a subset of the available unallocated resources of the server are allocated for servicing the request.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

for each server of the plurality of servers,

determining a new temperature at the server based on the current temperature at the server and on the temperature rise at the server that could occur if at least the subset of the available unallocated resources of the server are allocated for servicing the request;

determining that the new temperature at the server is greater than a threshold temperature; and

indicating that the at least the subset of the available unallocated resources of the server cannot be allocated for servicing the request in response to said determining that the new temperature at the server is greater than the threshold temperature.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the power characteristics of the cooling element comprise at least one of a physical location of the cooling element, a cooling efficiency of the cooling element, a power consumption of the cooling element, a cooling capacity of the cooling element, a distance between the cooling element and one of the plurality of servers associated with the cooling element, and a direction of airflow of the cooling element relative to the one of the plurality of servers associated with the cooling element.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of servers constitute one of:

a cloud computing network wherein one or more of the plurality of servers are located at distinct physical locations, and

a data center, wherein each server of the plurality of servers is located at a common physical location.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the energy cost for each server of the plurality of servers comprises:

for each server of the plurality of servers, calculating a monetary cost for the server based, at least in part, on power consumption by the server.

13. A computer program product for maximizing power utilization efficiency, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code configured to,

determine a plurality of servers from which resources can be allocated to service a request;

for each server of the plurality of servers,

identify a power distribution element and a cooling element associated with the server;

determine an energy cost based, at least in part, on power characteristics of the power distribution element and the cooling element associated with the server;

determine a lowest energy cost for servicing the request based, at least in part, on the computer readable program code determining the energy cost of each of the plurality of servers; and

allocate at least a subset of the resources for servicing the request from a first of the plurality of servers based, at least in part, on the computer readable program code determining the lowest energy cost for servicing the request.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code configured to determine the plurality of servers from which resources can be allocated to service the request comprises the computer readable program code configured to:

for each of a second plurality of servers, wherein the second plurality of servers comprise the plurality of servers,

determine, at the server, a current resource consumption that corresponds to allocated resources at the server;

determine whether the current resource consumption at the server is greater than a threshold resource consumption;

indicate that available unallocated resources of the server cannot be allocated for servicing the request in response to the computer readable program code determining that the current resource consumption at the server is greater than the threshold resource consumption;

determine at least a subset of the available unallocated resources of the server that can be allocated for servicing the request in response to the computer readable program code determining that the current resource consumption at the server is not greater than the threshold resource consumption; and

identify the plurality of servers as those of the second plurality of servers from which at least the subset of the available unallocated resources of the server that can be allocated for servicing the request.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code is further configured to:

determine whether a second of the plurality of servers is in a dormant state, wherein the dormant state represents that the second of plurality of servers is in a low-powered state and cooling elements associated with the second of the plurality of servers is in the low-powered state;

indicate that available unallocated resources of the second of the plurality of servers cannot be allocated for servicing the request in response to the computer readable program code determining that the second of the plurality of servers is in the dormant state; and

determine the energy cost for the second of the plurality of servers in response to the computer readable program code determining that the second of the plurality of servers is not in the dormant state.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code configured to determine the energy cost for each server of the plurality of servers comprises the computer readable program code configured to:

for each server of the plurality of servers,

estimate an increase in power consumption by the server and by the power distribution element and the cooling element associated with the server based on a simulated allocation of at least a subset of the resources from server for servicing the request.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program code configured to estimate the increase in power consumption for each server of the plurality of servers comprises the computer readable program code configured to:

for each server of the plurality of servers,

determine, at the server, a current resource consumption that corresponds to allocated resources at the server;

determine, at the server, a current temperature that corresponds to the current resource consumption at the server; and

estimate a temperature rise at the server that could occur if at least a subset of the available unallocated resources of the server are allocated for servicing the request.

18. The computer readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code is further configured to:

for each server of the plurality of servers,

determine a new temperature at the server based on the current temperature at the server and on the temperature rise at the server that could occur if at least the subset of the available unallocated resources of the server are allocated for servicing the request;

determine that the new temperature at the server is greater than a threshold temperature; and

indicate that the at least the subset of the available unallocated resources of the server cannot be allocated for servicing the request in response to the computer readable program code determining that the temperature rise at the server is greater than the threshold temperature.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a network interface coupled with the processor;

a resource identification unit coupled with the processor and with the network interface, the resource identification unit operable to;

determine a plurality of servers from which resources can be allocated to service a request;

an energy management unit operable to;

for each server of the plurality of servers,

identify a power distribution element and a cooling element associated with the server;

determine an energy cost based, at least in part, on power characteristics of the power distribution element and the cooling element associated with the server;

determine a lowest energy cost for servicing the request based, at least in part, on the energy management unit determining the energy cost of each of the plurality of servers; and

the resource identification unit operable to;

allocate at least a subset of the resources for servicing the request from a first of the plurality of servers based, at least in part, on the energy management unit determining the lowest energy cost for servicing the request.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the resource identification unit and the energy management unit comprise the computer readable storage medium.