Method for measuring server performance, system for measuring server performance and computer programs therefor

• US 7,634,560 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2005
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kudo, Yutaka, Haga, Futoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer; Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Golabbakhsh; Ebrahim
• Application Number:
  US11/286,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests

Abstract

A server performance measurement system for efficiently measuring and collecting server performance differently depending on each business application in actual operation environment in which business applications are operated, includes a plurality of servers for processing requests from users, a load balancer for suitably distributing loads of the plurality of servers, a test management server computer and a test load control server computer, which can communicate with one another. The test management server computer includes a test start/end information processing unit, a server setting control unit, a test result information processing unit and a test result information management unit. The business application is operated in at least one of the plurality of servers to measure performance of the server.

Claims

1. A server performance measurement method for measuring performance of a server among a plurality of servers which execute a business application and serve requests from users for services provided by the business application, comprising the steps of:

a first step of determining first information necessary for a test to measure performance of a server computer to be tested;

a second step of obtaining second information from a database on the basis of the first information, preparing third information used to cause a load balancer to perform the test on the server, and transmitting the second and third information to the server and the load balancer, wherein the load balancer also operates to receive requests from users and to forward the requests received from the users to one of the servers;

a third step of producing fourth information that controls the load of the server and that contains a target load value of the server from a database on the basis of the first information and starting the test to measure performance of the server;

a fourth step of receiving feedback information from the server, the feedback information including a measured load value of the server indicative of loading on the server;

a fifth step of comparing the measured load value with the target load value to decide whether the load on the server is to be varied or not, wherein when the load on the server is to be varied, then preparing feedback information rewriting information that contains a policy for varying the load of the server, and when the load on the server is not to be varied, then varying the target load value for a subsequent test of the server wherein result information concerning a result of the test to measure performance of the server is stored in the database;

a sixth step of rewriting the feedback information on the basis of the feedback information rewriting information and transmitting the rewritten feedback information to the load balancer;

a seventh step of successively obtaining the information concerning the measurement result in the fifth step and judging end time of the measurement from the obtained information; and

an eighth step of associating the result information with the business application operated in the server, and storing to the database information representative of the association.

2. A server performance measurement method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing a program for the business application operated in the server to the server.

3. A server performance measurement method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

deciding the server and the business application on the basis of information defining policy for measuring performance of the server.

4. A server performance measurement method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of:

deciding the server and the business application on the basis of information defining policy for measuring performance of the server.

5. A server performance measurement system for measuring performance of a server computer among a plurality of server computers which execute a business application, including

a load balancer for suitably distributing loads of the plurality of server computers, the load balancer receiving requests from users for service provided by the business application, the load balancer distributing the requests from the users among the plurality of server computers,

a management server computer for providing information necessary for a test to measure performance of the server and for recording a result of the measurement to be managed, and

a load control server computer for controlling the load of the server to perform the test to measure performance of the server, which are connected to one another in a mutually communicatable state,

wherein the management server computer comprises:

start/end information processing means for transmitting to the load control server first information necessary for of the test to measure performance of the server;

setting control means for obtaining, based on the first information, second information from a database which stores information concerning the plurality of server computers and the load balancer and for preparing third information to cause the load balancer to perform the test to measure performance of the server, the second and third information being transmitted to the server and to the load balancer;

result information processing means for successively obtaining result information concerning a result of the test to measure performance of the server, received from the load control server computer and judging end time of the measurement on the basis of the obtained result information; and

result information management means for associating the information with the business application operated in the server, storing in the database information representative of the association,

wherein the load control server computer comprising;

start processing means for producing fourth information that controls the load of the server and that contains a target load value of the server from a database on the basis of the first information and starting the test to measure performance of the server,

feedback receiving means for receiving feedback information from the server, the feedback information including a measured load value of the server indicative of loading on the server,

operation processing means for comparing the measured load value with the target load value to decide whether or not the load of the server is to be varied, wherein when the load of on the server is to be varied, then preparing feedback information rewriting information that contains policy for varying the load of the server, and when the load of on the server is not to be varied, then varying the target load value for a subsequent load measurement and storing result information concerning result of the measurement of performance of the server, and

feedback rewriting means for rewriting the feedback information on the basis of the feedback information rewriting information and transmitting the rewritten feedback information to the load balancer.

6. A server performance measurement system according to claim 5, wherein

the management server computer further comprises business application provision means for providing a program for the business application operated in the server to the setting control means, and

the setting control means of the management server computer extracts information from the database in which the information concerning the plurality of server computers and the load balancer is stored and the database in which information concerning the business application operated in the server is stored on the basis of an instruction from the start/end information processing means, preparing information for setting the server and the load balancer, and transmitting the information prepared to the server and the load balancer.

7. A server performance measurement system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a client computer connected to the management server computer in a mutually communicatable state to prepare information defining policy for measuring performance of the server to be transmitted to the management server computer.

8. A server performance measurement system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a client computer connected to the management server computer in a mutually communicatable state and preparing information defining policy for measuring performance of the server to be transmitted to the management server computer.

9. A server performance measurement system according to claim 7, wherein the management server computer further comprises business-to-be-tested decision means for deciding the server and the business application operated in the server on the basis of the information defining the policy transmitted from the client computer.