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 system comprises a workload manager evaluator operable to receive a representative workload that is representative of competing workloads that share access to at least one shared computing resource. The workload manager evaluator is operable to evaluate performance of a scheduler that schedules access of the competing workloads to the shared computing resource according to defined control parameter values, wherein the workload manager evaluator evaluates performance of the scheduler under the representative workload for a plurality of different values of the control parameters. In certain embodiments, the workload manager evaluator determines an optimal value for the control parameters of the scheduler for scheduling access to the at least one shared computing resource for the representative workload to satisfy defined performance desires of the system.

Abstract: A method comprises defining a scheduler parameter for a maximum allocation of capacity of a shared resource to a consumer for a scheduling interval. Utilization of an allocated capacity of the shared resource by the consumer during a given scheduling interval is measured, and when the allocated capacity of the shared resource is completely utilized by the consumer during the given scheduling interval, the scheduler increases the allocated capacity of the shared resource to the defined maximum allocation for the consumer for a next scheduling interval. Thus, rather than gradually increasing the allocation of capacity over many intervals, the scheduler immediately increases the allocation to a predefined maximum amount in response to an allocated amount of capacity being completely utilized during a scheduling interval.

Abstract: A system comprises a workload evaluator that is operable to receive a representative workload that is representative of competing demands for capacity of at least one shared computing resource. The workload evaluator evaluates the representative workload and computes a metric representing a degree of burstiness of demands present in the representative workload. The metric representing degree of burstiness of the representative workload may be used for estimating an upper bound on quality of service provided by a workload manager to the representative workload. The metric may also be used for evaluating at least one scheduler parameter setting of the workload manager to aid in determining an optimal parameter setting based at least in part on the estimated impact of the representative workload on QoS provided by the workload manager.

Abstract: A method and system for resource sharing in a communication network supporting a plurality of application environments. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention discloses a method ensuring only sufficient computational resources are used by a multi-component system as needed to meet system, subsystem, and/or component-level service level objectives. Demand values are calculated for a plurality of components in an application environment. The demand values are calculated from throughput and utilization metrics collected at each of the plurality of components. Response time metrics are predicted from the demand values. The application environment is modeled in response to the response time metrics to determine the optimum number of computational resources needed for each of the components in satisfying a functional objective.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for providing a programmable data center, which includes a plurality of computers, a plurality of computing devices or resources, a programmable service fabric, and an operation controller. The computers act as computing hosts; the resources are associated with computing service providers; the programmable service fabric implements “virtual wires” represented by wavelengths to connect the hosts to the resources; and the operation controller manages operations of the data center. As customers desire a computing system for their applications, the customers provide their computing requirements identifying the number of hosts, the number of resources, etc., from which the operation controller creates a customized system from the utility data center. The operation controller, based on the provided requirements, selects the appropriate hosts, resources, and available wavelengths that implement the virtual wires, etc.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method comprises storing metric definitions for at least one monitored component in a machine-readable format to a data storage device. The method further comprises enabling access by at least one monitoring tool to the metric definitions via a metric introspection interface. The method further comprises the at least one monitoring tool autonomously comprehending the metric definitions for use in processing monitoring data collected for the at least one monitored component.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method comprises providing a machine-readable meta-model that defines the structure of how information is represented in at least one data model. The method further comprises using, by a data accessor, the meta-model for interpreting the at least one data model. According to another embodiment, a method comprises providing a machine-readable metric meta-model that defines a syntax for defining metric models, and defining a metric model in the syntax defined by the metric meta-model. The method further comprises associating the metric model with a monitoring source in a monitoring environment, wherein the metric model defines monitoring data available at the monitoring source, and interpreting, by a monitoring tool, the metric model based on the metric meta-model.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method comprises storing metric definitions for at least one monitored component in a machine-readable format to a data storage device. The method further comprises enabling access by at least one monitoring tool to the metric definitions via a metric introspection interface. The method further comprises the at least one monitoring tool autonomously comprehending the metric definitions for use in processing monitoring data collected for the at least one monitored component.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method comprises providing a reporting network for communicating data among parts of a monitoring architecture as desired, wherein the reporting network is dynamically configurable programmatically. The method further comprises maintaining a machine-readable model of the monitoring architecture, and autonomously adapting configuration of the reporting network based on the machine-readable model.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method comprises providing a metric reporting configuration interface for enabling configuration of metrics included in monitoring data collected for at least one monitored component. The method further comprises supporting, by the metric reporting configuration interface, defining of configuration parameters of at least one metric to be reported in monitoring data collected for the at least one monitored component. The method further comprises collecting monitoring data for the at least one monitored component, and reporting the monitoring data in accordance with the defined configuration parameters.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method comprises providing a machine-readable monitoring model that maintains configuration of a monitoring environment. An element of the monitoring environment reads the machine-readable monitoring model and adapts its operation to the configuration defined thereby.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method comprises receiving into a planning tool a representative workload for a consumer. The method further comprises determining, by the planning tool, an allocation of demand of the consumer for each of a plurality of different classes of service (COSs). According to one embodiment, a method comprises defining a plurality of classes of service (COSs) for use by a scheduler in allocating capacity of a resource pool to a consumer, wherein the COSs each specify a different priority for accessing the capacity of the resource pool. The method further comprises evaluating, by a planning tool, a representative workload of the consumer, and determining, by the planning tool, a partitioning of resource demands of the representative workload between the plurality of COSs.

