Method and system for managing resources in a data center

• US 8,122,453 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2007
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Trossman, Andrew, Iszlai, Gabriel, Mihaescu, Mircea, Scarth, Michael, Vytas, Paul D., Li, Michael, Hill, Duncan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHEATON, BRADFORD F
• Application Number:
  US11/950,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 718/104, 718/106, 706/14
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/508 Monitor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]

Abstract

The present invention provides dynamic configuration and allocation of resources in a data center. These resources are monitored for availability and performance information according to their assigned execution (or application) environments. The measured performance information for each environment is used to predict levels of demand for an application in the environment. From the predicted levels of demand resource requirements can be determined to provide a predetermined level of performance under the demand changes. The resources can then be reconfigured or reallocated to different environment so that the requirements of each environment can be met.

Claims

1. A closed-loop system for managing an application environment having an operating state according to an operating objective, the application environment having a computing resource with a characteristics representative of an operating state of the computing resource, said system comprising:

a state determination mechanism for determining a difference between the operating objective and a future operating state of the application environment based on a current status of the characteristic of the computing resource, wherein the state determination mechanism includes;

a prediction mechanism for estimating a future status of the characteristic of the computing resource, the prediction mechanism including a time-varying mechanism for estimating a future time-varying status of the characteristic based on a time-varying component of the current status;

a time stationary mechanism for estimating a future time stationary status of the characteristic based on a time stationary component of the current status; and

a combining mechanism for combining the future time-varying status and the future time stationary status to form a future status for the characteristic;

a response modeling mechanism for determining a response of the application environment to the future status of the characteristic, wherein the future operating state of the application environment is based on the response;

an objective difference mechanism for determining the difference between the future operating state of the application environment and the operating objective;

a resource change mechanism for creating a selected set of changes to the application environment to reduce of the difference;

a data storage device for selectively storing said selected set of changes; and

a deployment mechanism for effecting the selected set of changes on the application environment.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the time-varying mechanism includes:

a time-varying component mechanism for obtaining a time-varying component from the time-varying component of the current status of the characteristic;

a time-varying trends mechanism for determining a time-varying periodic model from the time-varying component; and

a time-varying extrapolation mechanism for extrapolating the future time-varying status from the time-varying periodic model based on periodicity of the time-varying periodic model.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the time stationary mechanism includes:

a time stationary component mechanism for extracting the time-varying component from the current status of the characteristic to obtain the time stationary of the current status;

a time stationary trends mechanism for determining a time stationary periodic model from the time stationary component; and

a time-stationary extrapolation mechanism for extrapolating the future time stationary status from the time stationary periodic model based on periodicity of the time stationary periodic model.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the resource change mechanism includes:

a decision creation mechanism for creating a plurality of sets of changes to the application environment, each of the plurality of sets of changes resulting in a reduction of the difference;

a decision search mechanism for assessing each of the plurality of sets of changes to determine a quantitative preference for the effect on the future operating state of the application environment of each of the plurality of sets of changes based on a property of the effect; and

a controller for determining the selected set of changes from the plurality of sets of changes based on the quantitative preference.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein the decision search mechanism includes:

a plurality of property mechanism for determining a quantitative assessment of a set of changes from the plurality of sets of changes for one of a plurality of properties of the effect of the set of changes on the future operating state of the application environment;

a decision analyzing mechanism for combining the quantitative assessment for the set of changes from each of the plurality of property mechanisms to form the quantitative preference for the set of changes.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the deployment mechanism includes:

a workflow formation mechanism for forming a workflow for each change in the set of selected changes; and

a workflow execution mechanism for performing the workflow for each change in the set of selected changes to invoke the set of selected changes.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the workflow formation mechanism includes:

a workflow creation mechanism for decomposing each change in the set of selected changes into a set of steps that can be performed to invoke the changes; and

a workflow assembly mechanism for assembling the workflow from the set of steps for each change in the selected set of changes.

8. A tangible computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for managing an application environment having an operating state according to an operating objective, the application environment having a computing resource with a characteristic representative of an operating state of the computing resource, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

(a) determining a future operating state of the application environment based on a current status of the characteristic of the computing resource, wherein such step includes;

estimating a future time-varying status of the characteristic based on a time-varying component of the current status;

estimating a future time stationary status of the characteristics based on a time stationary component of the current status;

combining the future time-varying status and the future time stationary status to form a future status of the characteristic; and

determining a response of the application environment to the future status of the characteristic, wherein the future operating state of the application environment is based on the response;

(b) determining a difference between the future operating state of the application environment and the operating objective;

(c) generating a selected set of changes to the application environment for reducing the difference; and

(d) repeating steps (a) to (c) to monitor the future operating state of the application environment.

9. The tangible computer readable storage medium according to claim 8 wherein the step of estimating a future time-varying status includes:

obtaining the time-varying component from the current status of the characteristic;

determining a time-varying periodic model from the time-varying component; and

extrapolating the future time-varying status from the time-varying periodic model based on periodicity of the time-varying periodic model.

10. The tangible computer readable storage medium according to claim 8 wherein the step of estimating a future time stationary status includes:

extracting the time-varying component from the current status of the characteristic to obtain the time stationary component of the current status;

determining a time stationary periodic model from the time stationary component; and

extrapolating the future time stationary status from the time stationary periodic model based on periodicity of the time stationary periodic model.

11. The tangible computer readable storage medium according to claim 8 wherein the operating state of the computing resource includes the characteristic representing a current demand for the computing resource, and a current performance state for the computing resource given the current demand and wherein the future operating state of the application environment includes a future demand for the application environment based on a future demand for the computing resource and a future performance state for the application environment given the future demand for the application environment and wherein the future performance state from the future operating state of the application environment is used to determine the difference.

12. The tangible computer readable storage medium according to claim 8 wherein step (c) includes:

creating a plurality of sets of changes to the application environment, each of the plurality of sets of changes resulting in a reduction of the difference;

assessing each of the plurality of sets of changes to determine a quantitative preference for the effect on the future operating state of the application environment of each of the plurality of sets of changes based a property of the effect;

determining the selected set of changes from the plurality of sets of changes based on the quantitative preference; and

effecting the selected set of changes on the application environment.

13. The tangible computer readable storage medium according to claim 12 wherein the step of assessing includes:

determining a quantitative assessment of the effect on the future operating state of the application environment of a set of changes from the plurality of sets of changes for each of a plurality of properties wherein the plurality of properties includes the reduction of the difference and use of computing resources;

combining the quantitative assessment from each of the plurality of properties for the set of changes to form the quantitative preference for the set of changes; and

repeating the steps of determining a quantitative assessment and combining the quantitative assessment for each of the plurality of sets of changes.

14. The tangible computer readable storage medium according to claim 8 wherein the step of effecting includes:

forming a workflow for each change in the selected set of changes; and

performing the workflow for each change in the selected set of changes to invoke the selected set of changes.

15. The tangible computer readable storage medium according to claim 14 wherein the step of forming a workflow includes:

decomposing each change in the selected set of changes into a set of steps that can be performed to invoke each change;

forming the workflow from the set of steps for each change in the selected set of changes.

16. The tangible computer readable storage medium according to claim 8 wherein each change in the selected set of changes to the application environment is one of adding a new computing resource to the application environment, removing the computing resource from the application environment or reconfiguring the computing resource in the application environment.

17. The tangible computer readable storage medium according to claim 8 wherein step (d) includes:

repeating steps (a) to (c) when a change in the current status of the characteristic of the computing resource is detected.

18. The tangible computer readable storage medium according to claim 8 wherein step (d) includes:

repeating steps (a) to (c) at a repeating time interval.