Prioritizing jobs within a cloud computing environment

• US 9,218,202 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bartfai-Walcott, Katalin K., Boss, Gregory J., Dawson, Christopher J., Hamilton, Rick A. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Tang, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US13/845,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20130219401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach to prioritize jobs (e.g., within a cloud computing environment) so as to maximize positive financial impacts (or to minimize negative financial impacts) for cloud service providers, while not exceeding processing capacity or failing to meet terms of applicable Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Specifically, under the present invention a respective income (i.e., a cost to the customer), a processing need, and set of SLA terms (e.g., predetermined priorities, time constraints, etc.) will be determined for each of a plurality of jobs to be performed. The jobs will then be prioritized in a way that: maximizes cumulative/collective income; stays within the total processing capacity of the cloud computing environment; and meets the SLA terms.

Claims

1. A method for prioritizing jobs within a cloud computing environment, comprising:

selecting a plurality of jobs out of a job queue based on a priority level of the plurality of jobs;

determining an income, a processing need, a set of service level agreement (SLA) terms for each of a plurality of jobs;

determining a processing capacity of the cloud computing environment compared with a total processing need of the plurality of jobs;

prioritizing a set of jobs of the plurality of jobs based on their respective income, processing need, and SLA terms, wherein the prioritizing ensures that the set of SLA terms are met while maximizing the income and without exceeding the processing capacity, and wherein the prioritizing comprises determining a highest total income of a subset of the plurality of jobs that can be performed without exceeding the processing capacity;

determining a set of jobs of the plurality of jobs as presumed to fail based on a processing capacity presumed consumed by the prioritized set of jobs, the jobs comprising at least one of the plurality of jobs other than the prioritized set of jobs;

selecting at least one job from the set of jobs presumed to fail, the selected job having at least one of;

a highest priority of the set of jobs presumed to fail or a lowest processing need of the set of jobs presumed to fail;

performing the prioritized set of jobs from the plurality of jobs; and

performing the selected at least one job presumed to fail.

2. The method of claim 1, the set of SLA terms comprising a predetermined priority for at least one of the plurality of jobs.

3. The method of claim 1, the set of SLA terms comprising a time constraint for performing at least one of the plurality of jobs.

4. The method of claim 1, the prioritizing comprising positioning one of the plurality of jobs having a higher income in a higher position in a job queue than another one of the plurality of jobs having a lower income.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing the prioritized set of jobs based on the prioritizing.

6. A system for prioritizing jobs within a cloud computing environment, comprising:

a bus;

a processor coupled to the bus; and

a memory medium coupled to the bus, the memory medium comprising instructions to;

select a plurality of jobs out of a job queue based on a priority level of the plurality of jobs;

determine an income, a processing need, a set of service level agreement (SLA) terms for each of a plurality of jobs;

determine a processing capacity of the cloud computing environment compared with a total processing need of the plurality of jobs;

prioritize a set of jobs of the plurality of jobs based on their respective income, processing need, and SLA terms, wherein the prioritizing ensures that the set of SLA terms are met while maximizing the income and without exceeding the processing capacity, and wherein the prioritizing comprises determining a highest total income of a subset of the plurality of jobs that can be performed without exceeding the processing capacity;

determine a set of jobs of the plurality of jobs as presumed to fail based on a processing capacity presumed consumed by the prioritized set of jobs, the jobs comprising at least one of the plurality of jobs other than the prioritized set of jobs;

select at least one job from the set of jobs presumed to fail, the selected job having at least one of;

a highest priority of the set of jobs presumed to fail or a lowest processing need of the set of jobs presumed to fail;

perform the prioritized set of jobs from the plurality of jobs; and

perform the selected at least one job presumed to fail.

7. The system of claim 6, the set of SLA terms comprising a predetermined priority for at least one of the plurality of jobs.

8. The system of claim 6, the set of SLA terms comprising a time constraint for performing at least one of the plurality of jobs.

9. The system of claim 6, the memory medium further comprising instructions to position one of the plurality of jobs having a higher income in a in a higher position in a job queue than another one of the plurality of jobs having a lower income.

10. The system of claim 6, the memory medium further comprising instructions to perform the prioritized set of jobs based on the prioritization.

11. A computer program product for prioritizing jobs within a cloud computing environment, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media, to:

select a plurality of jobs out of a job queue based on a priority level of the plurality of jobs;

determine an income, a processing need, a set of service level agreement (SLA) terms for each of a plurality of jobs;

determine a processing capacity of the cloud computing environment compared with a total processing need of the plurality of jobs;

prioritize a set of jobs of the plurality of jobs based on their respective income, processing need, and SLA terms, wherein the prioritizing ensures that the set of SLA terms are met while maximizing the income and without exceeding the processing capacity, and wherein the prioritizing comprises determining a highest total income of a subset of the plurality of jobs that can be performed without exceeding the processing capacity;

schedule the prioritized set of jobs from the plurality of jobs; and

schedule at least one job presumed to fail, the at least one job having at least one of;

a highest priority of a set of jobs presumed to fail or a lowest processing need of a set of jobs presumed to fail.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, the set of SLA terms comprising a predetermined priority for at least one of the plurality of jobs.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, the set of SLA terms comprising a time constraint for performing at least one of the plurality of jobs.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media to position one of the plurality of jobs having a higher income in a higher position in a job queue than another one of the plurality of jobs having a lower income.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media to perform the prioritized set of jobs based on the prioritization.

16. A method for deploying a system for prioritizing jobs within a cloud computing environment, comprising:

deploying a computer infrastructure being operable to;

select a plurality of jobs out of a job queue based on a priority level of the plurality of jobs;

determine an income, a processing need, a set of service level agreement (SLA) terms for each of a plurality of jobs;

determine a processing capacity of the cloud computing environment compared with a total processing need of the plurality of jobs;

prioritize a set of jobs of the plurality of jobs based on their respective income, processing need, and SLA terms, wherein the prioritizing ensures that the set of SLA terms are met while maximizing the income and without exceeding the processing capacity, and wherein the prioritizing comprises determining a highest total income of a subset of the plurality of jobs that can be performed without exceeding the processing capacity;

schedule the prioritized set of jobs from the plurality of jobs; and

schedule at least one job presumed to fail based on the determined processing capacity, the at least one job comprising at least one of the plurality of jobs other than the prioritized set of jobs, wherein the at least one job has at least one of;

a highest priority of a set of jobs presumed to fail or a lowest processing need of a set of jobs presumed to fail.

17. The method of claim 16, the computer infrastructure being further operable to perform the prioritized set of jobs based on the prioritization.