Abstract: A method comprises receiving into a planning tool a representative workload for a consumer. The method further comprises receiving into the planning tool quality of service desires of the consumer which define permitted degraded performance. In certain embodiments, the permitted degraded performance is time-limited wherein demands of the representative workload may exceed a pre-defined utilization constraint for at least one resource servicing the demands for no more than a pre-defined amount of contiguous time. The planning tool determines an allocation of demand of the consumer for each of a plurality of different classes of service (COSs). In certain embodiments, a first COS provides guaranteed resource access for servicing demand allocated thereto, and a second COS provides non-guaranteed resource access for servicing demand allocated thereto. In certain embodiments, the allocation of demand to the different COSs may be determined for both a normal mode and a failure mode of operation.

Abstract: A method of automated deployment managed by a service provider, of a computer based business process, involves generating a model (730) of the business process including a design of computing infrastructure, and deploying the model on hardware (770) dedicated to the enterprise, with an interface for the service provider to enable ongoing management of the deployed process by the service provider. Having dedicated hardware means the location of the hardware can be arranged to suit the enterprise. This means limitations such as bandwidth or latency of WAN links, can be addressed by choosing the location of the dedicated hardware appropriately. Trust of security can also be increased compared to that of the shared data centres. The automated model driven deployment can help enable the service provider to provide such deployments on different types of hardware. The need for the enterprise to maintain specialist expertise in house is reduced.

Abstract: A modelling system to provide a computer based business process for an enterprise, allows the enterprise to input values for a plurality of non functional requirements (760) for the deployment, and allows at least some of the values to be varied independently of others of the values, and creates a design of software application components (770) and a design of computing infrastructure (780), for running the software application components, so that the business process operates according to the values input for the non functional requirements of the business process. By modelling the underlying computing infrastructure, it becomes feasible to create models with greater certainty that they will deploy successfully, and with greater predictability of how well they will meet given non functional requirements. This enables more freedom to be allowed to vary the values of these non functional requirements and get greater customisation to suit the needs of the enterprise.

Abstract: A system for generating a model representing an existing computer based business process involves analysing existing source content (910) which has annotations (920) added, to provide information for the modelling. Static analysis of the annotations can provide some of the information. Other information can be discovered at run time if the annotations alter the run time behaviour to generate monitoring events showing the behaviour. The annotations need not be restricted to codes or symbols or structures of the language of the source content, and can use concepts closer to those in the model being generated. Using annotations rather than manual modelling can reduce errors and lead to better predictions of performance from the model, and result in better reconfiguration of the software or the computing infrastructure to make more efficient usage of shared resources.

Abstract: Modelling a computer based business process having a number of functional steps, involves providing software candidate models (740) of the business process, each specifying the functional steps (750), an arrangement of software application components (770) for carrying out the functional steps, and a design of computing infrastructure (780), for running the software application components, to meet given non functional requirements, and suitable for automated deployment. For each of the candidate models, operation of the business process is simulated (730) according to the respective candidate model and their simulated operation is evaluated against the non-functional requirements. The simulation can help the search for a suitable or optimum deployment to be more efficient and can lead to more efficient usage of shared resources.

Abstract: A method of setting up a development environment for development work on a computer based business process, involves providing a software model (827) of the business process, and providing in the model a representation (870) of tools for developing part of the process, incorporated with the corresponding part of the modelled business process. The selected parts of the model incorporating the tools are deployed, and the given tools installed, to set up the development environment. By modelling the development tools incorporated in the business process, setting up the development environment can be made easier. Choice and arrangement of tools needs less manual input, so risks of errors, and time spent in setting up can be reduced.

Abstract: In a computer-implemented method for automated test execution in a shared virtualized resource pool, a test description containing at least one model for a service under test (SUT) is received and one or more infrastructure configurations to be tested by resources in the shared virtualized resource pool based upon the test description are identified. In addition, a service lifecycle management (SLiM) tool is interacted with to cause the SUT and a load source to be created, the SLiM tool is directed to instantiate the SUT and the load source on the one or more infrastructure configurations in the shared virtualized resource pool for the SUT, and the SLiM tool and the load source are interacted with to receive performance data related to performance of the SUT under one or more loads generated by the load source.

Abstract: Sizing an infrastructure configuration optimized for a workload mix includes: receiving the workload mix; identifying demand estimates for the one or more predefined benchmarks; applying a predictive model to identify an initial infrastructure configuration having a size anticipated to meet the demand estimates; instructing a virtualized-aware testing service (VATS) test controller to perform a test of the initial infrastructure configuration in a virtualized environment, where performance of the test generates at least one test result; determining whether the at least one test result satisfies a predetermined requirement as identified in the workload mix; and outputting the determination of whether the at least one test result satisfies the predetermined requirement.

