Metering software infrastructure in a cloud computing environment

• US 9,100,311 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Ferris, James Michael, Riveros, Gerry Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US14/293,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/224, 707/803, 717/127
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45591 Monitoring or debugging support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 : Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 : specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 : for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 : Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 : Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information

Abstract

A system and method include determining, by a processing device, a first duration of usage of a hardware resource on which a virtual machine is instantiated in a cloud, determining, by the processing device from the virtual machine on the cloud, a second duration of usage of a software resource that is utilized by a user on the virtual machine, the software resource comprising at least part of an operating system, and calculating, by the processing device, a usage of the cloud by the user in view of the first duration and the second duration.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a processing device, a first duration of usage of a hardware resource on which a virtual machine is instantiated in a cloud;

determining, by the processing device from the virtual machine on the cloud, a second duration of usage of a software resource that is utilized by a user on the virtual machine, the software resource comprising at least part of an operating system; and

calculating, by the processing device, a usage of the cloud by the user in view of the first duration and the second duration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardware resource comprises at least one or more of a processor, a memory, a network hardware, or a bandwidth.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first duration comprises:

receiving a start time and a termination time of the virtual machine; and

calculating the first duration from the start time and the termination time of the virtual machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second duration comprises:

receiving a start time and a termination time of the software resource; and

calculating the second duration from the start time and the termination time of the software resource.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second duration comprises:

monitoring at least one computing system supporting the virtual machine for a start time and a termination time of the software resource; and

calculating the second duration from the start time and the termination time of the software resource.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the software resource further comprises an application software.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording the first duration on a first record of the usage of the hardware resource;

receiving an identifier of the software resource from a cloud management system of the cloud; and

recording the second duration on a second record of the usage of the software resource.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:

determine a first duration of usage of a hardware resource on which a virtual machine is instantiated in a cloud;

determine, from the virtual machine on the cloud, a second duration of usage of a software resource that is utilized by a user on the virtual machine, the software resource comprising at least part of an operating system; and

calculate a usage of the cloud by the user in view of the first duration and the second duration.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the hardware resource comprises at least one or more of a processor, a memory, a network hardware, or a bandwidth.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein to determine the first duration, the processing device is further to:

receive a start time and a termination time of the virtual machine; and

calculate the first duration from the start time and the termination time of the virtual machine.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein to determine the second duration, the processing device is further to:

receive a start time and a termination time of the software resource; and

calculate the second duration from the start time and the termination time of the software resource.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein to determine the second duration, the processing device is further to:

monitor at least one computing system supporting the virtual machine for a start time and a termination time of the software resource; and

calculate the second duration from the start time and the termination time of the software resource.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the software resource further comprises an application software.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the processing device is further to:

record the first duration on a first record of the usage of the hardware resource;

receive an identifier of each particular software resource from a cloud management system of the cloud; and

record the second duration on a second record of the usage the software resource.

15. A system, comprising:

a memory;

a processing device, operatively, coupled to the memory, the processing device to;

determine a first duration of usage of a hardware resource on which a virtual machine is instantiated in a cloud;

determine, from the virtual machine on the cloud, a second duration of usage of a software resource that is utilized by a user on the virtual machine, the software resources comprising at least part of an operating system; and

calculate a usage of the cloud by the user in view of the first duration and the second duration.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the hardware resource comprises at least one or more of a processor, a memory, a network hardware, or a bandwidth.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein to determine the first duration, the processing device is further to:

receive a start time and a termination time of the virtual machine; and

calculate the first duration from the start time and the termination time of the virtual machine.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein to determine the second duration, the processing device is further to:

receive a start time and a termination time of the software resource; and

calculate the second duration from the start time and the termination time of the software resource.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein to determine the second duration, the processing device is further to:

monitor at least one computing system supporting the virtual machine for a start time and a termination time of the software resource; and

calculate the second duration from the start time and the termination time of the software resource.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the software resource further comprises an application software.