Graph transformations to correct violations of service level objections in a data center

• US 8,892,607 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Soundararajan, Gokul, Bairavasundaram, Lakshmi Narayanan, Mathur, Vipul, Talwadker, Rukma Ameet, Voruganti, Kaladhar
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US13/936,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20140143282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-899
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/00 Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units program control for peripheral devices G06F13/10

Abstract

Graph transformations are used by a data management system to correct violations of service-level objectives (SLOs) in a data center. In one aspect, a process is provided to manage a data center by receiving an indication of a violation of a service-level objective associated with the data center from a server in the data center. A graph representation and a transformations data container are retrieved by the data management system from data storage accessible to the data management system. The transformations data container includes one or more transformations. The transformation is processed to create a mutated graph from a data center representation from the graph representation. An option for managing the data center is determined as a result of evaluating the mutated graphs.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing a data center, the computer-implemented method comprising:

creating, by a data management system, a graph representation for the data center, the graph representation comprising a representation for a plurality of entities in the data center and at least one connection for each of the plurality of entities, wherein the at least one connection defines a relationship between the plurality of entities, and wherein creating the graph representation comprises,

for each of the plurality of entities, generating an entity representation, and

for each of the entity representations,

analyzing the entity representation to determine a connection for the entity representation and another of the entity representations, and

connecting the entity representation to the another entity representation using the determined connection, and

modifying, by the data management system, the graph representation for the data center in accordance with a service-level objective of the data center.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the graph representation represents a flow of data among the plurality of entities in the data center.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein modifying the graph representation by the data management system comprises processing a transformation comprising a name, a type, a predicate defining a scope of the transformation, a mutation defining a set of graph changes made to the graph representation to correct a violation of a service level objective, and a cost of the transformation.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein if an entity in the graph representation is in accordance with the predicate defining a scope of the transformation, processing the transformation comprises performing an action associated with the mutation.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the entity representation comprises reading a configuration file associated with the entity representation.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions comprising instructions to:

create a graph representation for a data center, the graph representation comprising a representation for a plurality of entities in the data center and at least one connection for each of the plurality of entities, wherein the at least one connection defines a relationship between the plurality of entities, and wherein the instructions to create the graph representation comprise instructions to,

for each of the plurality of entities, generate an entity representation; and

for each of the entity representations,

analyze the entity representation to determine a connection for the entity representation and another of the entity representations, and

connect the entity representation to the another entity representation using the determined connection, and

modify the graph representation for the data center in accordance with a service-level objective of the data center.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the graph representation represents a flow of data among the entities in the data center.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions to modify the graph representation comprise instructions to process a transformation comprising a name, a type, a predicate defining a scope of the transformation, a mutation defining a set of graph changes made to the graph representation to correct a violation of a service level objective, and a cost of the transformation.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein if an entity in the graph representation is in accordance with the predicate defining a scope of the transformation, the instructions to process the transformation comprise instructions to perform an action associated with the mutation.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions to analyze the entity representation comprise instructions to read a configuration file associated with the entity representation.

11. A computerized system comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory; and

instructions executable from the memory by the processor to cause the computerized system to,

create a graph representation for a data center, the graph representation comprising a representation for a plurality of entities in the data center and at least one connection for each of the plurality of entities, wherein the at least one connection defines a relationship between the plurality of entities, wherein the instructions executable by the processor to cause the computerized system to create the graph representation comprise instructions executable by the processor to cause the computerized system to,

for each of the plurality of entities, generate an entity representation, and

for each of the plurality of entity representations,

analyze the entity representation to determine a connection for the entity representation and another of the entity representations, and

connect the entity representation to the another entity representation using the determined connection, and

modify the graph representation for the data center in accordance with a service-level objective of the data center.

12. The computerized system of claim 11, wherein the graph representation represents a flow of data among the entities in the data center.

13. The computerized system of claim 11, wherein the instructions executable by the processor to cause the computerized system to modify the graph representation further comprise instructions executable by the processor to cause the computerized system to process a transformation comprising a name, a type, a predicate defining a scope of the transformation, a mutation defining a set of graph changes made to the graph representation to correct a violation of a service level objective, and a cost of the transformation.

14. The computerized system of claim 13, wherein if an entity in the graph representation is in accordance with the predicate defining a scope of the transformation, the instructions executable by the processor to cause the computerized system to process the transformation further comprise instructions executable by the processor to cause the computerized system to perform an action associated with the mutation.

15. The computerized system of claim 11, wherein the instructions executable by the processor to cause the computerized system to analyze the entity representation comprise instructions executable by the processor to cause the computerized system to read a configuration file associated with the entity representation.

16. A computerized system comprising:

a server having a processor, and

instructions executable by the server to cause the computerized system to,

create a graph representation for a data center, the graph representation comprising a representation for a plurality of entities in the data center and at least one connection for each of the plurality of entities, wherein the at least one connection defines a relationship between the plurality of entities, wherein the instructions executable by the server to cause the computerized system to create the graph representation for the data center further comprise instructions executable by the server to cause the computerized system to,

for each of the plurality of entities, generate an entity representation, and

for each of the plurality of entity representations,

analyze the entity representation to determine a connection for the entity representation and another of the entity representations, and

connect the entity representation to the another entity representation using the determined connection, and

modify the graph representation for the data center in accordance with a service-level objective of the data center.

17. The computerized system of claim 16, wherein the graph representation represents a flow of data among the entities in the data center.

18. The computerized system of claim 16, wherein the instructions executable by the server to cause the server to modify the graph representation, further comprise instructions executable by the server to cause the computerized system to process a transformation comprising a name, a type, a predicate defining a scope of the transformation, a mutation defining a set of graph changes made to the graph representation to correct a violation of a service level objective, and a cost of the transformation.

19. The computerized system of claim 18, wherein if an entity in the graph representation is in accordance with the predicate defining a scope of the transformation, the instructions executable by the server to cause the computerized system to process a transformation comprise instructions executable by the server to cause the computerized system to perform an action associated with the mutation.

20. The computerized system of claim 16, wherein the instructions executable by the server to cause the computerized system to analyze the entity representation comprise instructions executable by the server to cause the computerized system to read a configuration file associated with the entity representation.