Sharing Performance Data Between Different Information Technology Product/Solution Deployments

• US 20120079083A1
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Branca, Salvatore, Cavazza, Paolo, MacLellan, Scot
• Granted Patent: US 8,316,115 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A method and system for dynamically sharing performance information among multiple computing nodes. One implementation involves dynamically obtaining performance information from deployments of an information technology (IT) product/solution at said computing nodes, and transmitting the obtained performance information to a server over a communication network for storing the obtained performance information in a knowledge database. The server operates to dynamically determine new configuration information based on the information in the database, store the new configuration in the database, and provide the new configuration information to said deployments by transmitting the new configuration information over the network.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically sharing performance information among multiple computing nodes, comprising:

dynamically obtaining performance information from deployments of an information technology (IT) product/solution at said computing nodes;

transmitting the obtained performance information to a server over a communication network for storing the obtained performance information in a knowledge database; and

at the server, dynamically determining new configuration information based on the information in the database, storing the new configuration in the database, and dynamically providing the new configuration information to said deployments by transmitting the new configuration information over the network, wherein;

the performance information includes current configuration parameter information for hardware and software configurations at each deployment based on configuration policies of the deployment, and

determining new configuration information further comprises, based on the information obtained from the deployment;

assigning a deployment type to the deployment based on the obtained parameter information from the deployment, wherein the deployment type is a function of the characteristics of the computing environment of the deployment;

and

in response to an optimal configuration existing in the database for the deployment type, then providing the existing optimal configuration for that deployment type.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance information at each deployment includes current configuration information at that deployment and determining new configuration information further includes determining new configuration information based on the configuration information in the database.

5. The method of claim 1, further including:

in response to an optimal configuration not existing in the database for that deployment type, then the method comprises;

determining an optimal configuration for the deployment based on the configuration information in the database for that deployment type;

storing the optimal configuration for the deployment in the database; and

providing the optimal configuration for the deployment.

6. The method of claim 1, further including applying the new configuration information at a deployment based on configuration policies at the deployment.

7. The method of claim 1, further including a deployment requesting new configuration information, such that providing new configuration information includes providing the new configuration information to the requesting deployment.

3-4. -4. (canceled)

8. A system for dynamically sharing performance information among multiple computing nodes, comprising:

one or more client modules, and a server module;

each client module configured for operating at a deployment of an information technology (IT) product/solution at a computing node, each client module further configured for dynamically obtaining performance information from the corresponding deployment and transmitting the obtained performance information to a server over a communication network;

the server module configured for storing the obtained performance information in a knowledge database, dynamically determining new configuration information based on the information in the database, and storing the new configuration in the database, and providing the new configuration information to each deployment client module by transmitting the new configuration information over the network, wherein;

the performance information includes current configuration parameter information for hardware and software configurations at each deployment based on configuration policies of the deployment,

the server module is further configured for determining optimal configuration information for a deployment based on the information obtained from that deployment by;

assigning a deployment type to the deployment based on the obtained parameter information from the deployment, wherein the deployment type is a function of the characteristics of the computing environment of the deployment;

and

in response to an optimal configuration existing in the database for the deployment type, then providing the existing optimal configuration for that deployment type.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the performance information at each deployment includes current configuration information at that deployment, and the server module is further configured for determining new configuration information based on the configuration information in the database.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the server module is further configured for determining optimal configuration information for a deployment based on the information obtained from that deployment, including:

if in response to an optimal configuration not existing in the database for that deployment type, then the server module;

determines an optimal configuration for the deployment based on the configuration information in the database for that deployment type;

stores the optimal configuration for the deployment in the database; and

provides the optimal configuration for the deployment.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein each client is further configured for applying the new configuration information at a deployment based on configuration policies at the deployment.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein each client is further configured for requesting new configuration information, and the server module is further configured for providing the new configuration information to the requesting deployment client.

10-11. -11. (canceled)

15. A computer program product for dynamically sharing performance information among multiple computing nodes, comprising a computer usable storage device including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to:

dynamically obtain performance information from deployments of an information technology (IT) product/solution at said computing nodes;

transmit the obtained performance information to a server over a communication network for storing the obtained performance information in a knowledge database; and

dynamically determine new configuration information at the server based on the information in the database, store the new configuration in the database, and dynamically provide the new configuration information to said deployments by transmitting the new configuration information over the network, wherein;

the performance information includes current configuration parameter information for hardware and software configurations at each deployment based on configuration policies of the deployment, and

determining new configuration information further comprises, based on the information obtained from the deployment;

assigning a deployment type to the deployment based on the obtained parameter information from the deployment, wherein the deployment type is a function of the characteristics of the computing environment of the deployment;

and

in response to an optimal configuration existing in the database for the deployment type, then providing the existing optimal configuration for that deployment type.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the performance information at each deployment includes current configuration information at that deployment and the instructions for determining new configuration information further include instructions for determining new configuration information based on the configuration information in the database.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions for determining optimal configuration information for a deployment further include instructions for:

based on the information obtained from that deployment;

in response to an optimal configuration not existing in the database for that deployment type, then;

determining an optimal configuration for the deployment based on the configuration information in the database for that deployment type;

storing the optimal configuration for the deployment in the database;

and

providing the optimal configuration for the deployment.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further including instructions for the computer to apply the new configuration information at a deployment based on configuration policies at the deployment.

17-18. -18. (canceled)