System and method for optimizing computer software and hardware

• US RE38,865 E1
• Filed: 05/08/2002
• Issued: 11/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Moulic, James Randall, Pickover, Clifford Alan, Schneider, Bengt-Olaf, Smith, Adelbert, Dumarot, Daniel Peter, Stevenson, David Alan, Dono, Nicolas Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US10/141,383
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 717/121, 717/122, 717/127, 717/153, 345/846, 345/961
• US Class Current: 717/153
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/443 Optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/922 Computer program preparation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/965 for process control and configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/967 Visual or iconic programming

Abstract

A method of optimizing the operation of a computer system in running application programs in accordance with system capabilities, user preferences and configuration parameters of the application program. More specifically, with this invention, an optimizing program gathers information on the system capabilities, user preferences and configuration parameters of the application program to maximize the operation of the application program or computer system. Further, user selected rules of operation can be selected by dragging rule icons to target optimizer icon.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a method of enhancing program application or system performance of said computer system, said method comprising:

a. determining configuration information of said computer system;

b. determining performance capabilities of said computer system based on known characteristics and behaviors of said program application; and

c. automatically optimizing configuration parameters of said program application in response to said configuration information and said performance capabilities.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a. determining user preferences for the operation of said computer system and further automatically optimizing said computer system in response to said user preferences.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said determining performance capabilities of said computer system comprises:

a. comparing system performance against previous system performance, where said previous system performance is stored in a database with said configuration parameters.

4. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein said user preferences are determined using a graphic user interface through which a user enters said user preferences.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a. providing recommended system configurations in response to said performance capabilities that are determined.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said configuration information comprises at least one of the following:

a. CPU speed, memory capacity, disk subsystem capabilities, system BIOS version, graphics adapter type, driver levels, operating system software and service pack release levels.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said performance capabilities comprise at least one of the following:

a. CPU performance for integer and floating point tasks, memory subsystem throughput, disk subsystem throughput,

b. 3D graphics performance, and

c. 2D graphics performance.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said computer system can operate according to a plurality of rules of operation, wherein said graphic user interface comprises user selectable rule icons, each of which represents one of said rules of operation for said computer system, and wherein a user can select at least one of said rules of operation by selecting at least corresponding one of said rule Icons.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein said user selects one of said rule icons by dragging and dropping said one icon to an optimizer icon, wherein said dropping results in the application of said selected one rule of operation.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein said optimizer icon comprises a plurality of locations, each location capable of accepting one of said rule icons, wherein one of said rules is implemented when a corresponding one of said rule icons representing said one rule is placed on said graphical user interface within a threshold distance of said one location.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein each location is visually distinguished.

12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein each location is visually distinguished by at least one of the following characteristics:

color, outline, textures, and brightness.

13. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein each location is spatially distinguished.

14. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein at least one of said locations is a cutout on said optimizer icon.

15. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein there is a visual indication that one of said rule icons is within said threshold distance.

16. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a. storing said known characteristics and behaviors of said program application in a database.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein said database is hard-coded into said program application.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein said database is stored as a table.

19. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein said database is constructed by the user via a graphical user interface that uses a drag-and-drop paradigm to construct rules by combining graphical user interface components representing components of the rule.

20. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein said database is stored in a storage device that is remote from said workstation.

21. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said computer system comprises a server and a remote station which can be interconnected to each other through a communications network.

22. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising optimizing configuration parameters of said computer system in response to said configuration information and said performance capabilities.

23. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining performance capabilities of said computer system comprises:

a. determining real time resource utilization when said program application is being executed.

24. A method of running an application program on a computer system to accomplish a user selected result in the running of the application program, said method comprising:

a. determining the utilization of selected resources of said computer system at selected intervals during the running of the application program;

b. comparing said resource utilization with predefined thresholds; and

c. alerting a user of said computer system to alter application program parameters if said resource utilization comparison satisfies predefined criteria with respect to said thresholds.

25. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein said predefined criteria comprises a combination of resource utilization requirements for a set of said resources of said computer system.

26. A method of enhancing computer systems performance, said method comprising:

a. monitoring user activity;

b. determining user activity patterns;

c. matching said user activity patterns against entries in a database; and

d. performing at least one of making suggestions or and alerting said user to alter at least one of computer system parameters and application program parameters in accordance with said entries.

27. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for enhancing program application or system performance of a computer system, said method steps comprising:

a. determining configuration information of said computer system;

b. determining performance capabilities of said computer system based on known characteristics and behaviors of said program application; and

c. automatically optimizing configuration parameters of said program application in response to said configuration information and said performance capabilities.

28. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for running an application program on a computer system to accomplish a user selected result in the running of the application program, said method steps comprising:

a. determining the utilization of selected resources of said computer system at selected intervals during the running of the application program;

b. comparing said resource utilization with predefined thresholds; and

c. alerting a user of said computer system to alter application program parameters if said resource utilization comparison satisfies predefined criteria with respect to said thresholds.

29. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for enhancing computer systems performance, said method comprising:

a. monitoring user activity;

b. determining user activity patterns;

c. matching said user activity patterns against entries in a database; and

d. performing at least one of making suggestions or and alerting said user to alter at least one of computer system parameters and application program parameters in accordance with said entries.

30. A system for enhancing program application or system performance of a computer system comprising:

a. means for determining configuration information of said computer system;

b. means for ascertaining performance capabilities of said computer system based on known characteristics and behaviors of said program application; and

c. processing means for automatically optimizing configuration parameters of said program application based on said configuration information and said performance capabilities.

31. The system of claim 30 further comprising notifying means for notifying a user of said optimal configuration parameters.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein said automatically optimizing comprises automatically resetting configuration parameters of said program application.

33. In a computer system, a method of enhancing program application performance of said computer system, said method comprising:

a. determining performance capabilities of said computer system based on known characteristics and behaviors of said program application; and

b. automatically optimizing configuration parameters of said program application in response to said performance capabilities.

34. A method as recited in claim 33, further comprising:

a. determining user preferences for the operation of said computer system and further automatically optimizing said configuration parameters of said program application in response to said user preferences.

35. A method as recited in claim 33, wherein said determining performance capabilities of said computer system comprises:

a. comparing system performance against previous system performance, where said previous system performance is stored in a database with said configuration parameters.

36. A method as recited in claim 34, wherein said user preferences are determined using a graphic user interface through which a user enters said user preference.

37. A method as recited in claim 33, further comprising:

a. providing recommended system configurations in response to said performance capabilities that are determined.

38. A method as recited in claim 33, wherein said performance capabilities comprise at least one of the following:

a. CPU performance for integer and floating point tasks, memory subsystem throughput, disk subsystem throughput,

b. 3D graphics performance, and

c. 2D graphics performance.

39. A method as recited in claim 33, wherein said computer system can operate according to a plurality of rules of operation, wherein said graphic user interface comprises user selectable rule icons, each of which represents one of said rules of operation for said computer system, and wherein a user can select at least one of said rules of operation by selecting at least corresponding one of said rule icons.

40. A method as recited in claim 39, wherein said user selects one of said rule icons by dragging and dropping said one icon to an optimizer icon, wherein said dropping results in the application of said selected one rule of operation.

41. A method as recited in claim 40, wherein said optimizer icon comprises a plurality of locations, each location capable of accepting one of said rule icons, wherein one of said rules is implemented when a corresponding one of said rule icons representing said one rule is placed on said graphical user interface within a threshold distance of said one location.

42. A method as recited in claim 41, wherein each location is visually distinguished.

43. A method as recited in claim 41, wherein each location is visually distinguished by at least one of the following characteristics:

color, outline, textures, and brightness.

44. A method as recited in claim 41, wherein each location is spatially distinguished.

45. A method as recited in claim 41, wherein at least one of said locations is a cutout on said optimizer icon.

46. A method as recited in claim 41, wherein there is a visual indication that one of said rule icons is within said threshold distance.

47. A method as recited in claim 33, further comprising:

a. storing said known characteristics and behaviors of said program application in a database.

48. A method as recited in claim 47, wherein said database is hard-coded into said program application.

49. A method as recited in claim 47, wherein said database is stored as a table.

50. A method as recited in claim 47, wherein said database is constructed by the user via a graphical user interface that uses a drag-and-drop paradigm to construct rules by combining graphical user interface components representing components of the rule.

51. A method as recited in claim 47, wherein said database is stored in a storage device that is remote from said workstation.

52. A method as recited in claim 33, wherein said computer system comprises a server and a remote station which can be interconnected to each other through a communication network.

53. A method as recited in claim 33, further comprising optimizing configuration parameters of said computer system in response to said performance capabilities.

54. A method as recited in claim 33, wherein determining performance capabilities of said computer system comprises:

a. determining real time resource utilization when said program application is being executed.

55. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for enhancing computer application performance of a computer system, said method steps comprising:

a. determining performance capabilities of said computer system based on known characteristics and behaviors of said program application; and

b. automatically optimizing configuration parameters of said program application in response to said performance capabilities.

56. A system for enhancing program application performance of a computer system comprising:

a. means for ascertaining performance capabilities of said computer system based on known characteristics and behaviors of said program application; and

b. means for automatically optimizing configuration parameters of said program application in response to said performance capabilities.

57. The system of claim 56 further comprising notifying means for notifying a user of said optimal configuration parameters.

58. The system of claim 56 wherein said automatically optimizing comprises automatically resetting configuration parameters of said program application.