CLOUD SERVICE MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20130060933A1
• Filed: 09/07/2011
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Tung, Teresa, Badruddoja, Farzana, Kang, Jaeyoung C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/301 where the computing system is a virtual computing platform, e.g. logically partitioned systems virtual machines G06F9/45533; logical partitioning of resources G06F9/5077
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3442 for planning or managing the needed capacity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/503 Resource availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5006 Creating or negotiating SLA contracts, guarantees or penalties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade

Abstract

A cloud services monitoring system (CSMS) helps a consumer of cloud computing resources determine the state of the cloud computing resources available to the consumer. The CSMS is particularly effective for cloud models where the consumer of the cloud computing resources is not the same as the provider of the cloud resource. The CSMS 102 also provides mechanisms for adjusting operations actions to preserve service guarantees for the consumer. In that regard, the CSMS dynamically adjusts operations actions in response to the state of the cloud, rather than executing fixed pre-determined operations actions that are not tailored to the monitored conditions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for cloud services monitoring (CSM), comprising:

Identifying, with a processor, a service level agreement (SLA) rule to execute to meet a SLA requirement for a consumer of cloud resources provided by a cloud computing environment, the SLA rule being accessed by the processor using a network;

observing, using the processor connected to the network, the cloud computing environment to collect state information;

identifying a model that models the behavior of the observed cloud computing environment by using the processor to apply the model to the collected state information;

determining, using the processor to apply the model to the collected state information, when the state information indicates that the SLA requirement is at risk of noncompliance, and

based on a determination of a risk of non-compliance, adjusting the SLA rule to increase expectation of compliance of the SLA requirement.

2. The method of claim 1, where observing comprises:

obtaining, using the network, passive state information provided by the cloud computing environment; and

obtaining, using the network, detected state information by probing the cloud computing environment.

3. The method of claim 1, where observing comprises:

obtaining a measurement of network delay, or bandwidth of the cloud computing environment, or both, by;

sending via the network a file transfer service request to the cloud computing environment for a file of known size to transfer from a first CSM instance to a second CSM instance located at known locations;

receiving via the network a result of the file transfer service request;

calculating the measurement of network delay, or the bandwidth of the cloud computing environment, or both based on the result of the file transfer service request.

4. The method of claim 1, where observing comprises:

obtaining a measurement of time-to-start of a computing instance that executes in the cloud computing environment, or spot price for any of the cloud resources used to meet the SLA, or both.

5. The method of claim 1, where adjusting the SLA rule comprises:

changing the SLA rule to have a different time-to-request a selected cloud resource among the cloud resources by communicating the SLA rule change to an orchestration tool connected, via the network, to the cloud computing environment, where the orchestration tool implements the SLA rule change.

6. The method of claim 1, where adjusting the SLA rule comprises:

changing the SLA rule to have a different time-to-start for a computing instance that executes in the cloud computing environment.

7. The method of claim 1, where adjusting the SLA rule comprises:

changing the SLA rule to direct a portion of cloud computing workload for the consumer to a different cloud computing environment.

8. A product for cloud services monitoring (CSM), comprising:

a computer readable memory with processor executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

identify a service level agreement (SLA) rule configured to execute in order to meet a SLA requirement for a consumer of cloud resources provided by a cloud computing environment;

observe the cloud computing environment to determine state information for the cloud computing environment; and

determine when the state information indicates that the SLA requirement is at risk of noncompliance, and in response, adjusting the SLA rule to increase expectation of compliance of the SLA requirement.

9. The product of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

obtain passive state information directly provided by the cloud computing environment; and

obtain detected state information by probing the cloud computing environment.

10. The product of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

obtain a measurement of network delay, or bandwidth of the cloud computing environment, or both.

11. The product of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

obtain a measurement of time-to-start of a computing instance that executes in the cloud computing environment, or spot price for any of the cloud resources used to meet the SLA, or both.

12. The product of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

change the SLA rule to have a different time-to-request a selected cloud resource among the cloud resources.

13. The product of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

change the SLA rule to have a different time-to-start for a computing instance that executes in the cloud computing environment.

14. The product of claim 8, where the instructions further cause the processor to:

change the SLA rule to direct a portion of cloud computing workload for the consumer to a different cloud computing environment.

15. A computer system for cloud services monitoring (CSM), comprising:

a processor;

a database in communication with the processor that stores SLA requirements for a consumer and corresponding SLA rules associated with the SLA requirements;

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises;

processor executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

identify a service level agreement (SLA) rule configured to execute in order to meet a SLA requirement for a consumer of cloud resources provided by a cloud computing environment;

observe the cloud computing environment to determine state information for the cloud computing environment; and

determine when the state information indicates that the SLA requirement is at risk of noncompliance, and

an SLA controller in communication with the database which adjusts the SLA rule to increase expectation of compliance of the SLA requirement when the system determines that the SLA requirement is at risk of noncompliance.

16. The system of claim 15, where the system comprises one or more CSM instances, located in the network, that observe the environment to obtain detected state information by probing the cloud computing environment, wherein each the CSM instance is configured to send a resource request to a resource in the cloud computing environment and receive a response to resource request, and wherein the system, via a communications interface, obtains passive state information directly provided by the cloud computing environment;

and

17. The system of claim 15, where the system comprises one or more CSM instances, located in the network, that observe the environment to obtain a measurement of network delay, or bandwidth of the cloud computing environment, or both.

18. The system of claim 15, where the system comprises one or more CSM instances, located in the network, that observe the environment to obtain a measurement of time-to-start of a computing instance that executes in the cloud computing environment, or spot price for any of the cloud resources used to meet the SLA, or both.

19. The system of claim 15, where the SLA controller adjusts the SLA rule via the network by communicating the adjustment to an orchestration tool connected to the cloud computing environment, where the orchestration tool implements the SLA rule change so that the SLA rule has a different time-to-request a selected cloud resource among the cloud resources.

20. The system of claim 15, where the SLA controller adjusts the SLA rule via the network by communicating the adjustment to an orchestration tool connected to the cloud computing environment, where the orchestration tool implements the SLA rule change so that the SLA rule has a different time-to-start for a computing instance that executes in the cloud computing environment.

21. The system of claim 15 where the SLA controller adjusts the SLA rule via the network by communicating the adjustment to an orchestration tool connected to the cloud computing environment, where the orchestration tool implements the SLA rule change so that the SLA rule directs a portion of cloud computing workload for the consumer to a different cloud computing environment.