Method and system for autonomic self-learning in selecting resources for dynamic provisioning

• US 7,788,639 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2004
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Betzler, Boas, Ederer, Werner, Dettinger, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Kendall; Chuck O
• Application Number:
  US10/951,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20050071107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,163 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5011 Pool
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of provisioning of electronic computing resources via a network to a client, and in particular to a method for automatically selecting resources in for application environments consisting of a multitude of resources, wherein a resource managing component is provided for associating specific, selected resource combinations to the application environment, wherein a list of qualifying working combinations of the resource combinations is maintained. In order to improve provisioning, it is proposed to automatically generate combinations of resources, wherein respective search algorithms look for new resources within a pool of free resources, assemble a combination of resources which fulfil a set of predetermined rules, test such given new combination in multiple level preciseness, and define a fail over situation differently to prior art, namely by providing a new resource combination which was already tested for the exact business application and the exact business process for which it was designed.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for automatically selecting resource combinations in an infrastructure comprising an application environment comprising a given resource combination and a resource managing component having access to a list of tested resource combinations, the method comprising:

executing on at least one processor residing on at least one information system the following;

automatically generating a set of new resource combinations independently of user input from a pool of available resources, wherein the set of new resource combinations is generated from at least one previously tested resource combination;

automatically testing each of the new resource combinations independently of user input to determine an ability of resources in the set of new resource combinations to work together; and

responsive to a determination that resources in the set of new resource combinations work together, automatically adding the new resource combinations to the list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically preselecting an admissible subset of resources adapted to build up a working application environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an entry in the list comprises a time stamp for a last proven working run of a resource combination.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of tested resource combinations comprises entries for both working resource combinations and failed resource combinations and wherein automatically adding the new resource combination to the list further comprises:

adding a new resource combination to the list of tested resource combinations as a working resource combination if resources in the set of new resource combinations work together it works, otherwise, adding the new resource combinations to the list of tested resource combinations as a failed resource combination.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a resource combination specifies a hardware type and a software type in use for a specific resource.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein different version numbers of a software or hardware component of a resource in use are maintained.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a score is assigned to a given tested resource combination for each tuple of resources contained comprised in the combination.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein different scores are generated for differently complex tests for a given resource combination.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein an entry in the list comprises time or date information for a last test with a given result.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein an entry in the list comprises time or date information for a last successful test.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein an entry in the list comprises time or date information for a last failed test.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein an entry in the list comprises an expiration date.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching idle resources for an ability to work independently of an incoming request for provisioning from the pool of available resources.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an interface to human intervention to edit the list.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the new resource combinations are automatically generated independently of user input by mutating resource combinations from the list of tested combinations.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the new resource combinations are automatically generated independently of user input by substituting resources from the pool of available resources for resources in tested combinations.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the new resource combinations are automatically generated independently of user input by adding resources from the pool of available resources to tested combinations.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein testing each of the new resource combinations further comprises excluding from testing new resource combinations comprising failed resource combinations as subsets thereof.

19. A computer program product for automatically selecting resource combinations in an infrastructure comprising an application environment comprising a given resource combination and a resource managing component having access to a list of tested resource combinations, the computer program product comprising:

a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

automatically generating a set of new resource combinations independently of user input from a pool of available resources, wherein the set of new resource combinations is generated from at least one previously tested resource combination;

automatically testing each of the new resource combinations independently of user input to determine an ability of resources in the set of new resource combinations to work together; and

responsive to a determination that resources making in the set of new resource combinations work together, automatically adding the new resource combinations to the list.

20. A system for automatically selecting resource combinations in an infrastructure comprising an application environment consisting of a given resource combination and a resource managing component having access to a list of tested resource combinations, comprising:

a memory;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory;

a distributed resource manager for automatically generating a set of new resource combinations independently of user input from a pool of available resources, wherein the set of new resource combinations is generated from at least one previously tested resource combination; and

a testing program for automatically testing each of the new resource combinations independently of user input to determine an ability of resources in the set new resource combinations to work together and responsive to a determination that resources in the set of new resource combinations work together, automatically adding the new resource combinations to the list.