Abstract: Techniques for creating a nomenclature to represent one or more groups within a process are provided. The techniques include obtaining a process, wherein the process comprises one or more groups, and creating a nomenclature to represent the one or more groups, wherein the nomenclature facilitates usability of the process in at least one of an operation and design environment. Techniques are also provided for generating a database of one or more processes, wherein each process is represented by a nomenclature.

Abstract: A plurality of base templates is generated. Each of the base templates models a corresponding process. A plurality of instances of each of the base templates is instantiated. Each of the plurality of instances corresponds to an application of the corresponding process to a particular environment. Each of the instances of each of the base templates is annotated, based, in each case, upon observation of functioning of the instance in the particular environment.

Abstract: Method, apparatus and computer program product are configured to perform computer monitoring activities; to collect information regarding computer system status during the computer monitoring activities; to detect a problem in dependence on the information collected during the computer monitoring activities; and to determine whether to launch a diagnostic probe when the problem is detected. The monitoring activities may be performed on a periodic or event-driven basis. The determination whether to launch a diagnostic probe is based on a rule included in a hierarchy of rules. The hierarchy of rules is based on problem tickets; system logs; and computer system configuration information.

Abstract: The structure attributes and unstructured attributes of a ticket are used to generate a problem signature. For structured attributes, correlation between field values is determined and fields with the highest weight are identified. For unstructured attributes, data mining techniques are applied to generate a plurality of keywords with a ranking for each ticket by identifying keywords, and commonly used acronyms and corpus variances. The set of structured attributes and the plurality of keywords from unstructured attributes form the signature of a given problem ticket.

Abstract: Techniques for establishing a performance metric are provided for facilitating a negotiation between a provider and a user. The techniques include the following steps. Resource utilization is calculated, wherein resource utilization comprises system capacity utilized for executing a task. Work lost is calculated, wherein work lost comprises an amount of work lost as a result of a potential failure. Quality of service (QoS) is calculated, wherein QoS comprises a probability of success for executing the task by a deadline. User behavior is calculated, wherein user behavior comprises an amount of risk that the user is willing to accept. Also the calculated resource utilization, work lost, QoS and user behavior are used to establish a performance metric, wherein the performance metric facilitates a negotiation between a provider and a user.

Abstract: A plurality of equivalent representations of a process are identified. The process has a plurality of tasks. Each of the representations specifies a different order of the tasks. The plurality of equivalent representations are consolidated into a single representation. The single representation captures, in at least one flexible order grouping, at least two of the tasks that may be performed in more than one order. At least one constraint is specified for the at least one flexible order grouping. Techniques for merging two or more flexible representations are also provided.

Abstract: A system for predicting an occurrence of a critical even in a computer cluster includes: a control system that includes an event log, a system parameter log, a memory for storing information related to occurrences of critical events, and a processor. The processor implements a hybrid prediction system; loads the information from the event log and the system performance log into a Bayesian network model; uses the Bayesian network model to predict a future critical event; makes future scheduling and current data migration selections; and adapts the Bayesian network model by feeding the scheduling and data migration selections.

Abstract: In a multi node information processing system, a method for scheduling jobs, includes steps of: determining node-related performance parameters for a plurality of nodes; determining a ranking for each node based on the node related performance parameters for each node; and ordering each nodes by its ranking for job scheduling.

Abstract: The notion of controlling, using and monitoring remote resources in a distributed data processing system through the use of proxy resource managers and agents is extended to provide failover capability so that resource coverage is preserved and maintained even in the event of either temporary or longer duration node failure. Mechanisms are provided for consistent determination of resource status. Mechanisms are also provided which facilitate the joining of nodes to a group of nodes while still preserving remote resource operations. Additional mechanisms are also provided for the return of remote resource management to the control of a previously failed, but now recovered node, even if the failure had resulted in a node reset.

Abstract: A method for implementing large scale parallel file I/O processing includes steps of: separating processing nodes into compute nodes specializing in computation and I/O nodes (computer processors restricted to running I/O daemons); organizing the compute nodes and the I/O nodes into processing sets, the processing sets including: one dedicated I/O node corresponding to a plurality of compute nodes. I/O related system calls are received in the compute nodes then sent to the corresponding I/O nodes. The I/O related system calls are processed through a system I/O daemon residing in the I/O node. The plurality of compute nodes are evenly distributed across participating processing sets. Additionally, for collective I/O operations, compute nodes from each processing set are assigned as I/O aggregators to issue I/O requests to their corresponding I/O node, wherein the I/O aggregators are evenly distributed across the processing set.

