Abstract: A resource management method (400c) and a corresponding system implementing an adaptive model are proposed. The method allows an authority to define a desired target state of several kinds of resources, which are directly controlled by different subjects. The authority publishes (460) a series of rules in a shared repository; each rule indicates the target state of a resource for a corresponding logic or physic category of the subjects. Each subject retrieves (444-456;462-468) the rules corresponding to its logic category from the shared repository. The rules are then applied (458;469) by the subject; as a result, the physic category of the subject is updated. The subject now retrieves and applies the rules corresponding to its physic category. In this way, different dependency schemes may be implemented without any explicit definition in the rules.

Abstract: A method for monitoring the availability of a data processing system is proposed. For example, the system runs a management application (205,240), which involves the periodic transmission of blocks of data from multiple local computers (105) to a central computer (110). In the method of the invention, whenever a block of data must be transmitted by a generic local computer, an expected transmission delay of a next block of data (with respect to the current one) is estimated (210-225); this information is then attached (210) to the block of data. As a result, the central computer receiving (230) the updated block of data can calculate (235-255) an expected receiving time of the next block of data accordingly. If the next block of data is not received in due time, the central computer determines (260) a failure of the local computer.