Abstract: A method for power management may include collecting data related to resource utilization and process information from a server. The method may further include using the collected data to generate use and state models respectively based on use and state categories of the server. The method may also include determining a state condition of the server through use of the generated use and state models to manage power utilization of the server.

Abstract: Systems and methods of spot pricing to reduce workload in a data center are disclosed. An example method may include determining a runtime financial aspect of a data center. The method may also include adjusting spot pricing to change workload in the data center and enhance associated power consumption based on the runtime financial aspect.

Abstract: Systems and methods of managing workload at a data center are disclosed. An example method may include actively managing workload at a data center to realize energy savings. The method may also include providing excess power generated for the data center onto a utility grid.

Abstract: A system includes an interconnect, processing cells connected to the interconnect, the processing cells containing corresponding cache memories and corresponding virtual machines, and a storage cell connected to the interconnect. The storage cell stores data portions that correspond to different ones of the processing cells, and the data portions are owned by individual ones of the processing cells to enable data communication over the interconnect without cache coherency support. A first and second of the processing cells are configured to migrate a virtual machine from the first processing cell to the second processing cell, where the migrated virtual machine in the second processing cell is configured to retrieve virtual machine data from a corresponding one of the data portions in the storage cell.

Abstract: To place virtual machines on physical machines, at least one controller receives indicators related to regional environment effects. The at least one controller selects at least one of the virtual machines to migrate from one or more first physical machines to one or more second physical machines in response to the received indicators.

Abstract: To validate manual virtual machine migration, a placement controller receives a user request to manually migrate at least one virtual machine across physical machines. Based on criteria used by the placement controller for automatically selecting placement of virtual machines on the physical machines, it is determined whether the user-requested migration of the at least one virtual machine violates the criteria. In response to determining that the user-requested migration violates the criteria, a notification of the violation is provided.

Abstract: A command is received to place a first physical machine into a lower power mode. The first physical machine has a virtual machine. In response to the received command, a procedure is performed to migrate the virtual machine from the first physical machine to a second physical machine.

Abstract: Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to provision data center resources are disclosed. An example method includes provisioning a first portion of data center resources to operate during time intervals based on a base workload for the respective time intervals, the base workload being based on data patterns of a data center and configuring a second portion of the data center resources to operate when an actual workload exceeds a threshold corresponding to the base workload.

Abstract: A module-specific public key and cryptographically protected data related to the module-specific public key are extracted from an authenticable and verifiable module. The cryptographically protected data is compared with the module-specific public key to authenticate the authenticable and verifiable module. A value calculated from an image, including a size and location block, included within the authenticable and verifiable module is compared with a value extracted from a digital signature contained in a verification block within the authenticable and verifiable module to verify the authenticable and verifiable module.

Abstract: A system has plural physical machines that contain virtual machines. A load balancer receives a request from a client. In response to the request, it is determined whether at least one additional virtual machine should be started up. In response to determining that at least one additional virtual machine should be started up, the load balancer sends at least one command to start up the at least one additional virtual machine in at least one of the physical machines.

Abstract: To train a virtual machine placement controller, the placement controller determines a new layout of virtual machines that is different from an existing layout of the virtual machines, according to criteria. The placement controller transmits the information relating to the new layout to a user interface. The placement controller receives feedback from the user interface, the received feedback indicating a user response to the new layout. The placement controller then modifies the criteria in response to the received feedback.

Abstract: A technique for accounting for resource usage time by virtual machines is provided according to which a virtual machine observes a non-virtual timer to determine an elapsed non-virtual time interval during which the virtual machine performed a computation while using a shared processing resource. The virtual machine infers the amount of time it used the shared processing resource based on the observation.

Abstract: A virtual machine is migrated from a first physical machine to a second physical machine in response to a failure of an instruction to execute. A migration constraint also is created which limits future migration of the virtual machine by a placement controller to only those physical machines that can execute the failed instruction.

