Streaming state data for cloud management

• US 9,450,841 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cao, Bin, Chen, Jim C., Fork, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khurshid, Zia
• Application Number:
  US14/074,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20150127810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/20 the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• 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 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers

Abstract

A cloud manager uses streams to monitor state of the cloud. A cloud state streaming policy specifies state data to stream, along with one or more initial operators for processing the streams. An archive mechanism allows archiving the streamed data when specified data in the streams exceeds one or more defined thresholds. A user interface allows adjusting the streaming of cloud state data to focus on data of interest to a user. The cloud manager thus allows a user to determine state of a cloud via the streamed state data.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor; and

a manager residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the manager comprising a state streaming mechanism that initializes a first plurality of streams on a plurality of virtual machines coupled to the apparatus, the first plurality of streams comprising state data for the plurality of virtual machines, wherein the state streaming mechanism initializes a second plurality of streams on a plurality of host computer systems coupled to the apparatus, the second plurality of streams comprising state data for the plurality of host computer systems, the state streaming mechanism creating a plurality of operators to operate on at least one stream in the first and second plurality of streams, wherein the state data comprises network packets, representation state transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) calls and responses, logs, task management resources, user accounts, and expiration policies.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the manager comprises a cloud manager and the plurality of virtual machines and the plurality of host computer systems are in at least one cloud.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a state streaming policy that specifies:

state data to stream in the first and second plurality of streams; and

the plurality of operators.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the state data comprises processor usage, memory usage and storage usage.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the manager comprises an archive mechanism that archives streamed data that satisfies at least one user-specified threshold.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the manager comprises a user interface that includes a stream adjustment mechanism for adjusting streamed data according to a user-specified focus.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the stream adjustment mechanism adjusts what is included in at least one of the first and second plurality of streams according to the user-specified focus.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the stream adjustment mechanism adjusts at least one of the plurality of operators according to the user-specified focus by performing at least one of:

adjusting function of at least one existing operator; and

adding at least one new operator.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor; and

a manager residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the manager comprising a state streaming mechanism that reads a state streaming policy that specifies state data to stream and a plurality of operators, wherein the state data to stream comprises network packets, representation state transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) calls and responses, logs, task management resources, user accounts, and expiration policies, wherein the state streaming mechanism initializes a first plurality of streams on a plurality of virtual machines in the cloud computer system, the first plurality of streams comprising the state data to stream for the plurality of virtual machines, wherein the state streaming mechanism initializes a second plurality of streams on a plurality of host computer systems in the cloud computer system, the second plurality of streams comprising the state data to stream for the plurality of host computer systems, wherein the state streaming mechanism creates a plurality of operators to operate on at least one stream in the first and second plurality of streams, wherein the state streaming mechanism archives streamed data that satisfies at least one user-specified threshold, wherein the state streaming mechanism provides a user interface for adjusting streamed data according to a user-specified focus, wherein adjusting the streamed data comprises at least one of;

adjusting what is included in at least one of the first and second plurality of streams according to the user-specified focus;

adjusting function of at least one existing operator; and

adding at least one new operator.

10. An article of manufacture comprising software executed by at least one processor, the software residing on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the software comprising:

a manager comprising a state streaming mechanism that initializes a first plurality of streams on a plurality of virtual machines coupled to an apparatus, the first plurality of streams comprising state data for the plurality of virtual machines, wherein the state streaming mechanism initializes a second plurality of streams on a plurality of host computer systems coupled to the apparatus, the second plurality of streams comprising state data for the plurality of host computer systems, the state streaming mechanism creating a plurality of operators to operate on at least one stream in the first and second plurality of streams, wherein the state data comprises network packets, representation state transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) calls and responses, logs, task management resources, user accounts, and expiration policies.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10 wherein the manager comprises a cloud manager and the plurality of virtual machines and the plurality of host computer systems are in at least one cloud.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 10 further comprising a state streaming policy that specifies:

state data to stream in the first and second plurality of streams; and

the plurality of operators.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 10 wherein the state data comprises processor usage, memory usage and storage usage.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 10 wherein the manager comprises an archive mechanism that archives streamed data that satisfies at least one user-specified threshold.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 10 wherein the manager comprises a user interface that includes a stream adjustment mechanism for adjusting streamed data according to a user-specified focus.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein the stream adjustment mechanism adjusts what is included in at least one of the first and second plurality of streams according to the user-specified focus.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein the stream adjustment mechanism adjusts at least one of the plurality of operators according to the user-specified focus by performing at least one of:

adjusting function of at least one existing operator; and

adding at least one new operator.