Method and system of configuring elements of a distributed computing system for optimized value

• US 7,720,968 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rosu, Marrcel-Catalin, Clarke, Edward P. Jr., Stern, Edith H., Schaffa, Frank A., Herger, Lorraine M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLD, AVI M
• Application Number:
  US10/426,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20040221038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,575 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• 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 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method and system for configuring elements of a distributed computing system based on evaluations of their value add and cost impact. The system and method for configuring elements of a distributed computing system comprises the steps of: determining one or more system metrics that relate to hardware and/or software elements of a configured distributed system; determining a system value in response to one or more system metrics, the value determined according to one or more value criteria; and, re-configuring elements of the distributed computing environment according to said determined system value. The re-configuring step further comprises steps of determining one or more potential changes in the distributed computing environment based on the system value determined, and, determining an alternate system value based on at least one potential change determined, the alternate value reflecting an economic consequence including but not limited to: increased revenue, or decreased cost resulting from a potential change.

Claims

1. A method for configuring elements of a distributed computing system, said elements including computer devices forming an environment for processing one or more executable applications, said method comprising the steps of:

determining, while in-progress applications are being run in said computing environment, one or more system metrics that relate to currently configured elements of a configured distributed computing environment;

receiving current data from resources local to and external to the computing environment, said data including external factors impacting operating costs of said currently configured elements;

determining, while said in-progress applications are being run in said computing environment, a system value in response to one or more system metrics based on said current data from said local and external resources, said value determined according to one or more value criteria, and said value translatable to a financial value; and

while in-progress applications are being run in said distributed computing environment, evaluating one or more potential changes to the distributed computing environment responsive to said current data aggregated from said local and external resources and determining associated alternate system values based on said changes, said alternate system values further based on said external factors impacting a value of re-configuring elements of said distributed computing environment according to a potential change, said one or more potential changes including one or a combination of;

terminating in-progress applications executing on said elements, rescheduling an application, adding new applications or migrating existing in-progress applications to other elements, starting up one or more elements or shutting down one or more elements, said alternate system value reflecting a consequence translatable to increased revenue, or decreased cost resulting from a potential change; and

re-configuring elements of said distributed computing environment according to said one or more potential changes dynamically, while said computing environment is operating, in accordance with a determined alternate system value.

2. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said alternate value reflects an economic consequence including any costs incurred as a consequence of a service level violation resulting from a potential change.

3. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein a potential change include changes to a distributed computing workload.

4. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reconfiguring includes addition or deletion of particular application jobs at particular locations of said distributed computing environment.

5. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reconfiguring includes a configuration modification to elements of the distributed computing environment.

6. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distributed computing environment is a computing grid.

7. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 6, wherein said reconfiguring includes a configuration modification including addition or removal of resources from said computing grid.

8. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determining of a potential change is performed as a service by a third party.

9. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein a system metric represents information including one or more selected from the group of:

attributes of configuration, computing and data storage resources, performance, utilization, hardware and software activity profiles and utilization.

10. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said value criteria comprises one or more data selected from the group comprising:

cost of hardware, software, network and management, value of current in-progress applications and other utilizations and, combinations thereof.

11. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining system value includes evaluating system return on investment.

12. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said distributed compute network is a corporate computing grid composed of one or more server and data storage resources, said determining one or more system metrics metric includes monitoring utilization of these server and data storage resources, and from the value of a currently running application, determining whether additional applications may be added into the corporate computing grid without affecting the results of the current applications being run.

13. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of re-configuring elements of said distributed computing environment according to said determined system value includes one or more selected from the group comprising:

terminating or initiating of applications;

configuration changes;

job queue changes;

migrating executing applications to other devices at a same or different location.

14. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of determining at least one system metric that relates to computing elements includes determining whether a system metric is observable from said system.

15. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of determining at least one system metric that relate to computing elements includes determining whether a system metric is derivable from said system.

16. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 15, wherein said metric may be derivable from one or more selected from the group comprising:

historical values, combining other metrics, inferring from other metrics, or inferring from other metrics combined with events.

17. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining system value includes the steps of:

determining the value of applications in progress, with a current resource allocation;

determining cost associated with the operations of the in-progress applications,

wherein said system value is determined as the difference between the value of the applications in progress and the costs determined.

18. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 17, wherein said step of determining associated cost includes determining the cost of operating information technology (IT) infrastructure in use.

19. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 17, wherein said step of determining value of in-progress applications with current resource allocation includes the steps of:

determining whether the application under consideration is being executed on behalf of another entity for revenue as specified in a contract and assigning the contracted revenue for the application run as the value of the application.

20. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 17, wherein said step of determining value of in-progress applications with current resource allocation includes the steps of:

determining whether there is a value profile associated with the application and assigning the value for this application based on the value profile.

21. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 17, wherein said step of determining the system value of in-progress applications with current resource allocation further includes the steps of:

determining a value weighting based on one or more selected from the group comprising;

whether application is considered time critical, mission critical or both; and

the progression of the executing application; and

,

applying the weighting factors to the determined value.

22. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 21, wherein said evaluating potential changes to the environment responsive to said current data aggregated from said local and external resources comprises determining whether a potential change is based on one or more selected from the group comprising:

changes to elements of the environment;

changes in the environment, and requests for resource or work received from internal or external sources; and

, for each of the potential changes determined;

the step of evaluating the cost of this change; and

,

evaluating the value of a new environment effecting the potential change.

23. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein a potential change includes running a current application on a resource at a different location, said determining system value comprising evaluating a cost of running and moving said current application at each location.

24. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said distributed computing system includes a network, said re-configuring including, changing elements of the network.

25. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said external factors include external financial data comprising current interest rate, real estate costs, and labor rates, rental rates, impact fees, local tax rates, cost of public compute capacity, price of servers to be bought from a dealer, price of on-demand business services, marketplace information for buyers and sellers of information technology (IT) resources.

26. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said external factors further include one or more of:

time of day, a worker shift change, a client'"'"'s account receivable data, liability exposure data below a specified amount, liability exposures combined with risk factors.

27. The method for configuring elements as claimed in claim 1, wherein said operating costs comprises a cost of support elements that support functions of said currently configured elements.

28. A system for configuring elements of a distributed computing system, said elements including computer devices forming an environment for processing one or more executable applications, said system comprising:

a memory;

a processor unit in communications with the memory, wherein the processor unit is configured to perform a method comprising;

determining, while in-progress applications are being run in said computing environment, one or more system metrics relating to currently configured heterogeneous hardware and software elements of a configured distributed computing system;

receiving current data from resources local to and external to the computing environment, said data including external factors impacting operating costs of said currently configured elements; and

,

determining, while in-progress applications are being run in said computing environment, a system value in response to one or more system metrics based on said current data from said local and external resources, said value determined according to one or more value criteria, and said system value translatable to a financial value, and,

evaluating one or more potential changes to the distributed computing system while in-progress applications are being run in said distributed computing system responsive to current data aggregated from said local and external resources, and determining associated alternate system values based on said changes, said alternate system values further based on said external factors impacting a value of re-configuring elements of said distributed computing environment according to a potential change, said one or more potential changes including one or a combination of;

terminating in-progress applications executing on said elements, rescheduling an application, adding new applications or migrating existing applications to other elements, starting up one or more elements or shutting down one or more elements, said alternate system value reflecting a consequence translatable to increased revenue, or decreased cost resulting from a potential change; and

wherein said elements of said distributed computing environment are re-configured according, to said one or more potential changes dynamically, while said distributed computing system is operating, in accordance with a determined alternate system value.

29. The system for configuring elements of a distributed computing system as claimed in claim 28, wherein

said alternate values reflecting an economic consequence including accounting for any costs incurred as a consequence of a service level violation resulting from a potential change.

30. The system as claimed in claim 28, wherein said external factors include external financial data comprising current interest rate, real estate costs, and labor rates, rental rates, impact fees, local tax rates, cost of public compute capacity, price of servers to be bought from a dealer, price of on-demand business services, marketplace information for buyers and sellers of information technology (IT) resources.

