Brokered cloud computing architecture

• US 8,250,135 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2010
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Driesen, Volker, Eberlein, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woo, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US12/833,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20120011190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A cloud broker receives a request for processing resources from one of a plurality of cloud management infrastructures (each of which correspond to one of a plurality of clouds). The cloud broker selectively enables access to the clouds associated with each cloud management infrastructure. The clouds each comprise segregated computing environments having at least one server for executing tasks and a data store for data persistency attached to the at least one server. The cloud management infrastructures selectively starts and stops services executed by the corresponding cloud. After receiving the request, the cloud broker identifies which of the plurality of clouds coupled to the cloud broker has processing capacity to fulfill the request. Subsequently, the cloud broker enables access to at least one of the identified clouds having capacity to fulfill the request. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a cloud broker from one of a plurality of cloud management infrastructures, a request for processing resources, each of the plurality of cloud management infrastructures corresponding to one of a plurality of clouds, the cloud broker selectively enabling access to the plurality of clouds, the clouds each comprising segregated computing environments having at least one server for executing tasks and a data store for data persistency attached to the at least one server, the cloud management infrastructures selectively starting and stopping services executed by the corresponding cloud;

identifying, by the cloud broker, which of the plurality of clouds coupled to the cloud broker has processing capacity to fulfill the request;

enabling, by the cloud broker, direct access by the requesting cloud management infrastructure to at least one of the identified clouds having capacity to fulfill the request;

monitoring, by the cloud broker, use of the at least one identified cloud by the cloud management infrastructure that made the request to determine that processing resources necessary to fulfill the request are at a level greater than an amount specified in the request; and

enabling, by the cloud broker, access by the requesting cloud management infrastructure to the at least one other identified cloud having capacity to at least partially fulfill the request.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the identification by the cloud broker is further based on which of the plurality of clouds coupled to the cloud broker meet pre-defined eligibility criteria.

3. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by a first of the cloud management infrastructures, that its associated cloud does not have sufficient processing capacity; and

generating and transmitting, by the first cloud management infrastructure to the cloud broker, the request.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the request specifies a number of available central processing units (CPUs) for a cloud to fulfill the request and/or the request specifies one of a plurality of available cloud hardware configurations to fulfill the request.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the request specifies a geographic location and/or relative distance from a geographic point for a cloud to fulfill the request.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the request specifies a period of time to fulfill the request.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein the request specifies a priority level for fulfilling the request.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein the identification of which of the plurality of clouds has processing capacity is based on reporting by the cloud management infrastructures prior to the request specifying available capacity.

9. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

polling, by the cloud broker, each of the cloud management infrastructures, to determine processing capacity levels in response to the request; and

wherein the identification of which of the plurality of clouds has processing capability is based on the polling.

10. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

consuming, by the cloud management infrastructure that made the request, processing resources on the at least one identified cloud; and

sending, by the cloud management infrastructure that made the request, a notification to the cloud broker when the cloud management infrastructure that made the request ceases consumption of the processing resources of the at least one identified cloud.

11. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the cloud management infrastructure fulfilling the request, a report to the cloud broker when the corresponding cloud has freed capacity after the cloud management infrastructure that made the request ceases consumption of the processing resources of the at least one identified cloud.

12. A method as in claim 1, wherein enabling access to the at least one identified cloud comprises:

designating, by a cloud management infrastructure corresponding to the at least one identified cloud, a portion of overall processing capacity in the corresponding cloud to the request to the cloud management infrastructure that made the request.

13. A method as in claim 1, wherein the cloud broker monitors processing capacity utilized by the cloud management infrastructure that made the request and invoices an account associated with the cloud management infrastructure that made the request.

14. A method as in claim 13, wherein the utilized processing capacity is based on an amount of time corresponding servers in each cloud are made available and/or power consumed by such servers.

15. A method as in claim 1, wherein each cloud management infrastructure includes data stored within a corresponding persistency, and wherein the cloud management infrastructure that made the request performs tasks on the at least one identified cloud and replicates data stored in its persistency in the corresponding persistency of the at least one identified cloud.

16. A method as in claim 1, wherein the request is to reserve processing capacity for a pre-defined time period.

17. An article of manufacture comprising:

computer executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable media, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a cloud broker, a request for processing resources, the cloud broker selectively enabling access to clouds, the clouds each having an associated cloud management infrastructure and comprising segregated computing environments having at least one server for executing tasks and a data store for data persistency attached to the at least one server, the cloud management infrastructures selectively starting and stopping services executed by the corresponding cloud;

identifying, by the cloud broker, which of the plurality of clouds coupled to the cloud broker has processing capacity to fulfill the request and meets pre-defined criteria; and

enabling, by the cloud broker, direct access by the requesting cloud management infrastructure to at least one of the identified clouds having capacity to fulfill the request and meeting the pre-defined criteria.

18. A method comprising:

receiving, by a cloud broker from one of a plurality of cloud management infrastructures, a request for processing resources, each of the plurality of cloud management infrastructures corresponding to one of a plurality of clouds, the cloud broker selectively enabling access to the plurality of clouds, the clouds each comprising segregated computing environments having at least one server for executing tasks and a data store for data persistency attached to the at least one server, the cloud management infrastructures selectively starting and stopping services executed by the corresponding cloud, the request specifying processing resources outside of a pre-determined geographic zone;

identifying, by the cloud broker, which of the plurality of clouds coupled to the cloud broker has processing capacity to fulfill the request;

enabling, by the cloud broker, direct access by the requesting cloud management infrastructure to at least one of the identified clouds having capacity to fulfill the request;

monitoring, by the cloud broker, use of the at least one identified cloud by the cloud management infrastructure that made the request to determine that processing resources necessary to fulfill the request are at a level greater than an amount specified in the request; and

enabling, by the cloud broker, access by the requesting cloud management infrastructure to the at least one other identified cloud having capacity to at least partially fulfill the request.