Statistically cost-following accounting model

• US 9,767,445 B1
• Filed: 12/17/2013
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brooker, Marc J., Brown, David, Brandwine, Eric Jason, Theimer, Marvin M., Agrawal, Abhinav
• Primary Examiner(s): YU, ARIEL J
• Application Number:
  US14/109,852
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring

Abstract

Techniques, including systems and methods, for virtual resource cost tracking account for unused capacity of implementation resources that are dedicated to particular customers and, as a result, are unusable for maintaining virtual resources for other customers. Customers requesting dedicated use of implementation resources are charged in a manner that compensates the virtual resource provider for the lost ability to use unused capacity of implementation resources to serve other customers. Customer charges may be determined by a pricing function that is calculated such that, for a base of customers, expected revenue from the base of customers approximates a revenue goal. The revenue goal may be determined based on revenue that would have been expected had the unused capacity of the dedicated implementation resources been available for serving other customers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

managing, for a plurality of customers of a virtual resource provider, one or more dedicated server pools associated with a plurality of servers, the plurality of servers individually being configured to host a plurality of virtual machines, the one or more dedicated server pools being managed by enforcing a permitted virtual resource density corresponding to an allowable number of virtual machines permitted to be hosted by a server of the one or more dedicated server pools;

recording, for the plurality of customers of the virtual resource provider, usage of one or more dedicated virtual machines that are hosted exclusively for a customer by a set of servers of the plurality of servers, the usage of the one or more dedicated virtual machines being recorded in increments of resource allocation units, the resource allocation units corresponding to a single dedicated virtual machine and a unit of time;

determining, based at least in part on the recorded usage, a pricing function, the pricing function configured to be used to charge customers for use of the one or more dedicated virtual machines in a manner compensating for the virtual resource provider'"'"'s inability to use dedicated but unused capacity of the plurality of servers to host at least some of the plurality of virtual machines for other customers, the pricing function configured to;

receive input values corresponding to a number of the resource allocation units corresponding to the usage; and

provide a corresponding non-linear output; and

making available, to at least the plurality of customers, a presentation of a pricing scheme that is based at least in part on the pricing function.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the pricing scheme includes a plurality of pricing tiers, each pricing tier of the plurality of pricing tiers being based at least in part on a number of the one or more dedicated virtual machines.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the pricing function is a function of at least a quantity of the resource allocation units, and wherein the pricing function is configured such that, for at least a plurality of consecutive possible inputs to the pricing function, the pricing function decreases.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of servers are grouped according to a plurality of groups, and wherein the pricing scheme is configured such that charges for a set of the one or more dedicated virtual machines depend at least in part on customer configurations for allocation of members of the set among one or more of the groups.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the groups are geographically apart from one another.

6. A computer-implemented method for virtual resource cost tracking, comprising:

managing, for a plurality of customers of a virtual resource provider, one or more dedicated server pools associated with a plurality of servers, the plurality of servers individually being configured to host a plurality of virtual machines, the one or more dedicated server pools being managed by enforcing a permitted virtual resource density corresponding to an allowable number of virtual machines permitted to be hosted by a server of the one or more dedicated server pools;

maintaining, for at least one customer of the virtual resource provider, at least one dedicated virtual machine that is hosted exclusively for the at least one customer by at least one server of the plurality of servers, the at least one dedicated virtual machine being provided by the at least one server in increments of resource allocation units, the resource allocation units corresponding to a single dedicated virtual machine and a unit of time;

determining, based at least in part on a pricing function, a charge for maintaining the at least one dedicated virtual machine for the at least one customer, the pricing function being configured to;

receive input values corresponding a number of the resource allocation units; and

provide a corresponding non-linear output corresponding to a usage of the dedicated virtual machine by the at least one customer; and

providing, to the at least one customer, a presentation that indicates the determined charge.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the pricing function is based at least in part on past customer usage by the plurality of customers of dedicated virtual machines that are implemented using the plurality of servers that are each used exclusively for a corresponding customer.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the pricing function is determined such that, for the plurality of customers to be charged based at least in part on the pricing function, an expected revenue from the plurality of customers approximates a revenue goal.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the revenue goal is determined based at least in part on unused capacity of the plurality of servers dedicated to exclusive customer use.

10. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory including executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computer system to at least;

manage, for a plurality of customers of a virtual resource provider, one or more dedicated server pools associated with a plurality of servers, the plurality of servers individually being configured to host a plurality of virtual machines, the one or more dedicated server pools being managed by enforcing a permitted virtual resource density corresponding to an allowable number of virtual machines permitted to be hosted by a server of the one or more dedicated server pools;

record, for the plurality of customers of the virtual resource provider, usage of dedicated virtual machines, the dedicated virtual machines being hosted exclusively for a customer by a set of servers of the plurality of servers, the usage of the dedicated virtual machines being recorded in increments of resource allocation units, the resource allocation units corresponding to a single virtual machine and a unit of time;

determine, based at least in part on the recorded usage, a pricing function, the pricing function configured to be used to charge customers for use of dedicated virtual machines in a manner compensating for the virtual resource provider'"'"'s inability to use dedicated but unused capacity of the plurality of servers to host virtual machines for other customers, the pricing function configured to;

receive input values corresponding to the number of the resource allocation units corresponding to the usage; and

provide a corresponding non-linear output; and

make available, to at least the plurality of customers, a presentation of a pricing scheme that is based at least in part on the pricing function.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the pricing scheme includes a plurality of pricing tiers, each pricing tier of the plurality of pricing tiers being based at least in part on a number of dedicated virtual machines.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the pricing function is a function of at least a quantity of the resource allocation units, and wherein the pricing function is configured such that, for at least a plurality of consecutive possible inputs to the pricing function, the pricing function decreases.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of servers are grouped according to a plurality of groups, and wherein the pricing scheme is configured such that charges for a set of dedicated virtual machines depend at least in part on customer requirements for allocation of members of the set among one or more of the groups.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the groups are geographically apart from one another.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media having collectively stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system, cause the computer system to at least:

manage, for a plurality of customers of a virtual resource provider, one or more dedicated server pools associated with a plurality of servers, the plurality of servers individually being configured to host a plurality of virtual machines, the one or more dedicated server pools being managed by enforcing a permitted virtual resource density corresponding to an allowable number of virtual machines permitted to be hosted by a server of the one or more dedicated server pools;

maintain, for at least one customer of the virtual resource provider, at least one dedicated virtual machine that is hosted exclusively for the at least one customer by at least one server of the plurality of servers, the dedicated virtual machines being provided by the at least one server in increments of resource allocation units, the resource allocation units corresponding to a single dedicated virtual machine and a unit of time;

determine, based at least in part on a pricing function, a charge for maintaining the at least one dedicated virtual machine for the at least one customer, the pricing function being configured to;

receive input values corresponding a number of the resource allocation units; and

provide a corresponding non-linear output corresponding to a usage of the dedicated virtual machine by the at least one customer; and

providing, to the at least one customer, a presentation that indicates the determined charge.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the pricing function is based at least in part on past customer usage by the plurality of customers of virtual machines that are implemented using the plurality of servers that are each used exclusively for a corresponding customer.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the pricing function is determined such that, for the plurality of customers to be charged based at least in part on the pricing function, an expected revenue from the plurality of customers approximates a revenue goal.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the revenue goal is determined based at least in part on unused capacity of the plurality of servers dedicated to exclusive customer use.