Smoothing peak system load via behavior prediction in collaborative systems with temporal data access patterns

• US 9,075,665 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2010
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Holden, Russell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mesa, Joel
• Application Number:
  US12/826,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,834 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

Techniques are described above for smoothing peak load in collaborative systems. One embodiment includes, prior to a predicted peak load period, pre-staging user-data associated with one or more users of the collaborative system. During the predicted peak load period, a request from a first one of the users for access to the pre-staged user-data associated with the first user is received. And in response to the request, the pre-staged user-data is provided to the first user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for smoothing peak load in a collaborative system, the method comprising:

determining a usage pattern reflecting a plurality of users of the collaborative system;

predicting a first peak load period based on the usage pattern;

generating a pre-staging schedule for a selected one or more of the plurality of users based on the usage pattern and the first peak load period, wherein each of the one or more users is selected based on respective access times relative to the predicted first peak load period;

prior to the first peak load period, pre-staging user data associated with the selected one or more users based on the pre-staging schedule;

during the first peak load period, receiving a request from a first user of the selected one or more users for access to the pre-staged user data associated with the first user;

in response to the request, providing the pre-staged user data to the first user; and

following a specified period subsequent to the first peak load period, discarding pre-staged user data associated with a second user of the selected one or more users if the pre-staged user data was not accessed by the second user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining a usage pattern reflecting a plurality of users of the collaborative system comprises:

monitoring an initial access time for each of the plurality of users accessing the collaborative system over a specified window; and

determining an average access time for each of the plurality of users over the specified window.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein pre-staging the user data comprises retrieving the user data from a disk-based storage system and caching the retrieved user data in a memory.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the pre-staged user data comprises one or more email messages.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the pre-staged user data comprises one or more documents composed by the users of the collaborative system.

6. A computer program product for smoothing peak load via behavior prediction in a collaborative system, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable device having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising;

computer-readable program code configured to determine a usage pattern reflecting a plurality of users of the collaborative system;

computer-readable program code configured to predict a first peak load period based on the usage pattern;

computer-readable program code configured to generate a pre-staging schedule for a selected one or more of the plurality of users based on the usage pattern and the first peak load period, wherein each of the one or more users is selected based on respective access times relative to the predicted first peak load period;

computer-readable program code configured to, prior to the first peak load period, pre-stage user data associated with the selected one or more users based on the pre-staging schedule;

computer-readable program code configured to, during the first peak load period, receive a request from a first user of the selected one or more users for access to the pre-staged user data associated with the first user;

computer-readable program code configured to, in response to the request, provide the pre-staged user data to the first user; and

computer-readable program code configured to, following a specified period subsequent to the first peak load period, discard pre-staged user data associated with a second user of the selected one or more users if the pre-staged user data was not accessed by the second user.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein determining a usage pattern reflecting a plurality of users of the collaborative system comprises:

monitoring an initial access time for each of the plurality of users accessing the collaborative system over a specified window; and

determining an average access time for each of the plurality of users over the specified window.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein pre-staging the user data comprises retrieving the user data from a disk-based storage system and caching the retrieved user data in a memory.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the pre-staged user data comprises one or more email messages.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the pre-staged user data comprises one or more documents composed by the users of the collaborative system.

11. A system, comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the one or more computer processors is configured to perform an operation for smoothing peak load via behavior prediction in a collaborative system, the operation comprising;

determining a usage pattern reflecting a plurality of users of the collaborative system;

predicting a first peak load period based on the usage pattern;

generating a pre-staging schedule for a selected one or more of the plurality of users based on the usage pattern and the first peak load period, wherein each of the one or more users is selected based on respective access times relative to the predicted first peak load period;

prior to the first peak load period, pre-staging user data associated with the selected one or more users based on the pre-staging schedule;

during the first predicted peak load period, receiving a request from a first user of the selected one or more users for access to the pre-staged user data associated with the first user;

in response to the request, providing the pre-staged user data to the first user; and

following a specified period subsequent to the first peak load period, discarding pre-staged user data associated with a second user of the selected one or more users if the pre-staged user data was not accessed by the second user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein determining a usage pattern reflecting a plurality of users of the collaborative system comprises:

monitoring an initial access time for each of the plurality of users accessing the collaborative system over a specified window; and

determining an average access time for each of the plurality of users over the specified window.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein pre-staging the user data comprises retrieving the user data from a disk-based storage system and caching the retrieved user data in a memory.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the pre-staged user data comprises one or more email messages.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the pre-staged user data comprises one or more documents composed by the users of the collaborative system.