Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for optimizing cloud resources in utilizing a pool of virtual machines to service user workloads. A writeable partition is created to store middleware and user activity associated with a virtual machine obtained from a pool of available virtual machines to be deployed. In response to the obtained virtual machine being terminated, the contents of the created writeable partition are erased so that the data generated by the middleware and user activity will not be available for subsequent users. The virtual machine is later returned to the pool of available virtual machines after resetting its password and network address to a default state. In this manner, fewer cloud resources are used since resource intensive activities that were required in provisioning a new virtual machine can be eliminated since previously terminated virtual machines can be utilized in the pool of available virtual machines.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for optimizing storage system behavior in a cloud computing environment. An Input/Output (I/O) operation data is appended with a tag, where the tag indicates a class of data for the I/O operation data. Upon the storage controller reviewing the tag appended to the I/O operation data, the storage controller performs a table look-up for the storage policy associated with the determined class of data. The storage controller applies a map to determine a storage location for the I/O operation data in a drive device, where the map represents a logical volume which indicates a range of block data that is to be excluded for being stored on the drive device and a range of block data that is to be considered for being stored on the drive device. In this manner, granularity of storage policies is provided in a cloud computing environment.

Abstract: Automated techniques ensure that system central processing unit (“CPU”) power is not a bottleneck when migrating logical partitions from one system to another system or systems (e.g., in the event of a system evacuation). CPU resources needed to fully drive available bandwidth during the migration are computed. CPU resources of the system are then adjusted for the migration, which may comprise scaling down the CPU resources that are guaranteed for the executing partitions and/or adjusting relative partition variable weights to limit the amount of excess capacity that can be allocated to a partition.

Abstract: An instantiable virtual machine part definition and part configuration metadata of an instantiable virtual machine capable of deployment as at least a portion of a service solution is received from a master overloaded virtual image. A determination is made as to whether to configure the instantiable virtual machine to reuse, using virtual image sharing, at least one portion of the master overloaded virtual image during deployment of the instantiable virtual machine within a service solution. A minimal executable virtual machine part core of the instantiable virtual machine that reuses, using the virtual image sharing, the at least one portion of the master overloaded virtual image during execution is identified. A minimal executable virtual machine part instantiable from the identified minimal executable virtual machine part core as the instantiable virtual machine is configured to utilize, using the virtual image sharing, a shared resource within the master overloaded virtual image during execution.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for dynamically quantifying a demand for the software components deployed in a cloud environment. An administrative server generates a table mapping the software levels of the software components of the deployed software stacks with the number of instances of the deployed software stacks tracked over a period of time. The depth weight based on subtracting a depth index (zero-based) from a depth size is calculated for each software component, where a depth index refers to the software level of the software component in question and a depth size refers to the number of software levels for the software stack bearing the software component in question. A metric used in quantifying the demand for the software component (“popularity index”) is then determined for each software component based on the number of deployed instances and the depth weight for that software component.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for intelligently responding to hardware failures so as to optimize system performance. An administrative server monitors the utilization of the hardware as well as the software components running on the hardware to assess a context of the software components running on the hardware. Upon detecting a hardware failure, the administrative server analyzes the hardware failure to determine the type of hardware failure and analyzes the properties of the workload running on the failed hardware. The administrative server then responds to the detected hardware failure based on various factors, including the type of the hardware failure, the properties of the workload running on the failed hardware and the context of the software running on the failed hardware. In this manner, by taking into consideration such factors in responding to the detected hardware failure, a more intelligent response is provided that optimizes system performance.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for reducing the failure of processes. After a job is received, a determination is made as whether the received job is a “short-lived job” or a “long-lived job.” A short-lived job refers to a job who accomplishes a given task in less than a threshold period of time. A long-lived job refers to a job who accomplishes a given task in greater than a threshold period of time. For an identified long-lived job, the long-lived job is executed on a single process apart from other processes; whereas, the short-lived job is executed on at least one process separate from the processes executing long-lived jobs. As a result of executing the long-lived jobs on separate processes from the short-lived jobs, the likelihood of having a process fail is lessened since the duration of time that the process is running will be lessened.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for intelligently responding to hardware failures so as to optimize system performance. An administrative server monitors the utilization of the hardware as well as the software components running on the hardware to assess a context of the software components running on the hardware. Upon detecting a hardware failure, the administrative server analyzes the hardware failure to determine the type of hardware failure and analyzes the properties of the workload running on the failed hardware. The administrative server then responds to the detected hardware failure based on various factors, including the type of the hardware failure, the properties of the workload running on the failed hardware and the context of the software running on the failed hardware. In this manner, by taking into consideration such factors in responding to the detected hardware failure, a more intelligent response is provided that optimizes system performance.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for performing maintenance operations on a cloud computing node. An administrative server receives an indication that a maintenance operation is to be performed on a cloud computing node. The administrative server identifies which virtual machine(s) on the cloud computing node will be affected by the maintenance operation. The administrative server relocates the virtual machine(s) to be affected by the maintenance operation to other suitable cloud computing node(s) prior to the maintenance operation being performed. The administrative server then performs the maintenance operation on the cloud computing node. The virtual machine(s) may be relocated back to the cloud computing node after the maintenance operation is completed in response to a need to rebalance resources in such a manner. In this manner, maintenance operations may be performed on a cloud computing node without requiring to stop all the virtual machines in the node.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for managing and deploying physical and virtual environments across multiple hardware platforms. A single unit, referred to herein as a cloud construction block, contains both the hardware and software components used to build a cloud computing environment. By having such a single unit contain both the hardware and software components needed to build a cloud computing environment, the user no longer needs to purchase and integrate different hardware and software components. Furthermore, the cloud construction block contains modular pieces of hardware, such as compute hardware, memory hardware, storage hardware and network hardware, that are integrated with management software configured to manage both the hardware and the cloud computing environment in a seamlessly integrated package. Since there is a single management system, the management software allows the user to manage the modular pieces of hardware via a single user interface.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for performing maintenance operations on a cloud computing node. An administrative server receives an indication that a maintenance operation is to be performed on a cloud computing node. The administrative server identifies which virtual machine(s) on the cloud computing node will be affected by the maintenance operation. The administrative server relocates the virtual machine(s) to be affected by the maintenance operation to other suitable cloud computing node(s) prior to the maintenance operation being performed. The administrative server then performs the maintenance operation on the cloud computing node. The virtual machine(s) may be relocated back to the cloud computing node after the maintenance operation is completed in response to a need to rebalance resources in such a manner. In this manner, maintenance operations may be performed on a cloud computing node without requiring to stop all the virtual machines in the node.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for efficiently configuring different types of hardware components. A computing device is connected to a hardware component to be configured. The computing device detects the type of the hardware component upon being connected to the hardware component. The computing device then identifies a profile from among multiple profiles associated with the detected type of hardware component, where each profile contains a configuration file(s) for configuring its associated type of hardware component. Upon identifying the profile associated with the connected hardware component, the computing device emulates a Universal Serial Bus (USB) key presenting the configuration file(s) contained in the identified profile to the detected hardware component. Such a process may be repeated for configuring another type of hardware component. In this manner, the user is able to efficiently configure different types of hardware by having the computing device emulate multiple USB keys.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for managing and deploying physical and virtual environments across multiple hardware platforms. A single unit, referred to herein as a cloud construction block, contains both the hardware and software components used to build a cloud computing environment. By having such a single unit contain both the hardware and software components needed to build a cloud computing environment, the user no longer needs to purchase and integrate different hardware and software components. Furthermore, the cloud construction block contains modular pieces of hardware, such as compute hardware, memory hardware, storage hardware and network hardware, that are integrated with management software configured to manage both the hardware and the cloud computing environment in a seamlessly integrated package. Since there is a single management system, the management software allows the user to manage the modular pieces of hardware via a single user interface.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for providing a seamless transition for resizing virtual machines from a development environment to a production environment. An administrative server receives an instruction from a customer to resize a virtual machine running on a cloud computing node, where the resized virtual machine requires physical resources (e.g., twenty physical processor cores) to be utilized in the production environment. Instead of the administrative server utilizing the same number of physical resources in the development environment that need to be utilized in the production environment, the administrative server utilizes a fewer number of physical resources by also utilizing virtual resources (e.g.

