Estimating future grid job costs by classifying grid jobs and storing results of processing grid job microcosms

• US 8,396,757 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fellenstein, Craig William, Hamilton, Rick Allen II, Joseph, Joshy, Seaman, James W
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US12/491,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20090259511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26- 27, 709201-203, 709224-226, 709/229, 709/232
• US Class Current: 705/26.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A method, system, and program for estimating future grid job costs by classifying grid jobs and storing results of processing grid job microcosms are provided. In general, a client side agent estimates future grid job costs by comparing a current grid job of a particular classification with a history of stored costs for other grid jobs of that customer of that particular classification. In particular, the grid client agent for a client system enabled to submit grid jobs to a grid provider that facilitates a grid environment, calculates a ratio of an application based metric to a grid provider metric for processing a particular grid job. Then, the grid client agent creates a table with an entry comparing the application based metric to a cost per grid provider metric for the grid provider based on the calculated ratio. Next, the grid client agent stores the table with the entry. Then, responsive to detecting a next grid job, the grid client agent estimates a cost for the grid provider to process the next grid job based on a particular number of application based metric operations required for the next grid job, translated by the ratio into the grid provider metric and multiplied by the cost per grid provider metric.

Claims

1. A computer system for estimating a future cost of a grid job, said system comprising:

a processor, a computer readable memory and a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to communicatively connect a client system to a network, wherein said client system is enabled to submit a particular grid job to a grid provider that facilitates a grid environment for processing said particular grid job;

second program instructions to calculate a ratio of an application based metric to a grid provider metric for said grid provider processing said particular grid job by;

distributing a job microcosm of said particular grid job from said client system to said grid provider via a network for processing in said grid environment; and

responsive to receiving a result of said job microcosm and a charge for processing said job microcosm based on a grid provider metric from said grid provider, calculating at said client system said ratio of said application based metric to said grid provider metric and identifying a cost per grid provider metric from said charge for processing said job microcosm;

third program instructions to create a table with an entry comparing said application based metric to said cost per grid provider metric for said grid provider with said ratio;

fourth program instructions to store said table with said entry for said particular grid job;

fifth program instructions, responsive to said client system detecting a next grid job classified by at least one application metric, to access said entry comprising said application based metric to said cost per grid provider metric for said grid provider with said ratio;

sixth program instructions to calculate an estimated cost for said grid provider to process a next grid job based on a particular number of application based metric operations required for said next grid job translated by said ratio into said grid provider metric and multiplied by said cost per grid provider metric; and

wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.

2. The system according to claim 1 for estimating a future cost of a grid job, further comprising:

said first program instructions to distribute a job request specifying requirements for processing said job microcosm to said grid provider; and

said first program instructions, responsive to receiving a bid for said grid provider to process said job microcosm according to requirements, to distribute said job microcosm to said grid provider for processing.

3. The system according to claim 1 for estimating a future cost of a grid job, further comprising:

said third program instructions to access accessing said cost per grid provider metric from at least one from among charges received from said grid provider for processing said particular grid job and a published rate per grid provider metric.

4. The system according to claim 1 for estimating a future cost of a grid job, further comprising:

said second program instructions, responsive to detecting at said client system an adjusted cost per grid provider metric for said grid provider, to update said cost per grid provider metric in said table; and

said second program instructions to automatically reestimate said cost for said grid provider to process said next grid job based on said particular number of application based metric operations required for said next job translated by said ratio into said grid provider metric and multiplied by said adjusted cost per grid provider metric.

5. The system according to claim 1 for estimating a future cost of a grid job, further comprising:

said first program instructions to submit submitting a plurality of job microcosms of said particular grid job to a plurality of grid providers;

said second program instructions, responsive to receiving a plurality of results and a plurality of charges for processing said plurality of grid microcosms from each of said plurality of grid providers, to calculate a plurality of ratios of said application based metric to each of said plurality of grid providers metrics for processing said particular grid job;

said third program instructions to create said table with a plurality of entries, where each entry compares said application based metric to a cost for one of said plurality of grid providers per each of said plurality of grid provider metrics a particular ration for said one of said plurality of grid providers;

said fourth program instructions to store each of said plurality of entries in said table;

said sixth program instruction to estimate a plurality of costs based on said application based metric for each of said plurality of grid providers to process said next job; and

said sixth program instructions to compare said plurality of costs to identify a least expensive grid provider from among said plurality of grid providers.

