CONTROLLING AND SELECTING CLOUD CENTER

• US 20120240113A1
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Hur, Tae-Sung
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,899 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems

Abstract

Provided are apparatus and method for managing a plurality of cloud centers that provide a virtual computing environment to a client. The method may include selecting a target cloud center from the plurality of cloud centers based on electricity costs and carbon emission costs of the plurality of cloud centers, and controlling the selected target cloud center so as to manage at least one virtual machine to provide the virtual computing environment to the client. For the selecting the target cloud center, a cloud center having a lowest electric cost and a lowest carbon emission cost may be selected from the plurality of cloud center as the target cloud center. Then, the selected target cloud center may be controlled so as to create a virtual machine.

Claims

1. A method of managing a plurality of cloud centers providing a virtual computing environment to a client, the method comprising:

selecting a target cloud center from the plurality of cloud centers based on electricity costs and carbon emission costs of the plurality of cloud centers; and

controlling the selected target cloud center so as to manage at least one virtual machine to provide the virtual computing environment to the client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the target cloud center includes:

selecting a cloud center having a lowest electric cost and a lowest carbon emission cost from the plurality of cloud center as the target cloud center; and

controlling the selected target cloud center so as to create a virtual machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the target cloud center includes:

selecting a cloud center having a highest electric cost and a highest carbon emission cost from the plurality of cloud center as the target cloud center; and

controlling the selected target cloud center so as to terminate a virtual machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the target cloud center includes:

calculating selection weights of the plurality of cloud centers by combining an electricity cost and a carbon emission cost of each cloud center;

selecting a cloud center having a lowest selection weight from the plurality of cloud centers as the target cloud center so as to create the virtual machine; and

selecting a cloud center having a highest selection weight from the plurality of cloud centers as the target cloud center so as to terminate the virtual machine.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising calculating the electricity cost based on an amount of electricity usage in each cloud center and a unit cost per unit electricity.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising determining the unit cost per unit electricity based on information provided from an electricity service provider.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising calculating the carbon emission cost based on an amount of carbon gas emitted at each cloud center and a carbon credit price.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising determining the carbon credit price based on information provided from a carbon market.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting at least one candidate cloud center from the plurality of cloud centers based on a service agreement level of a client and service capability levels of the plurality of cloud centers,

wherein the selecting the target cloud center selects from the selected at least one candidate cloud center based on an electricity cost and a carbon emission cost of the selected at least one candidate cloud center.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the selecting at least one candidate cloud center includes:

determining a service level of the client based on the service level agreement between the client and a service provider;

comparing the service level of the client with the service capability levels of the plurality of cloud centers; and

selecting a cloud center having a service capability level satisfying the service level of the client from the plurality of cloud centers as the candidate cloud center.

11. A method of managing a plurality of cloud centers providing a virtual computing environment to a client, the method comprising:

selecting a target cloud center from the plurality of cloud centers based on an electricity usage amount and a carbon emission amount; and

controlling the selected cloud center to manage at least one virtual machine so as to provide a requested service to the client.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the selecting a target cloud center includes:

selecting a cloud center consuming comparative low electricity and emitting comparative low carbon gas from the plurality of cloud centers as the target cloud center; and

controlling the selected target cloud center so as to create a virtual machine.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the selecting a target cloud center includes:

selecting a cloud center consuming comparative large electricity and emitting comparative great carbon gas from the plurality of cloud centers as the target cloud center; and

controlling the selected target cloud center so as to terminate a virtual machine.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a service level of the client based on a service level agreement made between the client and a service provider;

comparing the service level of the client with service capable levels of the plurality of cloud centers; and

selecting cloud centers having a service capable level that satisfies the service level of the client from the plurality of cloud centers as candidate cloud centers,

wherein the selecting the target cloud center selects from the selected candidate cloud centers.

15. An apparatus for managing a plurality of cloud centers that provide a virtual computing environment to a client, the apparatus comprising:

an electricity cost calculator configured to calculate electricity costs of the plurality of cloud centers based on an amount of electricity usage in each cloud center and a unit cost per unit electricity;

a carbon emission cost calculator configured to calculate carbon emission costs of the plurality of cloud centers based on an amount of carbon gas emitted at east cloud center and a carbon credit price;

a cloud center selector configured to select a target cloud center from the plurality of cloud centers based on the electricity costs and the carbon emission costs of the plurality of cloud centers; and

a controller configured to control the selected target cloud center so as to manage at least one virtual machine to provide the virtual computing environment to the client.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the cloud center selector selects a cloud center having a lowest electricity cost and a lowest carbon emission cost from the plurality of cloud centers as the target cloud center; and

the controller controls the selected target cloud center so as to create at least one virtual machine.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the cloud center selector selects a cloud center having a highest electric cost and a highest carbon emission cost from the plurality of cloud center as the target cloud center; and

the controller controls the selected target cloud center so as to terminate a virtual machine.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cloud center selector:

calculates selection weights of the plurality of cloud centers by adding an electricity cost and a carbon emission cost of each cloud center;

selects a cloud center having a lowest selection weight from the plurality of cloud centers as the target cloud center to create a virtual machine; and

selects a cloud center having a highest selection weight from the plurality of cloud centers as the target cloud center to terminate a virtual machine.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a candidate selector configured to select at least one candidate cloud center from the plurality of cloud centers based on a service agreement level of a client and service capable levels of _the plurality of cloud centers,

wherein the target cloud center is selected from the selected at least one candidate cloud center based on an electricity cost and a carbon emission cost of the selected at least one candidate cloud center.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the candidate selector:

determines a service level of the client based on the service level agreement made between the client and a service provider;

compares the service level of the client with the service capable levels of the plurality of cloud centers; and

selects a cloud center having a service capable level that satisfies the service level of the client from the plurality of cloud centers as the candidate cloud center.