MANAGING SERVICE DEMAND LOAD RELATIVE TO INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY IN A NETWORKED COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120123886A1
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Coffey, Brendan F., Dawson, Christopher J., Brown, Gene L., Brookbanks, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,256,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for implementing service level agreements (SLAs) having variable service delivery requirements and pricing in a networked (e.g. cloud) computing environment. Under embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of SLAs, each having a different price level, is made available to a consumer. The consumer may select one or more of the plurality of SLAs that reflects the consumer'"'"'s service delivery requirements in a cloud computing environment. A consumer having relatively inflexible service delivery requirements may select one of the SLAs having a relatively higher price, whereas a consumer having relatively flexible service delivery requirements may select one of the SLAs having a relatively lower price. In one embodiment, the SLAs may dynamically provide for relatively lower variable pricing in response to the consumer receiving deferred or a relatively lower level of service during a peak service demand load. In another embodiment, the SLAs may dynamically provide for relatively higher variable pricing in response to consumer service requests that are fulfilled during a relatively higher overall service demand load. In yet another embodiment, the SLAs may dynamically provide for relatively lower variable pricing in response to consumer service requests that occur during a relatively lower overall service demand load.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing service demand load relative to infrastructure capacity in a networked computing environment, comprising:

making a plurality of service level agreements (SLAs) available for selection by a consumer at a computer-based portal, wherein each of the plurality of SLAs comprises a price and an associated level of service;

receiving from the consumer via the computer-based portal, a selection of a service level agreement (SLA) from the plurality of SLAs;

receiving a consumer service request from the consumer; and

executing the consumer service request according to an event action that is taken in response to a dynamic event, infrastructure utilization relative to infrastructure capacity in the networked computing environment, and the consumer selected SLA.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic event comprises at least one of the following:

new resource requests, electrical power constraint, electrical brownout, denial of service, network outage, server outage, storage outage, and application failure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the event action comprises at least one of the following:

reallocating resources such that there is no impact to the consumer, reducing available resources by a predetermined amount, reprioritizing the consumer service request, deferring the consumer service request for a predetermined period of time, and reducing the rate the consumer is charged by a predetermined amount.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer selected SLA further comprises a dynamic event and an event action to be taken in response to the dynamic event.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the consumer selected SLA is encoded as an SLA rule by a rules generation system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a specific event action is determined by a rules engine based upon the dynamic event, the SLA rule, and infrastructure utilization relative to the infrastructure capacity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the networked computing environment is a cloud computing environment.

8. A computerized system for managing service demand load relative to infrastructure capacity in a networked computing environment, comprising:

a bus;

a processor coupled to the bus; and

a memory medium coupled to the bus, the memory medium comprising instructions to;

make a plurality of service level agreements (SLAs) available for selection by a consumer at a computer-based portal, wherein each of the plurality of SLAs comprises a price and an associated level of service;

receive from the consumer via the computer-based portal, a selection of a service level agreement (SLA) from the plurality of SLAs;

receive a consumer service request from the consumer; and

execute the consumer service request according to an event action that is taken in response to a dynamic event, infrastructure utilization relative to infrastructure capacity in the networked computing environment, and the consumer selected SLA.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the dynamic event comprises at least one of the following:

new resource requests, electrical power constraint, electrical brownout, denial of service, network outage, server outage, storage outage, and application failure.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the event action comprises at least one of the following:

reallocating resources such that there is no impact to the consumer, reducing available resources by a predetermined amount, reprioritizing the consumer service request, deferring the consumer service request for a predetermined period of time, and reducing the rate the consumer is charged by a predetermined amount.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the consumer selected SLA further comprises a dynamic event and an event action to be taken in response to the dynamic event.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the consumer selected SLA is encoded as an SLA rule by a rules generation system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein a specific event action is determined by a rules engine based upon the dynamic event, the SLA rule, and infrastructure utilization relative to the infrastructure capacity.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the networked computing environment is a cloud computing environment.

15. A computer program product for managing service demand load relative to infrastructure capacity in a networked computing environment, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media, to:

make a plurality of service level agreements (SLAs) available for selection by a consumer at a computer-based portal, wherein each of the plurality of SLAs comprises a price and an associated level of service;

receive from the consumer via the computer-based portal, a selection of a service level agreement (SLA) from the plurality of SLAs;

receive a consumer service request from the consumer; and

execute the consumer service request according to an event action that is taken in response to a dynamic event, infrastructure utilization relative to infrastructure capacity in the networked computing environment, and the consumer selected SLA.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the dynamic event comprises at least one of the following:

new resource requests, electrical power constraint, electrical brownout, denial of service, network outage, server outage, storage outage, and application failure.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the event action comprises at least one of the following:

reallocating resources such that there is no impact to the consumer, reducing available resources by a predetermined amount, reprioritizing the consumer service request, deferring the consumer service request for a predetermined period of time, and reducing the rate the consumer is charged by a predetermined amount.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the consumer selected SLA further comprises a dynamic event and an event action to be taken in response to the dynamic event.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the consumer selected SLA is encoded as an SLA rule by a rules generation system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a specific event action is determined by a rules engine based upon the dynamic event, the SLA rule, and infrastructure utilization relative to the infrastructure capacity.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the networked computing environment is a cloud computing environment.

22. A method for deploying a system for managing service demand load relative to infrastructure capacity in a networked computing environment, comprising:

deploying a computer infrastructure being operable to;

make a plurality of service level agreements (SLAs) available for selection by a consumer at a computer-based portal, wherein each of the plurality of SLAs comprises a price and an associated level of service;

receive from the consumer via the computer-based portal, a selection of a service level agreement (SLA) from the plurality of SLAs;

receive a consumer service request from the consumer; and

execute the consumer service request according to an event action that is taken in response to a dynamic event, infrastructure utilization relative to infrastructure capacity in the networked computing environment, and the consumer selected SLA.

23. A computer-implemented method for managing service demand load relative to infrastructure capacity in a networked computing environment, comprising:

making a plurality of service level agreements (SLAs) available for selection by a consumer at a computer-based portal, wherein each of the plurality of SLAs has a price and an associated level of service;

receiving from the consumer via the computer-based portal, a selection of a service level agreement (SLA) from the plurality of SLAs;

receiving a consumer service request from the consumer; and

responsive to infrastructure utilization relative to infrastructure capacity in the networked computing environment and the consumer selected SLA, performing at least one of the following;

fully executing the consumer service request;

partially executing the consumer service request by restricting infrastructure available to execute the consumer service request; and

deferring the consumer service request until infrastructure utilization in the networked computing environment is at or below a predetermined level.