Selecting computing resources

• US 9,852,050 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dvorkin, Alex, Strazhnikov, Vova
• Primary Examiner(s): Eskandarnia, Arvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moreau, Austin
• Application Number:
  US14/586,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20160191407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5011 Pool
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/00 Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units program control for peripheral devices G06F13/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for distributing pool resources. One method includes maintaining a plurality of groups of computing resources, wherein each group of the plurality of groups includes computing resources that share a respective combination of resource characteristics; receiving a first request to perform a first test on a computing resource; determining, from the plurality of groups of computing resources, a subset of groups of computing resources that include a respective combination of resource characteristics that satisfy the required characteristics of the first test; shuffling the subset of groups and selecting a first group from the shuffled subset of groups; selecting an available computing resource from the first group; and causing the first test to be performed on the selected available computing resource from the first group.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining a plurality of computing resources comprising instantiated virtual machines, wherein the plurality of computing resources are organized into a plurality of groups of computing resources, wherein each group of the plurality of groups includes computing resources that share a respective combination of resource characteristics, wherein the resource characteristics are allocated to each virtual machine from a pool of resources;

receiving a first request to perform a first test on a computing resource, wherein the first request comprises a non-concrete requirement among a plurality of required characteristics for the computing resource selected to perform the first test, the non-concrete requirement representing a range of computing resource characteristics or a set of approved computing resources that can satisfy the first request;

determining, from the plurality of groups of computing resources, a subset of groups of computing resources, the subset of groups comprising a plurality of groups that include a respective combination of resource characteristics that satisfy the required characteristics of the first test;

shuffling the subset of groups and selecting a first group from the shuffled subset of groups;

selecting an available computing resource from the first group; and

causing the first test to be performed on the selected available computing resource from the first group, wherein causing the first test to be performed comprises transmitting test data associated with the first test to the selected available computing resource, the test data being used by the selected available computing resource to execute the first test.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second request to perform a second test on a computing resource;

selecting a second group from the subset of groups;

determining that there are no available computing resources in the selected second group; and

selecting a third group from the subset of groups.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that there are no available computing resources in the selected second group comprises:

identifying stored information that identifies groups of computing resources that include no available computing resources; and

identifying the selected second group in the stored information.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting a third group comprises:

randomly selecting the third group from the subset of groups.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein shuffling the subset of groups comprises shuffling the subset of groups to determine a random order for the groups in the subset of groups, wherein selecting the first group comprises selecting the first group in the random order, wherein selecting the second group comprises selecting the second group in the random order, and wherein selecting the third group comprises selecting the third group in the random order.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second request to perform the first test on a computing resource;

obtaining information identifying the subset of groups of computing resources;

randomly selecting a second group from the subset of groups;

selecting an available computing resource from the second group; and

causing the first test to be performed on the selected computing resource.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the required characteristics identify one or more of one or more hardware characteristics or one or more software characteristics.

8. A system comprising:

at least one computing device and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the at least one computing device, to cause the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising;

maintaining a plurality of computing resources comprising instantiated virtual machines, wherein the plurality of computing resources are organized into a plurality of groups of computing resources, wherein each group of the plurality of groups includes computing resources that share a respective combination of resource characteristics, wherein the resource characteristics are allocated to each virtual machine from a pool of resources;

receiving a first request to perform a first test on a computing resource, wherein the first request comprises a non-concrete requirement among a plurality of required characteristics for the computing resource selected to perform the first test, the non-concrete requirement representing a range of computing resource characteristics or a set of approved computing resources that can satisfy the first request;

determining, from the plurality of groups of computing resources, a subset of groups of computing resources, the subset of groups comprising a plurality of groups that include a respective combination of resource characteristics that satisfy the required characteristics of the first test;

shuffling the subset of groups and selecting a first group from the shuffled subset of groups;

selecting an available computing resource from the first group; and

causing the first test to be performed on the selected available computing resource from the first group, wherein causing the first test to be performed comprises transmitting test data associated with the first test to the selected available computing resource, the test data being used by the selected available computing resource to execute the first test.

9. The system of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

receiving a second request to perform a second test on a computing resource;

selecting a second group from the subset of groups;

determining that there are no available computing resources in the selected second group; and

selecting a third group from the subset of groups.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein determining that there are no available computing resources in the selected second group comprises:

identifying stored information that identifies groups of computing resources that include no available computing resources; and

identifying the selected second group in the stored information.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein selecting a third group comprises:

randomly selecting the third group from the subset of groups.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein shuffling the subset of groups comprises shuffling the subset of groups to determine a random order for the groups in the subset of groups, wherein selecting the first group comprises selecting the first group in the random order, wherein selecting the second group comprises selecting the second group in the random order, and wherein selecting the third group comprises selecting the third group in the random order.

13. The system of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

receiving a second request to perform the first test on a computing resource;

obtaining information identifying the subset of groups of computing resources;

randomly selecting a second group from the subset of groups;

selecting an available computing resource from the second group; and

causing the first test to be performed on the selected computing resource.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the required characteristics identify one or more of one or more hardware characteristics or one or more software characteristics.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the computing resources are instantiated virtual machines and the resource characteristics are allocated to each virtual machine from a pool of resources.

16. A computer program, encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by at least one computing device cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

maintaining a plurality of computing resources comprising instantiated virtual machines, wherein the plurality of computing resources are organized into a plurality of groups of computing resources, wherein each group of the plurality of groups includes computing resources that share a respective combination of resource characteristics, wherein the resource characteristics are allocated to each virtual machine from a pool of resources;

receiving a first request to perform a first test on a computing resource, wherein the first request comprises a non-concrete requirement among a plurality of required characteristics for the computing resource selected to perform the first test, the non-concrete requirement representing a range of computing resource characteristics or a set of approved computing resources that can satisfy the first request;

determining, from the plurality of groups of computing resources, a subset of groups of computing resources, the subset of groups comprising a plurality of groups that include a respective combination of resource characteristics that satisfy the required characteristics of the first test;

shuffling the subset of groups and selecting a first group from the shuffled subset of groups;

selecting an available computing resource from the first group; and

causing the first test to be performed on the selected available computing resource from the first group, wherein causing the first test to be performed comprises transmitting test data associated with the first test to the selected available computing resource, the test data being used by the selected available computing resource to execute the first test.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

receiving a second request to perform a second test on a computing resource;

selecting a second group from the subset of groups;

determining that there are no available computing resources in the selected second group; and

selecting a third group from the subset of groups.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

receiving a second request to perform the first test on a computing resource;

obtaining information identifying the subset of groups of computing resources;

randomly selecting a second group from the subset of groups;

selecting an available computing resource from the second group; and

causing the first test to be performed on the selected computing resource.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computing resources are instantiated virtual machines and the resource characteristics are allocated to each virtual machine from a pool of resources.