31. The system for configuring elements as claimed in claim 28, wherein said external factors further include one or more of:

time of day, a worker shift change, a client'"'"'s account receivable data, liability exposure data below a specified amount, liability exposures combined with risk factors.

32. The system as claimed in claim 28, wherein said operating costs comprises a cost of support elements that support functions of said currently configured elements.

33. A method of configuring system elements of a distributed computing system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving current data from resources local to and external to the computing system, said data including external factors impacting operating costs of said currently configured elements, said external factors including financial data;

determining, while in-progress applications are being run in said computing system, a present metric value of at least one metric on at least one of the system elements currently configured in said computing system, said present metric value determined based on said current data from said local and external resources;

determining, based on said determined present metric value and input values of said financial data, a present system-value, said determining performed while in-progress applications are being run in said computing system; and

,

evaluating one or more potential changes in the distributed computing system while in-progress applications are being run in said computing system responsive to current data aggregated from said local and external resources and determining associated alternate financial values based on said changes, said alternate financial values further based on said external factors impacting a value of re-configuring elements of said distributed computing system according to a potential change, said financial values accounting for any costs incurred as a consequence of a service level violation resulting from a potential change; and

determining an action dynamically, according to said one or more potential changes, while said distributed computing system is operating, that is operative on said distributed computing system for obtaining a desired system value or alternate system value.

34. The method of configuring system elements as claimed in claim 33, further including the step of defining a desired system value based on said potential changes to said distributed computing system, wherein said step of determining an action that is operative on said distributed computing system includes setting a corresponding metric value.

35. A method of configuring system elements of a distributed computing system of another entity, the method comprising the steps of:

accessing at least one element of said distributed computing system while in-progress applications are being run in said computing system;

receiving current data from resources local to and external to the computing system, said data including external factors impacting operating costs of said currently configured elements, said external factors including financial data;

determining, while in-prowess applications are being run in said computing system, a present metric value of at least one metric pertaining to at least one of the system elements currently configured in said computing system, said present metric value determined based on said current data from said local and external resources,

determining, based on said determined present metric value and input values of said financial data a present system-value, said determining performed while in-progress applications are being run in said computing system, said financial data accounting for any costs incurred as a consequence of a service level violation resulting from a potential re-configuration of a system element in response to current data aggregated from said local and external resources,

determining an action dynamically, according to a potential re-configuration, while in-progress applications are being run in said distributed computing system, that is operative on said distributed computing system for obtaining a desired financial value by setting the corresponding metric to a corresponding metric value.

36. The method according to claim 35, further including the step of:

recommending to the another entity the determined action be performed.

37. A computer program device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for configuring elements of a distributed computing system, said elements including computer devices forming an environment for processing one or more executable applications, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving current data from resources local to and external to the computing environment, said data including external factors impacting operating costs of said currently configured elements;

determining, while in-progress applications are being run in said computing environment, one or more system metrics tat relate to heterogeneous hardware and software elements of a currently configured distributed computing environment;

determining, while in-progress applications are being run in said computing environment, a system value in response to one or more system metrics based on said current data from said local and external resources, said value determined according to one or more value criteria, and said value translatable to a financial value; and

evaluating one or more potential changes in the distributed computing environment while in-progress applications are being run in said computing environment responsive to said current data aggregated from said local and external resources, and determining associated alternate system values based on said changes, said alternate system values further based on said external factors impacting a value of re-configuring elements of said distributed computing environment according to a potential change, said one or more potential changes including one or a combination of;

terminating in-progress applications executing on said elements, rescheduling an application, adding new applications or migrating existing applications to other elements, starting up one or more elements or shutting down one or more elements, said alternate system value reflecting a consequence translatable to increased revenue, or decreased cost resulting from a potential change; and

re-configuring elements of said distributed computing environment according to said one or more potential changes dynamically, while said computing environment is operating, in accordance with a determined alternate system value.

38. The computer program device readable by a machine as claimed in claim 37, wherein said alternate value reflects an economic consequence including accounting for any costs incurred as a consequence of a service level violation resulting from a potential change.