Capacity forecasting based on capacity policies and transactions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10579266-B2
Application number	US-201815963675-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2018
Priority date	Nov 1, 2013
Publication date	Mar 3, 2020
Grant date	Mar 3, 2020

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and technique for capacity forecasting includes storing, in a memory, resource data associated with an environment, the resource data comprising inventory information of applications, processing resources and storage resources of the environment. A ledger module executable by a processor unit creates a storage capacity-affecting transaction. At least one of an application, processing resource and storage resource is identified and linked to the transaction from the resource data. An initiation time and duration associated with the transaction is determined, and a change in capacity of at least one linked storage resource for the transaction is determined and a time of the change in capacity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
storing, in a memory, resource data associated with a computing environment, the resource data comprising inventory information of storage resources of the computing environment; and
providing a ledger module executable by a processor unit to:
create a storage capacity-affecting parent transaction;
identify and link at least one storage resource to the parent transaction from the resource data;
automatically determine, based on a type of the parent transaction, whether to create a storage capacity-affecting triggered transaction;
responsive to the type of the parent transaction meeting a defined transaction type, automatically create the triggered transaction; and
forecast a change in capacity of the at least one linked storage resource for the parent and triggered transactions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ledger module is operable to define the triggered transaction to control a start time of the triggered transaction relative to the parent transaction.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ledger is operable to:
access policy data indicating policy-based transactions affecting storage capacity;
schedule capacity-associated transactions based on the policy data; and
identify and link storage resources to the policy-based transactions; and
forecast changes in capacity for the linked storage resources based on the policy-based transactions.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ledger is operable to receive an indication of an actual change in capacity for the at least one linked storage resource in response to a completion of the parent and triggered transactions.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ledger module is operable to forecast an increase in capacity and a corresponding decrease in capacity in at least one other storage device resulting from the parent and triggered transactions.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ledger module is operable to display an interface enabling a user to prioritize desired capacity-associated transactions, the ledger module operable to forecast changes in capacities of storage resources according to the prioritizations.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ledger module is operable to forecast at least one of an application, a processing resource and a storage resource available for decommissioning based on the parent and triggered transactions.

8. A method, comprising:
storing, in a memory, resource data associated with first and second computing environments, the resource data comprising inventory information of storage resources of the first and second computing environments; and
providing a ledger module executable by a processor unit to:
create a storage capacity-affecting transaction associated with the first computing environment;
identify and link a storage resource of the first computing environment to the transaction from the resource data;
determine, based on a type of the transaction, whether to create a storage capacity-affecting triggered transaction;
responsive to the type of the transaction associated with the first computing environment meeting a defined transaction type, automatically create the triggered transaction for the second computing environment;
identify and link a storage resource of the second computing environment to the triggered transaction from the resource data; and
forecast a change in capacity of the linked storage resources of the first and second computing environments.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ledger module is operable to define the triggered transaction to control a start time of the triggered transaction relative to the transaction of the first computing environment.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ledger is operable to:
access policy data indicating policy-based transactions affecting storage capacity;
schedule capacity-associated transactions based on the policy data;
identify and link storage resources to the policy-based transactions; and
forecast changes in capacity for the linked storage resources based on the policy-based transactions.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ledger is operable to receive an indication of an actual change in capacity for the linked storage resources in response to a completion of the transactions.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ledger module is operable to forecast an increase in capacity and a corresponding decrease in capacity resulting from the transactions.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ledger module is operable to display an interface enabling a user to prioritize desired capacity-associated transactions, the ledger module operable to forecast changes in capacities of storage resources according to the prioritizations.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ledger module is operable to forecast at least one of an application, a processing resource and a storage resource available for decommissioning based on the transactions.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Cheng Sonia
• Hurwitch Pamela H
• Kisin Roman
• Oswal Anirudh
• Paknad Deidre
• Simpson Irina

Classifications

• G06F3/0619

  in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors · CPC title

• H04L41/0893

  Assignment of logical groups to network elements · CPC title

• G06F3/0634

  by changing the state or mode of one or more devices · CPC title

• G06F2201/87

  Monitoring of transactions · CPC title

• G06F3/0653

  Monitoring storage devices or systems · CPC title