Abstract: The structure attributes and unstructured attributes of a ticket are used to generate a problem signature. For structured attributes, correlation between field values is determined and fields with the highest weight are identified. For unstructured attributes, data mining techniques are applied to generate a plurality of keywords with a ranking for each ticket by identifying keywords, and commonly used acronyms and corpus variances. The set of structured attributes and the plurality of keywords from unstructured attributes form the signature of a given problem ticket.

Abstract: Problem ticket usage is improved by adding dynamic information to the ticket or using dynamic information to prompt the user or customer for additional information. Two categories of dynamic information are used. In the case where an initial problem ticket involves identification of a problem component the dynamic information is derived from abnormal status of related components, such as components which support the problem component. In the case where an initial problem ticket involves problem symptom information, data is derived from resolved problem tickets by identifying important words or concepts which are stored in connection with the particular symptom. When later problem tickets having the same symptom are identified the related important words or concepts are either added to the problem ticket or are used to prompt customers or users for additional information. A system implementing an embodiment of the invention is also described.

Abstract: Techniques for generating a target process are provided. The techniques include identifying at least one of one or more steps and one or more artifacts within a target process and one or more other processes, pre-fetching the at least one of one or more atomic steps, one or more decision steps and splits and one or more merges to be used in the target process from the one or more other processes, and associating the at least one of one or more atomic steps, one or more decision steps and splits and one or more merges to be used in the target process at one or more decision points to generate the target process.

Abstract: A plurality of equivalent representations of a process are identified. The process has a plurality of tasks. Each of the representations specifies a different order of the tasks. The plurality of equivalent representations are consolidated into a single representation. The single representation captures, in at least one flexible order grouping, at least two of the tasks that may be performed in more than one order. At least one constraint is specified for the at least one flexible order grouping. Techniques for merging two or more flexible representations are also provided.

Abstract: A plurality of base templates are generated. Each of the base templates models a corresponding process. A plurality of instances of each of the base templates are instantiated. Each of the plurality of instances corresponds to an application of the corresponding process to a particular environment. Each of the instances of each of the base templates is annotated, based, in each case, upon observation of functioning of the instance in the particular environment.

Abstract: A method and system for representing one or more families of existing processes in a composite abstraction such that process improvement techniques can be implemented in a more scalable manner. The invention enables abstracting a set of pre-defined process models into a composite model that represents sufficient operational details while being compliant with process improvement techniques such as, but not limited to, Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, and others (collectively “lean” techniques). The invention provides the ability to flexibly represent the operational and lean-related information in varied abstraction levels at different stages of the process as and when necessary. The invention provides the ability to dynamically generate and represent process models based on user-selected defining characteristics (or attributes) used for process “family” formation.

Abstract: Techniques for negotiating an agreement between a provider and a user are provided. The techniques include obtaining at least one of one or more forecasting techniques, one or more analogous agreements and one or more strategies, using the at least one of one or more forecasting techniques, one or more analogous agreements and one or more strategies to calculate a probability that a service can be completed by a deadline, and between the provider and the user, using the calculated probability to negotiate a desired level of balance between service quality, service level agreement and a delivery guarantee. Techniques are also provided for establishing a performance metric.

Abstract: Techniques for creating a nomenclature to represent one or more groups within a process are provided. The techniques include obtaining a process, wherein the process comprises one or more groups, and creating a nomenclature to represent the one or more groups, wherein the nomenclature facilitates usability of the process in at least one of an operation and design environment. Techniques are also provided for generating a database of one or more processes, wherein each process is represented by a nomenclature.

Abstract: Techniques for annotating a process are provided. The techniques include identifying one or more annotation areas, obtaining one or more items of service process information, identifying one or more annotation attributes, and using the one or more annotation areas, one or more items of service process information and one or more annotation attributes to annotate a process. Techniques are also provided for creating an interactive mechanism.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for time stamping events occurring on a large scale distributed network uses a local counter associated with each processor of the distributed network. Each counter resets at the same time globally so that all events are recorded with respect to a particular time. The counter is stopped when a critical event is detected. The events are masked or filtered in an online or offline fashion to eliminate non-critical events from triggering a collection by the system monitor or service/host processor. The masking can be done dynamically through the use of an event history logger. The central system may poll the remote processor periodically to receive the accurate counter value from the local counter and device control register. Remedial action can be taken when conditional probability calculations performed on the historical information indicate that a critical event is about to occur.