Network system, server, apparatus management method and program

• US 7,584,275 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2004
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines SA (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Shirota, Masakazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chankong; Dohm
• Application Number:
  US10/900,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20050044202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,862 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/226, 709/229, 702/188, 702/183, 702/185
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/507 Filtering out customers affected by service problems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

A management server and a group of apparatuses to be managed, which are connected to each other through a network, are provided. Each apparatus to be managed constituting the group of apparatuses to be managed sends to the management server operation information indicating its operating condition according to predetermined timing. The management server monitors, on the basis of the operation information obtained from each apparatus to be managed, the amount of consumption of a resource with respect to a predetermined unit (e.g., an individual user or an organization to which the user belongs) set for a user of the apparatus to be managed or the group of apparatuses to be managed, and dynamically controls the operating condition of the apparatus to be managed.

Claims

1. A method for managing at least one apparatus coupled to a management server, the method performed by the management server, the method comprising:

distributing a first resource to said at least one apparatus pursuant to user data and apparatus data, wherein the user data describes at least one entity using the first resource, and wherein the apparatus data specifies said at least one apparatus that consumes the first resource;

monitoring a respective operating condition associated with consumption of the distributed first resource by each apparatus of said at least one apparatus pursuant to a first resource policy for the first resource; and

transmitting a respective control command to said each apparatus, wherein the respective control command adjusts the respective operating condition associated with said each apparatus, said monitoring comprising;

obtaining a first resource use report from a first apparatus of said at least one apparatus, wherein the first resource use report describes how the first apparatus currently consumes the first resource, the first resource use report comprising a first date, a first entity, a first task status, a first apparatus management number, and a first received resource consumption mode, wherein the first date indicates when the first resource use report was sent from the first apparatus, wherein the first entity, comprising the first user and the first organization, indicates which entity uses the first apparatus, wherein the first task status indicates how the first apparatus uses the first resource, wherein the first task status is selected from the group consisting of “

stop,”

“

idle,” and

a utilization number, wherein “

stop”

indicates the first apparatus is not operating, wherein “

idle”

indicates the first apparatus is operating but does not consume the first resource, wherein the utilization number indicates a percentile ratio of the amount of the first resource that is currently consumed to the amount of the first resource that is allocated to the first apparatus, wherein the first apparatus management number identifies the first apparatus, and wherein the first received resource consumption mode indicates a mode by which the first apparatus is regulated with respect to the amount of the first resource that the first apparatus is permitted to consume;

computing a first evaluated resource consumption mode from the obtained first resource use report pursuant to a first throttle value for the first resource and a first evaluation condition for the first resource associated with a first priority of the user, wherein the first evaluation condition specifies the amount of the first resource that can be consumed by all apparatuses, wherein the first throttle value specifies a range of amounts of the first resource consumption for the first received resource consumption mode; and

determining that the evaluated first resource consumption mode does not satisfy the first evaluation condition.

2. A computer program product comprising a computer recordable medium, wherein the computer recordable medium comprises a program configured to implement a method, upon being executed by a processor, for managing at least one apparatus coupled to a management server, the method performed by the management server, the method comprising:

distributing a first resource to said at least one apparatus pursuant to user data and apparatus data, wherein the user data describes at least one entity using the first resource, and wherein the apparatus data specifies said at least one apparatus that consumes the first resource;

monitoring a respective operating condition associated with consumption of the distributed first resource by each apparatus of said at least one apparatus pursuant to a first resource policy for the first resource; and

transmitting a respective control command to said each apparatus, wherein the respective control command adjusts the respective operating condition associated with said each apparatus, said monitoring comprising;

obtaining a first resource use report from a first apparatus of said at least one apparatus, wherein the first resource use report describes how the first apparatus currently consumes the first resource, the first resource use report comprising a first date, a first entity, a first task status, a first apparatus management number, and a first received resource consumption mode, wherein the first date indicates when the first resource use report was sent from the first apparatus, wherein the first entity, comprising the first user and the first organization, indicates which entity uses the first apparatus, wherein the first task status indicates how the first apparatus uses the first resource, wherein the first task status is selected from the group consisting of “

stop,”

“

idle,” and

a utilization number, wherein “

stop”

indicates the first apparatus is not operating, wherein “

idle”

indicates the first apparatus is operating but does not consume the first resource, wherein the utilization number indicates a percentile ratio of the amount of the first resource that is currently consumed to the amount of the first resource that is allocated to the first apparatus, wherein the first apparatus management number identifies the first apparatus, and wherein the first received resource consumption mode indicates a mode by which the first apparatus is regulated with respect to the amount of the first resource that the first apparatus is permitted to consume;

computing a first evaluated resource consumption mode from the obtained first resource use report pursuant to a first throttle value for the first resource and a first evaluation condition for the first resource associated with a first priority of the user, wherein the first evaluation condition specifies the amount of the first resource that can be consumed by all apparatuses, wherein the first throttle value specifies a range of amounts of the first resource consumption for the first received resource consumption mode; and

determining that the evaluated first resource consumption mode does not satisfy the first evaluation condition.

3. A system comprising a processor and a computer recordable medium coupled to the processor, said computer recordable medium containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method for managing at least one apparatus coupled to a management server, the method performed by the management server, the method comprising:

distributing a first resource to said at least one apparatus pursuant to user data and apparatus data, wherein the user data describes at least one entity using the first resource, and wherein the apparatus data specifies said at least one apparatus that consumes the first resource;

monitoring a respective operating condition associated with consumption of the distributed first resource by each apparatus of said at least one apparatus pursuant to a first resource policy for the first resource; and

transmitting a respective control command to said each apparatus, wherein the respective control command adjusts the respective operating condition associated with said each apparatus, said monitoring comprising;

obtaining a first resource use report from a first apparatus of said at least one apparatus, wherein the first resource use report describes how the first apparatus currently consumes the first resource, the first resource use report comprising a first date, a first entity, a first task status, a first apparatus management number, and a first received resource consumption mode, wherein the first date indicates when the first resource use report was sent from the first apparatus, wherein the first entity, comprising the first user and the first organization, indicates which entity uses the first apparatus, wherein the first task status indicates how the first apparatus uses the first resource, wherein the first task status is selected from the group consisting of “

stop,”

“

idle,” and

a utilization number, wherein “

stop”

indicates the first apparatus is not operating, wherein “

idle”

indicates the first apparatus is operating but does not consume the first resource, wherein the utilization number indicates a percentile ratio of the amount of the first resource that is currently consumed to the amount of the first resource that is allocated to the first apparatus, wherein the first apparatus management number identifies the first apparatus, and wherein the first received resource consumption mode indicates a mode by which the first apparatus is regulated with respect to the amount of the first resource that the first apparatus is permitted to consume;

computing a first evaluated resource consumption mode from the obtained first resource use report pursuant to a first throttle value for the first resource and a first evaluation condition for the first resource associated with a first priority of the user, wherein the first evaluation condition specifies the amount of the first resource that can be consumed by all apparatuses, wherein the first throttle value specifies a range of amounts of the first resource consumption for the first received resource consumption mode; and

determining that the evaluated first resource consumption mode does not satisfy the first evaluation condition.