Abstract: In various embodiments of the present invention, execution-state transitions occur in a first portion of a system, and a cumulative execution state for each process is maintained by a second portion of the system so that, when a second-portion routine is called, the second-portion routine can determine whether or not the current execution state is suitable for execution of the second-portion routine. In various embodiments, a callpoint log, allocated and maintained for each process, stores the cumulative execution state for the process. In one embodiment, the first portion is an operating system, and the second portion is a secure kernel, with the cumulative execution state used by the secure kernel to prevent unauthorized access by erroneously or maliciously invoked operating-system routines to secure kernel routines. In another embodiment, the cumulative execution state is used as a debugging tool by the second-portion routines to catch errors in the implementation of the first-portion routines.

Abstract: A system for managing resources automatically among nodes includes a node controller configured to dynamically manage allocation of node resources to individual workloads, where each of the nodes is contained in one of a plurality of pods. The system also includes a pod controller configured to manage live migration of workloads between nodes within one of the plurality of pods, where the plurality of pods are contained in a pod set. The system further includes a pod set controller configured to manage capacity planning for the pods contained in the pod set. The node controller, the pod controller and the pod set controller are interfaced with each other to enable the controllers to meet common service policies in an automated manner. The node controller, the pod controller and the pod set controller are also interfaced with a common user interface to receive service policy information.

Abstract: A module-specific public key and cryptographically protected data related to the module-specific public key are extracted from an authenticable and verifiable module. The cryptographically protected data is compared with the module-specific public key to authenticate the authenticable and verifiable module. A value calculated from an image, including a size and location block, included within the authenticable and verifiable module is compared with a value extracted from a digital signature contained in a verification block within the authenticable and verifiable module to verify the authenticable and verifiable module.

Abstract: A method and system for providing secure, direct access to computer system resources, such as system memory, by a non-trusted processing entity running in an unprivileged state that request access to the resource through a device that directly accesses the resource. The device includes access-right-checking logic and is configured to verify access rights of non-trusted processing entities that attempt to access the resource through the device. By checking access rights, the device ensures that non-trusted processing entities access only those particular portions of the resource authorized for access by the secure kernel.

Abstract: A key fragment generator accepts a key string, such as from a key string generator, and produces a plurality of key fragments that can be entered by a human with a lower likelihood of error than if the human attempted to enter the original key string. A key defragmenter accepts a plurality of entered key fragments, reconstitutes the original key string from the entered key fragments and, optionally, provides the reconstituted key string to a software package or other license manager. The key fragment generator can produce “friendly” key fragments that are easier for humans to read and enter than the arbitrary character strings that characterize typical key strings. The key fragment generator can produce “error-detectable” key fragments. If an error-detectable key fragment is entered incorrectly, the key defragmenter can generate an error message and permit a user to enter the key fragment again. The key fragment generator can produce “error-correctable” key fragments.

Abstract: Security-state-reporting and data-control functionality introduced into a computer system to monitor and report the security state of the computer system and to store and make selectively available, for processes executing within a computer system, security-state-associated data. The hardware element includes two control registers, a current-security-state control register (“CSS”) and a current-data-bank control register (“CDB”). When the CSS is read, the CSS reports the current security state of the computer system, with security states represented as unsigned integers starting from a highest security level of 0 and decreasing with unsigned integers of increasing magnitudes. The CDB controls access to one or more data-register banks, positioning a data-register window to allow access only to those data-register-bank registers associated with the currently reported security state.

Abstract: A computer apparatus for creating a trusted environment comprising a trusted device arranged to acquire a first integrity metric to allow determination as to whether the computer apparatus is operating in a trusted manner; a processor arranged to allow execution of a first trust routine and associated first operating environment, and means for restricting the first operating environment access to resources available to the trust routine, wherein the trust routine being arranged to acquire the first integrity metric and a second integrity metric to allow determination as to whether the first operating environment is operating in a trusted manner.