Abstract: A device including a system for preventing moisture damage to the device includes a processor and a module operable on the processor for monitoring for a predetermined capacitance criterion on a surface of the device. The device is automatically powered off in response to detecting the predetermined capacitance criterion.

Abstract: A method, device and computer program product for preventing moisture damage to electronic circuitry of a device may include monitoring for a predetermined capacitance criterion on a surface of the device; and automatically powering off the device in response to detecting the predetermined capacitance criterion.

Abstract: Distribution of middleware binary includes: receiving a request to deploy a workload with middleware service(s); selecting a base operating system (OS) image to host the middleware service(s); determining locations of binary file(s) for the middleware service(s) in a repository on a storage system; cloning a virtual disk containing the base OS image on the storage system; and copying the binary file(s) from the locations in the repository into the cloned virtual disk on the storage system. The binary file(s) are copied onto the virtual disk directly on the storage system, without the need to traverse a network interface. The base OS image is augmented with the binary files just prior to the deployment of the virtual machine (VM).

Abstract: Distribution of middleware binary includes: receiving a request to deploy a workload with middleware service(s); selecting a base operating system (OS) image to host the middleware service(s); determining locations of binary file(s) for the middleware service(s) in a repository on a storage system; cloning a virtual disk containing the base OS image on the storage system; and copying the binary file(s) from the locations in the repository into the cloned virtual disk on the storage system. The binary file(s) are copied onto the virtual disk directly on the storage system, without the need to traverse a network interface. The base OS image is augmented with the binary files just prior to the deployment of the virtual machine (VM).

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for dynamically building a set of compute nodes to host a user's workload. An administrative server receives workload definitions that include the types of workloads that are to be run in a cloud group as well as a number of instances of each workload the cloud group should support. These workload definitions are used to determine the virtual machine demands that the cloud group will place on the cloud environment. The administrative server further receives the demand constraints, placement constraints and license enforcement policies. The administrative server identifies a set of compute nodes to host the user's workload based on the virtual machines demands, the demand constraints, the placement constraints and the license enforcement policies. In this manner, a set of compute nodes is dynamically built for consideration in forming a cloud group without the user requiring knowledge of the cloud's composition.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for dynamically building a set of compute nodes to host a user's workload. An administrative server receives workload definitions that include the types of workloads that are to be run in a cloud group as well as a number of instances of each workload the cloud group should support. These workload definitions are used to determine the virtual machine demands that the cloud group will place on the cloud environment. The administrative server further receives the demand constraints, placement constraints and license enforcement policies. The administrative server identifies a set of compute nodes to host the user's workload based on the virtual machines demands, the demand constraints, the placement constraints and the license enforcement policies. In this manner, a set of compute nodes is dynamically built for consideration in forming a cloud group without the user requiring knowledge of the cloud's composition.