Method and apparatus for workflow based high availability analysis

• US 9,612,890 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2008
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pershing, Jr., John Arthur, Chen, Ying, Luo, Jing, Qiu, Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): Gills, Kurtis
• Application Number:
  US12/062,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20090254894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,287 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for workflow based high availability analysis in computing systems. For example, a computer-implemented method for analyzing an information network infrastructure to identify one or more availability weak points includes the following steps. A workflow specification is provided based on one or more user-visible processes and an application topology. Service workflows associated with the specification are mapped from the application topology to the infrastructure to generate a workflow data structure. An availability weak point analysis is performed in accordance with the workflow data structure to determine one or more optimal high availability parameters for one or more deployed components of the infrastructure. The one or more optimal high availability parameters are applied in the infrastructure so as to substantially eliminate the one or more availability weak points.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

deploying an information network infrastructure comprising a plurality of deployed components on one or more computer nodes operating in a computer network;

executing a computerized process for analyzing the operation of the information network infrastructure over the computer network to identify at least one availability weak point of the deployed components of the information network infrastructure, wherein analyzing the operation of the information network infrastructure comprises;

determining a set of initial service workflows using information derived from both (i) one or more user-visible processes that are executed by users of the information network infrastructure and (ii) an application topology which implements services used by the user-visible processes;

determining internal relationships between applications in the application topology, wherein the internal relationships include invocations by one application of services of another application operating in the computer network;

defining a complete service workflow specification for the application topology by adding the determined internal relationships to the initial service workflows;

mapping the service workflow specification for the application topology to a topology of the information network infrastructure to generate a workflow data structure, wherein the workflow data structure comprises a component workflow data structure that provides information regarding a corresponding set of deployed components of the information network infrastructure, which are utilized by each of the user-visible processes that are executed by users of the information network infrastructure to perform a workflow of transactions through the information network infrastructure; and

performing an availability weak point analysis using the workflow data structure to determine one or more optimal high availability parameters for one or more of the deployed components of the information network infrastructure, wherein the one or more optimal high availability parameters comprises a parameter that specifies an amount to increase a capacity of one or more of the deployed components of the information network infrastructure; and

modifying the information network infrastructure by applying the one or more optimal high availability parameters to the one or more of the deployed components in the information network infrastructure so as to substantially eliminate one or more availability weak points in the one or more user-visible processes that are executed by users of the information network infrastructure,

wherein the method is performed by executing program instructions by a computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the workflow data structure comprises a workflow matrix.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the workflow matrix comprises row information that corresponds to the one or more user-visible processes and column information that corresponds to the one or more deployed components of the information network infrastructure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more high availability parameters comprise a measure of mean time between failure and a measure of mean time to repair for the one or more deployed components.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of performing an availability weak point analysis further comprises calculating a current availability capability for each of the one or more deployed components.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the current availability calculation is performed in accordance with one or more parameters obtained from a manufacturer of the component or a historical experience attributable to the component.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of performing an availability weak point analysis further comprises checking whether an availability requirement for each workflow has been satisfied.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, for an unsatisfied workflow, one or more of the deployed components in the corresponding set of deployed components for that workflow are analyzed to determine an enhancement to their availability characteristics.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a given deployed component is weighted based on the number of workflows which reference the given deployed component such that the deployed components with the largest weights are analyzed.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein a given enhancement to a given deployed component is specified based on a cost function that considers an overall enhancement effect across the infrastructure.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the workflow data structure comprises a workflow matrix, and the workflow matrix comprises row information that corresponds to the one or more user-visible processes and column information that corresponds to the one or more deployed components of the information network infrastructure.

11. Apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor operatively coupled to the memory and configured to;

deploy an information network infrastructure comprising a plurality of deployed components on one or more computer nodes operating in a computer network;

execute a computerized process for analyzing the operation of the information network infrastructure over the computer network to identify at least one availability weak point of the deployed components of the information network infrastructure, wherein analyzing the operation of the information network infrastructure comprises;

determining a set of initial service workflows using information derived from both (i) one or more user-visible processes that are executed by users of the information network infrastructure and (ii) an application topology which implements services used by the user-visible processes;

determining internal relationships between applications in the application topology, wherein the internal relationships include invocations by one application of services of another application operating in the computer network;

defining a complete service workflow specification for the application topology by adding the determined internal relationships to the initial service workflows;

mapping the service workflow specification for the application topology to a topology of the information network infrastructure to generate a workflow data structure, wherein the workflow data structure comprises a component workflow data structure that provides information regarding a corresponding set of deployed components of the information network infrastructure, which are utilized by each of the user-visible processes that are executed by users of the information network infrastructure to perform a workflow of transactions through the information network infrastructure; and

performing an availability weak point analysis using the workflow data structure to determine one or more optimal high availability parameters for one or more of the deployed components of the information network infrastructure, wherein the one or more optimal high availability parameters comprises a parameter that specifies an amount to increase a capacity of one or more of the deployed components of the information network infrastructure; and

modify the information network infrastructure by applying the one or more optimal high availability parameters to the one or more of the deployed components in the information network infrastructure so as to substantially eliminate one or more availability weak points in the one or more user-visible processes that are executed by users of the information network infrastructure.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more high availability parameters comprise a measure of mean time between failure and a measure of mean time to repair for the one or more deployed components.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein performing an availability weak point analysis further comprises calculating a current availability capability for each of the one or more deployed components.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the current availability calculation is performed in accordance with one or more parameters obtained from a manufacturer of the component or a historical experience attributable to the component.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein performing an availability weak point analysis further comprises checking whether an availability requirement for each workflow has been satisfied.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, for an unsatisfied workflow, one or more of the deployed components in the corresponding set of deployed components for that workflow are analyzed to determine an enhancement to their availability characteristics.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a given deployed component is weighted based on the number of workflows which reference the given deployed component such that the deployed components with the largest weights are analyzed.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a given enhancement to a given deployed component is specified based on a cost function that considers an overall enhancement effect across the infrastructure.

20. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium including one or more programs which, when executed by a computer system perform the steps of:

deploying an information network, infrastructure comprising a plurality of deployed components on one or more computer nodes operating in a computer network;

executing a computerized process for analyzing the operation of the information network infrastructure over the computer network to identify at least one availability weak point of the deployed components of the information network infrastructure, wherein analyzing the operation of the information network infrastructure comprises;

determining a set of initial service workflows using information derived from both (i) one or more user-visible processes that are executed by users of the information network infrastructure and (ii) an application topology which implements services used by the user-visible processes;

determining internal relationships between applications in the application topology, wherein the internal relationships include invocations by one application of services of another application operating in the computer network;

defining a complete service workflow specification for the application topology by adding the determined, internal relationships to the initial service workflows;

mapping the service workflow specification for the application topology to a topology of the information network infrastructure to generate a workflow data structure, wherein the workflow data structure comprises a component workflow data structure that provides information regarding a corresponding set of deployed components of the information network infrastructure, which we utilized by each of the user-visible processes that are executed by users of the information network, infrastructure to perform a workflow of transactions through the information network infrastructure; and

performing an availability weak point analysis using the workflow data structure to determine one or more optimal high availability parameters for one or more of the deployed components of the information network infrastructure, wherein the one or more optimal high availability parameters comprises a parameter that specifies an amount to increase a capacity of one or more of the deployed components of the information network infrastructure; and

modifying the information network infrastructure by applying the one or more optimal high availability parameters to the one or more of the deployed components in the information network infrastructure so as to substantially eliminate one or more availability weak points in the one or more user-visible processes that are executed by users of the information network infrastructure.