Capacity forecasting based on capacity policies and transactions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9400739-B2
Application number	US-201314069399-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2013
Priority date	Nov 1, 2013
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a system and technique for capacity forecasting is disclosed. The system includes a host having a processor unit and a memory. Resource data stored associated with an environment is stored in the memory, the resource data comprising inventory information of applications, processing resources and storage resources of the environment. A ledger module is executable by a processor unit to: create a capacity-associated transaction; identify and link at least one of an application, processing resource and storage resource to the transaction from the resource data; determine an initiation time and duration associated with the transaction; and forecast a change in capacity of at least one linked storage resource for the transaction and a time of the change in capacity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a host having a processor unit and a memory;
resource data associated with first and second environments stored in the memory, the resource data comprising inventory information of applications, processing resources and storage resources of the first and second environments; and
a ledger module executable by a processor unit to:
create a capacity-associated transaction associated with the first environment;
identify and link a first instance of an application and a storage resource of the first environment to the transaction from the resource data;
determine an initiation time of the transaction;
estimate a duration of the transaction based on a complexity of the transaction;
determine, based on a type of the transaction, whether to create a triggered transaction;
responsive to the type of the transaction associated with the first environment meeting a defined transaction type, automatically create the triggered transaction for the second environment;
identify and link a second instance of the application and a storage resource of the second 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 environments and a time of the change in capacity.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ledger module is operable to forecast a change in capacity of at least two differently tiered storage resources.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ledger module 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.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ledger module 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.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ledger module is operable to forecast an increase in capacity and a corresponding decrease in capacity resulting from the transactions.

6. The system 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 system 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 transactions.

8. A computer program product for capacity forecasting the computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising computer readable program code configured to:
store resource data associated with first and second environments, the resource data including inventory information of applications, processing resources and storage resources of the first and second environments;
create a capacity-associated transaction associated with the first environment;
identify and link a first instance of an application and a storage resource of the first environment to the transaction from the resource data;
determine an initiation time of the transaction;
estimate a duration of the transaction based on a complexity of the transaction;
determine based on a type of the transaction, whether to create a triggered transaction;
responsive to the type of the transaction associated with the first environment meeting a defined transaction type, automatically create the triggered transaction for the second environment;
identify and link a second instance of the application and a storage resource of the second 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 environments and a time of the change in capacity.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the computer readable program code is configured to forecast a change in capacity of at least two differently tiered storage resources.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the computer readable program code is configured 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 computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the computer readable program code is configured 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 computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the computer readable program code is configured to forecast an increase in capacity and a corresponding decrease in capacity resulting from the transactions.

13. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the computer readable program code is configured 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.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G06F11/3419

  by assessing time · CPC title

• H04L41/22

  comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title

• G06F3/0653

  Monitoring storage devices or systems · CPC title

• G06F3/0619

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

• G06F3/0634

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