Abstract: Sizing an infrastructure configuration optimized for a workload mix includes: a) instructing a virtualized-aware testing service (VATS) test controller to perform a test of an initial infrastructure configuration in a virtualized environment, in which the test provides at least one test result; b) determining whether the at least one test result satisfies a predetermined requirement as identified in the workload mix; c) modifying at least one parameter of the initial infrastructure configuration to create a modified infrastructure configuration in response to the at least one test result failing to satisfy the predetermined requirement; d) instructing the VATS test controller to perform another test on the modified infrastructure configuration to generate another at least one test result; e) repeating steps b)-d) until a final infrastructure configuration that causes the another at least one test result to satisfy the predetermined requirement is identified; and f) outputting the final infrastructure configur

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 system for developing a computer implemented service, for deployment on computing infrastructure, generates variants of the model by automatically choosing values for a limited set of design variables, and evaluates the variants in operation. A model manager (187) stores in a model repository (107) a current variant (57) and at least some previous variants, and their evaluation results and derivation trails, the generating part being arranged to use the evaluation results and the derivation trails to generate a next current variant. Such use of the repository can help make more efficient the search by the model manager for variants that work well. In particular the derivation trails and evaluations can make it easier to determine when to revert to a preceding variant or determine what new design choices to try next.

Abstract: A system for automated lifecycle management of a computer implemented service, according to requirements, having a service model (30) representing the service at a given development state in the lifecycle, and a transition model (70) representing allowed operations to change the service model to a different one of the development states of the service, according to the requirements, and the transition model having a transparent structure suitable for automated inspection of the allowed operations, and suitable for automated adaptation of the allowed operations. The service model can be developed to another of its states of development according to the transition model. This can help facilitate more automation of the service development than for example code in a closed and fixed form such as for example a compiled program for altering the service model. This in turn can enable more complex services to be developed, or reduce development costs.

Abstract: A system for managing a computer implemented service, according to given requirements has a template (71) of a model of the service, parameterised by requirements and also representing allowed operations (65) to change the model, parameterised by requirements. A rendering tool (61) uses the template to create a service model according to the given requirements. The service can be deployed according to the model. A change manager (62) can make changes to the service model according to the allowed operations of the template. Having the allowed operations in parameterised form in the template can help reduce a risk of introducing changes which are inconsistent with the requirements.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention recite a system and computer-implemented method for sizing enterprise-application systems. In one embodiment of the present invention, a ratio of a plurality of pre-defined benchmarks is determined. The workload of the ratio-of pre-defined benchmarks corresponds to a desired workload of an enterprise application system. The ratio of the plurality of pre-defined benchmarks is then used as a second benchmark for testing the enterprise application system.

Abstract: A business process (15) having a number of computer implemented steps using software application components, to enable automatic deployment on computing infrastructure, is modelled by a management system. It automatically derives a grounded model (55) of the business process from an unbound model (25) of the business process, based on an infrastructure design template (35). The unbound model specifies the application components to be used, and the grounded model adds a complete design of the computing infrastructure to be used. The use of an infrastructure design template can reduce the large number of options to be evaluated to help reduce the complexity of generating or changing the grounded model. The infrastructure design template formally relates the business process, application components and infrastructure design so that designs, or changes which are inconsistent or inefficient can be avoided. Thus more automation of the designing and changing the design is feasible.

Abstract: A method comprises receiving, by a capacity management tool, a capacity management operation request that specifies a resource pool-level operation desired for managing capacity of a resource pool that services workloads. The capacity management tool determines, in response to the received request, one or more actions to perform in the resource pool for performing the requested capacity management operation in compliance with defined operational parameters of the workloads. The method further comprises performing the determined one or more actions for performing the requested capacity management operation.

Abstract: A method comprises receiving, by pattern evaluation logic, a plurality of occurrences of a prospective pattern of resource demands in a representative workload. The method further comprises evaluating, by the pattern evaluation logic, the received occurrences of the prospective pattern of resource demands, and determining, by the pattern evaluation logic, based on the evaluation of the received occurrences of the prospective pattern of resource demands, how representative the prospective pattern is of resource demands of the representative workload.

Abstract: A method comprises receiving a pattern of resource demands in a workload trace. The method further comprises identifying a plurality of occurrences of the determined pattern in the workload trace, and analyzing the occurrences to determine a trend of the workload trace. The method further comprises generating at least one synthetic workload trace representative of expected resource demands of the received workload trace accounting for the determined trend.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are disclosed for determining a size of a utility date center. In one embodiment, a computer system includes a bus, a computer-readable memory coupled to the bus, and a processor coupled to the memory via the bus. The processor executes code for calculating, based on historical usage data, resource usage for a plurality of different applications of a plurality of servers in the utility data center (UDC); calculating, for each server, penalties imposed against the UDC and penalties imposed against at least one user of resources of the servers; and calculating a number of servers required to make the UDC profitable.

Abstract: A method for data assurance in server consolidation is provided. The method includes collecting an inventory of a plurality of source servers in a desired environment and performance data of such source servers, evaluating and checking a data structure of the performance data, applying predetermined time stamps, checks, and statistic computations to the performance data, and evaluating a data quality of the performance data.