Abstract: A method for enabling resource sharing in a communication network supporting a plurality of application environments. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention discloses a method ensuring only sufficient computational resources are used by a multi-component system as needed to meet its service level objectives. A method is disclosed wherein quality of service is monitored at each component in a multi-component application environment. A metric characterizes quality of service for each component. The method determines whether the quality of service at each component meets an associated service level objective. The method then optimizes the number of computational resources in each of components in the application environment to satisfy service level objectives.

Abstract: A network infrastructure, and methods for managing and configuring networks, are disclosed. The network infrastructure is physically wired once, and includes a plurality of interconnected switches and a plurality of devices coupled thereto, with each network interface on a device coupled to a single switch. Network traffic is forwarded between devices by programming intervening switches to enable a communication path between the devices. Traffic intended for a particular device is forwarded by the intervening switches only to that device. Traffic is only forwarded between devices for which a communication path has been enabled. The network configuration, the function of a device in a network application, or the position of the device in the network topology, can be changed by programming the switches to disable existing communication paths and/or enable new ones. Accordingly, networked resources are allocated as needed without changing the physical wiring of the network.

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: Techniques are disclosed for providing a programmable data center, which includes a plurality of computers, a plurality of computing devices or resources, a programmable service fabric, and an operation controller. The computers act as computing hosts; the resources are associated with computing service providers; the programmable service fabric implements “virtual wires” represented by wavelengths to connect the hosts to the resources; and the operation controller manages operations of the data center. As customers desire a computing system for their applications, the customers provide their computing requirements identifying the number of hosts, the number of resources, etc., from which the operation controller creates a customized system from the utility data center. The operation controller, based on the provided requirements, selects the appropriate hosts, resources, and available wavelengths that implement the virtual wires, etc.

Abstract: A method and system for resource sharing in a communication network supporting a plurality of application environments. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention discloses a method ensuring only sufficient computational resources are used by a multi-component system as needed to meet system, subsystem, and/or component-level service level objectives. Demand values are calculated for a plurality of components in an application environment. The demand values are calculated from throughput and utilization metrics collected at each of the plurality of components. Response time metrics are predicted from the demand values. The application environment is modeled in response to the response time metrics to determine the optimum number of computational resources needed for each of the components in satisfying a functional objective.

Abstract: A method for enabling resource sharing in a communication network supporting a plurality of application environments. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention discloses a method ensuring only sufficient computational resources are used by a multi-component system as needed to meet its service level objectives. A method is disclosed wherein quality of service is monitored at each component in a multi-component application environment. A metric characterizes quality of service for each component. The method determines whether the quality of service at each component meets an associated service level objective. The method then optimizes the number of computational resources in each of components in the application environment to satisfy service level objectives.

Abstract: A system and method for measuring quality-of-service in a federated application environment is described. One or more administrative domains are provided with each administrative domain being interconnected with at least one other administrative domain to form the federated application environment. One or more interconnected network nodes are situated within each administrative domain with each network node including at least one capsule interface within which a managed method is executed. Instrumentation is associated with each capsule interface of each network node with the instrumentation collecting performance data on the managed method being executed within the capsule interface. A count sensor determines a processing time with the instrumentation within the capsule interface for each managed method. A network sensor determines send and receive bandwidth demand information with the instrumentation within the capsule interface for each managed method.