Workload management

• US 10,659,407 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2019
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Granshaw, David, Massey, Samuel T., McGinnes, Daniel J., Ross, Martin A., Schofield, Richard G., Stirling, Craig H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Application Number:
  US16/383,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20190245818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/06 Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A messaging system comprises a plurality of connected components and including a schema defining fields for messages, at least one field defined as non-essential. A mechanism for operating the messaging system comprises the steps of collecting one or more performance metrics for one or more components of the messaging system, determining that at least one performance metric has crossed a predetermined threshold, informing one or more components of the messaging system that a surge in workload has occurred, and the informed components removing non-essential fields from transmitted messages and/or not processing non-essential fields from received messages.

Claims

1. A method of operating a messaging system, the messaging system comprising a plurality of connected components, the method comprising:

collecting one or more performance metrics for one or more components of the messaging system, wherein the messaging system comprises a schema defining fields for messages including at least one field defined as non-essential;

responsive to determining that at least one performance metric has crossed a predetermined threshold, informing the one or more components of the messaging system that a surge in workload has occurred; and

responsive to being informed, the informed components processing only essential fields in received messages such that non-essential fields are not processed in the received messages, wherein at least one non-essential field that is not processed includes data values.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising responsive to determining that the at least one performance metric that had crossed the predetermined threshold has re-crossed the threshold, informing the one or more components of the messaging system that the surge in workload is no longer occurring.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the fields defined as non-essential are graded according to importance, multiple predetermined thresholds are used with respect to the monitored performance metrics, and informing the one or more components of the messaging system that a surge in workload has occurred comprises informing the one or more components of the messaging system of a level of surge in workload.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the performance metrics of the components of the messaging system that are collected comprise processor utilization, network utilization, or storage utilization.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the schema comprises an extensible markup language (XML) document that defines fields and their characteristics for messages.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the schema is stored by a messaging application executing on a server of the messaging system.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the schema is available to the one or more components of the messaging system.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the non-processed data values are not syntax.

9. A computer program product comprising a computer readable hardware storage medium for operating a messaging system, the messaging system comprising a plurality of connected components, the computer program product comprising instructions, embodied on the computer readable hardware storage medium, which when executed on the messaging system, cause the messaging system to:

collect one or more performance metrics for one or more components of the messaging system wherein the messaging system comprises a schema defining fields for messages including at least one field defined as non-essential; and

responsive to determining that at least one performance metric has crossed a predetermined threshold, inform the one or more components of the messaging system that a surge in workload has occurred,

wherein, responsive to being informed, the informed components remove non-essential fields from transmitted messages, and wherein at least one non-essential field removed from the transmitted messages includes data values.

10. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the messaging system, responsive to determining that the at least one performance metric that had crossed the predetermined threshold has re-crossed the threshold, to inform the one or more components of the messaging system that the surge in workload is no longer occurring.

11. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the fields defined as non-essential are graded according to importance, multiple predetermined thresholds are used with respect to the monitored performance metrics, and informing one or more components of the messaging system that a surge in workload has occurred comprises informing the one or more components of the messaging system of the level of surge in workload.

12. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the performance metrics of the components of the messaging system that are collected comprise processor utilization, network utilization, or storage utilization.

13. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the removed data values are not syntax.

14. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the informed components removing non-essential fields from transmitted messages causes components receiving the transmitted messages to be unable to process the entirety of the transmitted messages due to the non-essential fields having been removed.

15. A messaging system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

collect one or more performance metrics for one or more components of the messaging system wherein the messaging system comprises a schema defining fields for messages including at least one field defined as non-essential; and

responsive to determining that at least one performance metric has crossed a predetermined threshold, inform the one or more components of the messaging system that a surge in workload has occurred,

wherein, responsive to being informed, the informed components remove non-essential fields from transmitted messages, and wherein at least one non-essential field removed from the transmitted messages includes data values.

16. A messaging system according to claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the messaging system, responsive to determining that the at least one performance metric that had crossed the predetermined threshold has re-crossed the threshold, to inform the one or more components of the messaging system that the surge in workload is no longer occurring.

17. A messaging system according to claim 15, wherein the fields defined as non-essential are graded according to importance, multiple predetermined thresholds are used with respect to the monitored performance metrics, and informing one or more components of the messaging system that a surge in workload has occurred comprises informing the one or more components of the messaging system of the level of surge in workload.

18. A messaging system according to claim 15, wherein the removed data values are not syntax.

19. A messaging system according to claim 15, wherein the informed components removing non-essential fields from transmitted messages causes components receiving the transmitted messages to be unable to process the entirety of the transmitted messages due to the non-essential fields having been removed.