On-demand utility services utilizing yield management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10373081-B2
Application number	US-13372008-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2008
Priority date	Nov 12, 2004
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

Techniques for provision of on-demand utility services utilizing a yield management framework are disclosed. For example, in one illustrative aspect of the invention, a system for managing one or more computing resources associated with a computing center comprises: (i) a resource management subsystem for managing the one or more computing resources associated with the computing center, wherein the computing center is able to provide one or more computing services in response to one or more customer demands; and (ii) a yield management subsystem coupled to the resource management subsystem, wherein the yield management subsystem optimizes provision of the one or more computing services in accordance with the resource management subsystem and the one or more computing resources.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a computing center comprising one or more computer servers connected to a network, wherein the computing center provides on-demand utility services to clients in response to client requests for the utility services, the computing center comprising a plurality of computing resources residing on the one or more computer servers, the computing resources comprising hardware processor resources, disk storage resources, applications, and network resources;
a resource management platform executing on the one or more computer servers of the computing center, wherein the resource management platform comprises a resource management system, and a yield management system;
wherein the yield management system is configured to (i) determine current user demand for the utility services, (ii) predict future user demand for the utility services, (iii) determine current computing resource usage of the plurality of computing resources of the computing center, and (iv) predict future computing resource usage of the plurality of computing resources of the computing center;
wherein the yield management system generates priority information based on (i) the determined current user demand, (ii) the predicted future user demand, (iii) the determined current computing resource usage, and (iv) the predicted future computing resource usage, wherein the priority information specifies priorities to be assigned to one or more utility services requested by clients to meet service quality levels specified by associated service level agreements; and
wherein in response to a client request for a utility service, the resource management system utilizes the priority information generated by the yield management system to dynamically adjust a current provisioning and future provisioning of the plurality of computing resources of the computing center, to provide the requested utility service to the client in response to the client request, while meeting the service quality levels specified by the associated service level agreements;
wherein the yield management system comprises:
a yield management reservation system which utilizes (i) the determined current user demand, (ii) the predicted future user demand, (iii) the determined current computing resource usage, and (iv) the predicted future computing resource usage, to determine one or more optimized price/service-level combinations associated with providing the utility service;
a yield management scheduler which determines, as part of the priority information, one or more schedules for provisioning computing resources to provide the utility service in accordance with the one or more optimized price/service level combinations.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the yield management system further comprises:
a yield management monitor which tracks one or more service level agreements and a degree of satisfaction of the service quality levels specified by the one or more service level agreements, and which utilizes (i) the determined current user demand, (ii) the predicted future user demand, (iii) the determined current computing resource usage, and (iv) the predicted future computing resource usage, to compile aggregate statistics on a transaction level for use by the yield management reservation system to determine the one or more optimized price/service-level combinations.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the yield management reservation utilizes the aggregate statistics to determine the one or more optimized price/service-level combinations by an automated process which comprises:
automatically determining a first quantity of computing resources to meet a given service quality level of the utility service to be provided at a first price; and
automatically determining a second quantity of computing resources to meet the given service quality level of the utility service to be provided at a second price; and
wherein the resource management system is configured to automatically allocate computing resources that are to be utilized to provide the utility service at the first quantity of computing resources or at the second quantity of computing resources, as selected in response to the client request, to meet the given service quality level.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the yield management system further comprises a service level agreement advisor which adds one or more client-specific service requirements to the scheduling of a workload of a given client on a virtual cluster allocated to the given client.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the yield management reservation system is further configured to offer more than one price for the same service level, where prices are offered in limited quantities, and the quantities are optimized depending on resource levels and demand models.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the yield management reservation system is configured to recommend varying the quantities to be made available at each price and service level over a given period of time so as to effect usage patterns.

7. A method, comprising:
providing by a computing center, on-demand utility services to clients in response to client requests for the utility services, wherein the computing center comprises one or more computer servers connected to a network, and a plurality of computing resources residing on the one or more computer servers, the computing resources comprising hardware processor resources, disk storage resources, applications, and network resources;
running a yield management system of the computing center, to (i) determine current user demand for the utility services, (ii) predict future user demand for the utility services, (iii) determine current computing resource usage of the plurality of computing resources of the computing center, and (iv) predict future computing resource usage of the plurality of computing resources of the computing center;
generating by the yield management system, priority information based on (i) determined current user demand, (ii) the predicted future user demand, (iii) the determined current computing resource usage, and (iv) the predicted future computing resource usage, wherein the priority information specifies priorities to be assigned to one or more utility services requested by clients to meet service quality levels specified by associated service level agreements;
responsive to a client request for a utility service of the computing center, a resource management system utilizing the priority information generated by the yield management system to dynamically adjust a current provisioning and future provisioning of the plurality of computing resources of the computing center, to provide the requested utility service to the client in response to the client request, while meeting the service quality levels specified by the associated service level agreements;
utilizing, by the yield management system, (i) the determined current user demand, (ii) the predicted future user demand, (iii) the determined current computing resource usage, and (iv) the predicted future computing resource usage, to determine one or more optimized price/service-level combinations associated with providing the utility service; and
determining, by the yield management system, as part of the priority information, one or more schedules for provisioning computing resources to provide the utility service in accordance with the one or more optimized price/service-level combinations.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
tracking, by the yield management system, one or more service level agreements and a degree of satisfaction of the service quality levels specified by the one or more service level agreements;
utilizing, by the yield management system, said acqu

Assignees

• Crawford Catherine H
• Liu Zhen
• Wynter Laura
• IBM

Inventors

• Crawford Catherine H
• Liu Zhen
• Wynter Laura

Classifications

• G06Q10/06

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G06Q10/02

  Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events · CPC title

• G06Q30/02

  Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising · CPC title

• G06Q10/06315

  Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis · CPC title

• G06Q10/0631

  Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations · CPC title