WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT FOR LICENSE COST OPTIMIZATION

• US 20150095089A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: GINIS, Boris, FORD, Robert L., NORTHUP, William, DISTAURO, Anthony, FERNANDES, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 10,936,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions

Abstract

A workload change evaluator may receive workload metrics characterizing a plurality of workloads executed within a license environment during a license period, and cost metrics characterizing license costs incurred by license environment during the license period. A baseline model generator may generate a baseline model providing a time-based contribution of each of the plurality of workloads to the license cost during the license period. A cost estimator may receive a potential workload change, and may estimate a license cost change caused by the potential workload change, based on the baseline model.

Claims

1. A system including instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and executable by at least one processor, the system comprising:

a workload change evaluator configured to cause the at least one processor to receive workload metrics characterizing a plurality of workloads executed within a license environment during a license period, and further configured to cause the at least one processor to receive cost metrics characterizing license costs incurred by license environment during the license period; and

a baseline model generator configured to cause the at least one processor to generate a baseline model providing a time-based contribution of each of the plurality of workloads to the license cost during the license period.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a cost estimator configured to cause the at least one processor to receive a potential workload change, and further configured to cause the at least one processor to estimate a license cost change caused by the potential workload change, based on the baseline model.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the potential workload change includes a workload change from a source processor having a source cost rating to a target processor having a target cost rating, and wherein the cost estimator is configured to cause the at least one processor to estimate the license cost change including using a cost-independent workload metric to relate the target cost rating to a target processor consumption value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the workload metrics provide performance measures of processors within the license environment and include capacity ratings of the processors during times that the plurality of workloads are executed during the license period.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the cost metrics are based on cost ratings of processors within the license environment previously defined by a licensor of the license environment.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the baseline model generator includes a workload representation generator configured to cause the at least one processor to provide a workload representation for each workload of the plurality of workloads, each workload representation including a contiguous time series reflecting workload execution of a corresponding workload within the license period.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the baseline model generator includes an aggregator configured to cause the at least one processor to aggregate the individual workload representations of the plurality of workloads.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the baseline model generator includes a normalization module configured to cause the at least one processor to normalize the aggregated individual workload representations, relative to a time series representing a total license cost during the license period, to thereby obtain the time-based contribution of each of the plurality of workloads to the license cost during the license period.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the baseline model includes a cost graph representing the license cost during the license period, and workload representation graphs representing each of the plurality of workloads, relative to the cost graph.

10. The system of claim 9, comprising a view generator configured to receive a request for at least one of the workload representation graphs, and further configured to cause the at least one processor to provide the baseline model displaying the requested workload representation graph relative to the cost graph.

11. A method comprising:

receiving workload metrics characterizing a plurality of workloads executed within a license environment during a license period;

receiving cost metrics characterizing license costs incurred by license environment during the license period; and

generating a baseline model providing a time-based contribution of each of the plurality of workloads to the license cost during the license period.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a potential workload change; and

estimating a license cost change caused by the potential workload change, based on the baseline model

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the workload metrics provide performance measures of processors within the license environment and include capacity ratings of the processors during times that the plurality of workloads are executed during the license period, and the cost metrics are based on cost ratings of processors within the license environment previously defined by a licensor of the license environment.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the baseline model includes a cost graph representing the license cost during the license period, and workload representation graphs representing each of the plurality of workloads, relative to the cost graph.

15. A computer program product including instructions recorded on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to cause at least one processor to:

receive workload metrics characterizing a plurality of workloads executed within a license environment during a license period;

receive cost metrics characterizing license costs incurred by license environment during the license period; and

generate a baseline model providing a time-based contribution of each of the plurality of workloads to the license cost during the license period.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, are further configured to cause the at least one processor to:

receive a potential workload change; and

estimate a license cost change caused by the potential workload change, based on the baseline model.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the workload metrics provide performance measures of processors within the license environment and include capacity ratings of the processors during times that the plurality of workloads are executed during the license period, and the cost metrics are based on cost ratings of processors within the license environment previously defined by a licensor of the license environment.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the baseline model includes a workload representation for each workload of the plurality of workloads, each workload representation including a contiguous time series reflecting workload execution of a corresponding workload within the license period.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed, are further configured to cause the at least one processor to generate the baseline model including aggregating the individual workload representations of the plurality of workloads.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, are further configured to cause the at least one processor to normalize the aggregated individual workload representations, relative to a time series representing a total license cost during the license period, to thereby obtain the time-based contribution of each of the plurality of workloads to the license cost during the license period.