6. The system according to claim 1 for estimating a future cost of a grid job, further comprising:

said fourth program instructions to classify said particular grid job into a particular category from among a plurality of categories of grid jobs, wherein said particular category comprises grid jobs with operations measurable by said application based metric;

said fourth program instructions to store said entry for said particular grid job according to said particular category;

said fourth program instructions, responsive to detecting a next grid job, to classify said next grid job according to said particular category of grid job;

said fifth program instructions to search said table for said entry associated with said same particular category; and

said sixth program instructions to estimate a cost for said grid provider to process said next grid job in said same particular category as said particular grid job based on said entry calculated based on said particular grid job.

7. A computer program product for estimating a future cost of a grid job, said computer program product embodied on volatile or non-volatile computer readable storage media, said computer program product including computer executable instructions comprising:

first program instructions to calculate a ratio of an application based metric to a grid provider metric for processing a particular grid job by a grid provider, wherein said grid provider is configured to facilitate a grid environment enabled to process said particular grid job by;

distributing a job microcosm of said particular grid job from a client system to said grid provider via a network for processing in said grid environment; and

responsive to receiving a result of said job microcosm and a charge for processing said job microcosm based on a grid provider metric from said grid provider, calculating at said client system said ratio of said application based metric to said grid provider metric and identifying a cost per grid provider metric from said charge for processing said job microcosm;

second program instructions to create a table with an entry comparing said application based metric to said cost per grid provider metric for said grid provider with said ratio;

third program instructions to store said table with said entry for said particular grid job;

fourth program instructions, responsive to detecting a next grid job classified by at least one application metric, to access said entry comprising said application based metric to said cost per grid provider metric for said grid provider with said ratio;

fifth program instructions to calculate an estimated cost for said grid provider to process said next grid job based on a particular number of application based metric operations required for said next grid job translated by said ratio into said grid provider metric and multiplied by said cost per grid provider metric; and

wherein the first, second, third, fourth and fifth program instructions are stored on the computer-readable storage media.

8. The computer program product according to claim 7 for estimating a future cost of a grid job, further comprising:

said first program instructions to distribute a job request specifying requirements for processing said job microcosm to said grid provider; and

said first program instructions, responsive to receiving a bid for said grid provider to process said job microcosm according to requirements, to distribute said job microcosm to said grid provider for processing.

9. The computer program product according to claim 7 for estimating a future cost of a grid job, further comprising:

said second program instructions to access said cost per grid provider metric from at least one from among charges received from said grid provider for processing said particular grid job and a published rate per grid provider metric.

10. The computer program product according to claim 7 for estimating a future cost of a grid job, further comprising:

said first program instructions, responsive to detecting an adjusted cost per grid provider metric for said grid provider, to update said cost per grid provider metric in said table; and

said first program instructions to automatically reestimate said cost for said grid provider to process said next grid job based on said particular number of application based metric operations required for said next job translated by said ratio into said grid provider metric and multiplied by said adjusted cost per grid provider metric.

11. The computer program product according to claim 7 for estimating a future cost of a grid job, further comprising:

said third program instructions to classify said particular grid job into a particular category from among a plurality of categories of grid jobs, wherein said particular category comprises grid jobs with operations measurable by said application based metric;

said third program instructions to store said entry for said particular grid job according to said particular category;

said third program instructions, responsive to detecting a next grid job, to classify said next grid job according to said particular category of grid job;

said fourth program instructions to search said table for said entry associated with said same particular category; and

said fifth program instructions to estimate a cost for said grid provider to process said next grid job in said same particular category as said particular grid job based on said entry calculated based on said particular grid job.