Controlling and selecting cloud centers based on electricity and carbon emission costs

• US 8,799,899 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Hur, Tae-Sung
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Adam
• Application Number:
  US13/420,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20120240113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems

Abstract

Provided are apparatus and method for managing a plurality of cloud centers that provide a virtual computing environment to a client. The method may include selecting a target cloud center from the plurality of cloud centers based on electricity costs and carbon emission costs of the plurality of cloud centers, and controlling the selected target cloud center so as to manage at least one virtual machine to provide the virtual computing environment to the client. For the selecting the target cloud center, a cloud center having a lowest electric cost and a lowest carbon emission cost may be selected from the plurality of cloud center as the target cloud center. Then, the selected target cloud center may be controlled so as to create a virtual machine.

Claims

1. A method of managing a plurality of cloud centers providing a virtual computing environment to a client, the method comprising:

calculating electricity costs of the plurality of cloud centers based on an amount of electricity usage in each cloud center and a unit cost per unit of electricity;

calculating carbon emission costs of the plurality of cloud centers based on an amount of carbon gas emitted at each cloud center and a carbon credit price;

calculating selection weights for the plurality of cloud centers by adding an electricity cost and a carbon emission cost of each cloud center; and

selecting a cloud center having the lowest selection weight from the plurality of cloud centers as the cloud center to create a virtual machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a cloud center includes:

selecting a cloud center having the highest selection weight from the plurality of cloud centers as the cloud center to terminate a virtual machine.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising determining the unit cost per unit of electricity based on information provided from an electricity service provider.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising determining the carbon credit price based on information provided from a carbon market.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting at least one candidate cloud center from the plurality of cloud centers based on a service level agreement of the client and service capability levels of the plurality of cloud centers,

wherein the selecting the target cloud center selects from the selected at least one candidate cloud center based on an electricity cost and a carbon emission cost of the selected at least one candidate cloud center.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selecting at least one candidate cloud center includes:

determining a service level of the client based on the service level agreement between the client and a service provider;

comparing the service level of the client with the service capability levels of the plurality of cloud centers; and

selecting a cloud center having a service capability level satisfying the service level of the client from the plurality of cloud centers as the candidate cloud center.

7. An apparatus for managing a plurality of cloud centers that provide a virtual computing environment to a client, the apparatus comprising:

a cloud center controlling server;

an electricity cost calculator configured to calculate electricity costs of the plurality of cloud centers based on an amount of electricity usage in each cloud center and a unit cost per unit of electricity;

a carbon emission cost calculator configured to calculate carbon emission costs of the plurality of cloud centers based on an amount of carbon gas emitted at each cloud center and a carbon credit price;

a cloud center selector configured to;

calculate selection weights for the plurality of cloud centers by adding an electricity cost and a carbon emission cost of each cloud center; and

select the cloud center having the lowest selection weight from the plurality of cloud centers as the cloud center to create a virtual machine.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the cloud center selector selects a cloud center having the selection weight from the plurality of cloud centers as the cloud center to terminate a virtual machine.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a candidate selector configured to select at least one candidate cloud center from the plurality of cloud centers based on a service level agreement of the client and service capable levels of the plurality of cloud centers,

wherein the target cloud center is selected from the selected at least one candidate cloud center based on an electricity cost and a carbon emission cost of the selected at least one candidate cloud center.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the candidate selector:

determines a service level of the client based on the service level agreement made between the client and a service provider;

compares the service level of the client with the service capable levels of the plurality of cloud centers; and

selects a cloud center having a service capable level that satisfies the service level of the client from the plurality of cloud centers as the candidate cloud center.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the electricity cost calculator is further configured to:

determine the unit cost per unit of electricity based on information provided from an electricity service provider.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the carbon emission cost calculator is further configured to:

determine the carbon credit price based on information provided from a carbon market.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium, which when executed, performs a method of managing a plurality of cloud centers providing a virtual computing environment to a client, the method comprising:

calculating electricity costs of the plurality of cloud centers based on an amount of electricity usage in each cloud center and a unit cost per unit of electricity;

calculating carbon emission costs of the plurality of cloud centers based on an amount of carbon gas emitted at each cloud center and a carbon credit price;

calculating selection weights for the plurality of cloud centers by adding an electricity cost and a carbon emission cost of each cloud center; and

selecting a cloud center having the lowest selection weight from the plurality of cloud centers as the cloud center to create a virtual machine.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein selecting a target cloud center includes:

selecting a cloud center having the highest selection weight from the plurality of cloud centers as the cloud center to terminate a virtual machine.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the selecting a target cloud center includes:

selecting at least one candidate cloud center from the plurality of cloud centers based on a service level agreement of the client and service capability levels of the plurality of cloud centers,

wherein the selecting the target cloud center selects from the selected at least one candidate cloud center based on an electricity cost and a carbon emission cost of the selected at least one candidate cloud center.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a service level of the client based on the service level agreement between the client and a service provider;

comparing the service level of the client with the service capability levels of the plurality of cloud centers; and

selecting a cloud center having a service capability level satisfying the service level of the client from the plurality of cloud centers as the candidate cloud center.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising determining the unit cost per unit of electricity based on information provided from an electricity service provider.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising determining the carbon credit price based on information provided from a carbon market.