Dynamic server consolidation and rationalization modeling tool

• US 8,195,785 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Melnicoff, Richard M., Konsur, Bogdan, Long, Jessica, Heo, Charles, Bainter, Timothy, Steele, James, Schall, Edward M., Snyder, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eskandarnia, Arvin
• Application Number:
  US12/821,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20110029651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network

Abstract

A method and system for providing efficient and flexible techniques for modeling technical and economic benefits of consolidating information technology (IT) systems, hardware, software, network, and other infrastructure are described. The system includes a data processing system configured to receive data from a user. The system also includes an input collection system communicatively coupled to the data processing system, with the input collection system designed to organize, convert, and sort the data to generate baseline server information. In addition, the system includes an optimization system communicatively coupled to the data processing system, with the optimization system designed to generate one or more server consolidation models based on the baseline server information. Further, based on the generated one or more server consolidation models, a recommendation can be generated.

Claims

1. A computer program product, encoded on a machine-readable storage device, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving data from a user, the data describing an existing computing environment;

processing the data to generate baseline server information for the existing computing environment;

adjusting the baseline server information to account for a difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization and to account for workload fragmentation expected after the baseline server information has been adjusted to account for the difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization, the adjusting comprising;

determining a current processor utilization rate, a peak average processor utilization rate, and a normalized current capacity of processors in the existing computing environment;

computing an adjusted capacity for utilization by reducing the normalized current capacity of processors in the existing computing environment based on the current processor utilization rate and the peak average processor utilization rate;

accessing, from electronic storage, a workload fragmentation rate which is a known constant,

computing an adjusted capacity for fragmentation by increasing the adjusted capacity for utilization based on the workload fragmentation rate, and

adjusting the baseline server information based on the adjusted capacity for fragmentation; and

generating one or more server consolidation models based on the adjusted baseline server information.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein receiving the data further comprises receiving information to determine existing physical and logical server infrastructures including a total number of physical servers and a total number of logical servers.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

sorting the physical servers based on a server type; and

determining a baseline number of current generation processors needed to satisfy an overall gross performance requirement for the server type.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein generating one or more server consolidation models further comprises determining a total number of servers that can be consolidated and reducing the total number of logical servers through virtualization.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein computing the adjusted capacity for utilization comprises:

computing an adjusted capacity for utilization by dividing the current processor utilization rate by the peak average processor utilization rate and multiplying a product of the division by the normalized current capacity of processors in the existing computing environment.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein computing the adjusted capacity for fragmentation comprises:

computing an adjusted capacity for fragmentation by dividing the adjusted capacity for utilization by a result of subtracting the workload fragmentation rate from one.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein adjusting the baseline server information to account for the difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization and to account for workload fragmentation expected after the baseline server information has been adjusted to account for the difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization further comprises:

adjusting the baseline server information to account for overhead capacity needed to compensate for processor failures.

8. A method comprising:

receiving data from a user, the data describing an existing computing environment;

processing the data to generate baseline server information for the existing computing environment;

adjusting, by at least one processor, the baseline server information to account for a difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization and to account for workload fragmentation expected after the baseline server information has been adjusted to account for the difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization, the adjusting comprising;

determining a current processor utilization rate, a peak average processor utilization rate, and a normalized current capacity of processors in the existing computing environment;

computing an adjusted capacity for utilization by reducing the normalized current capacity of processors in the existing computing environment based on the current processor utilization rate and the peak average processor utilization rate;

accessing, from electronic storage, a workload fragmentation rate which is a known constant,

computing an adjusted capacity for fragmentation by increasing the adjusted capacity for utilization based on the workload fragmentation rate, and

adjusting the baseline server information based on the adjusted capacity for fragmentation;

generating one or more server consolidation models based on the adjusted baseline server information; and

generating a recommendation based on the generated one or more server consolidation models.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the data further comprises receiving information to determine existing physical and logical server infrastructures including a total number of physical servers and a total number of logical servers.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sorting the physical servers based on a server type; and

determining a baseline number of current generation processors needed to satisfy an overall gross performance requirement for the server type.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein generating one or more server consolidation models further comprises determining a total number of servers that can be consolidated and reducing the total number of logical servers through virtualization.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein computing the adjusted capacity for utilization comprises:

computing an adjusted capacity for utilization by dividing the current processor utilization rate by the peak average processor utilization rate and multiplying a product of the division by the normalized current capacity of processors in the existing computing environment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein computing the adjusted capacity for fragmentation comprises:

computing an adjusted capacity for fragmentation by dividing the adjusted capacity for utilization by a result of subtracting the workload fragmentation rate from one.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the baseline server information to account for the difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization and to account for workload fragmentation expected after the baseline server information has been adjusted to account for the difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization further comprises:

adjusting the baseline server information to account for overhead capacity needed to compensate for processor failures.

15. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one machine-readable storage device coupled to the at least one processor having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving data from a user, the data describing an existing computing environment;

processing the data to generate baseline server information for the existing computing environment;

adjusting the baseline server information to account for a difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization and to account for workload fragmentation expected after the baseline server information has been adjusted to account for the difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization, the adjusting comprising;

determining a current processor utilization rate, a peak average processor utilization rate, and a normalized current capacity of processors in the existing computing environment;

computing an adjusted capacity for utilization by reducing the normalized current capacity of processors in the existing computing environment based on the current processor utilization rate and the peak average processor utilization rate;

accessing, from electronic storage, a workload fragmentation rate which is a known constant,

computing an adjusted capacity for fragmentation by increasing the adjusted capacity for utilization based on the workload fragmentation rate, and

adjusting the baseline server information based on the adjusted capacity for fragmentation; and

generating one or more server consolidation models based on the adjusted baseline server information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein receiving the data further comprises receiving information to determine existing physical and logical server infrastructures including a total number of physical servers and a total number of logical servers, and wherein the operations further comprise:

sorting the physical servers based on a server type; and

determining a baseline number of current generation processors needed to satisfy an overall gross performance requirement for the server type.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein generating one or more server consolidation models further comprises determining a total number of servers that can be consolidated and reducing the total number of logical servers through virtualization.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein computing the adjusted capacity for utilization comprises:

computing an adjusted capacity for utilization by dividing the current processor utilization rate by the peak average processor utilization rate and multiplying a product of the division by the normalized current capacity of processors in the existing computing environment.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein computing the adjusted capacity for fragmentation comprises:

computing an adjusted capacity for fragmentation by dividing the adjusted capacity for utilization by a result of subtracting the workload fragmentation rate from one.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein adjusting the baseline server information to account for the difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization and to account for workload fragmentation expected after the baseline server information has been adjusted to account for the difference between current processor utilization in the existing computing environment and peak average processor utilization further comprises:

adjusting the baseline server information to account for overhead capacity needed to compensate for processor failures.