Managing capacity on demand in a server cloud

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9479575-B2
Application number	US-201213431689-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2012
Priority date	Mar 27, 2012
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A cloud capacity on demand manager manages capacity on demand for servers in a server cloud. The cloud capacity on demand manager may borrow capacity from one or more servers and lend the capacity borrowed from one server to a different server in the server cloud. When the server cloud is no longer intact, capacity borrowed from servers no longer in the server cloud is disabled, and servers no longer in the server cloud reclaim capacity that was lent to the server cloud.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one permanent hardware processor that is permanently enabled to be used by the apparatus;
at least one cloud permanent hardware processor that is permanently enabled to any server in a server cloud of which the apparatus is a member;
a memory coupled to the at least one permanent hardware processor and the at least one cloud permanent hardware processor; and
a cloud capacity on demand manager residing in the memory and executed by the at least one permanent hardware processor, the cloud capacity on demand manager managing capacity for a plurality of cloud permanent hardware processors for a plurality of servers in a server cloud that includes the apparatus, the cloud capacity on demand manager borrowing capacity for at least one of the plurality of cloud permanent hardware processors from at least one of the plurality of servers in the server cloud and lending the borrowed capacity to a different one of the plurality of servers in the server cloud as long as the server cloud is intact, and when the server cloud is no longer intact, the cloud capacity on demand manager disables borrowed capacity and reclaims lent capacity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of servers includes cloud permanent capacity configured to be shared with any other server in the server cloud, wherein the cloud permanent capacity is capacity permanently enabled on the one of the plurality of servers in the server cloud configured to be shared with other servers in the server cloud.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein when the server cloud is no longer intact due to one of the plurality of servers no longer being in the server cloud, the cloud capacity on demand manager disables all borrowed capacity from all of the plurality of servers and reclaims all lent capacity from all of the plurality of servers.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein when the server cloud is no longer intact due to one of the plurality of servers no longer being in the server cloud, the cloud capacity on demand manager disables borrowed capacity borrowed from the one server, reclaims lent capacity on the one server, and retains other borrowed capacity and lent capacity for a plurality of servers that are still in the server cloud.

5. An article of manufacture comprising software stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the software comprising:
a cloud capacity on demand manager that manages capacity for a plurality of cloud permanent hardware processors for a plurality of servers in a server cloud, wherein each of the plurality of servers comprises at least one permanent hardware processor that is permanently enabled to be used by the server and at least one cloud permanent hardware processor that is permanent enabled to any of the plurality of servers in the server cloud, the cloud capacity on demand manager borrowing capacity for at least one of the plurality of cloud permanent hardware processors from at least one of the plurality of servers in the server cloud and lending the borrowed capacity to a different one of the plurality of servers in the server cloud as long as the server cloud is intact, and when the server cloud is no longer intact, the cloud capacity on demand manager disables borrowed capacity and reclaims lent capacity.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 5 wherein at least one of the plurality of servers includes cloud permanent capacity configured to be shared with any other server in the server cloud, wherein the cloud permanent capacity is capacity permanently enabled on the one of the plurality of servers in the server cloud configured to be shared with other servers in the server cloud.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 5 wherein when the server cloud is no longer intact due to one of the plurality of servers no longer being in the server cloud, the cloud capacity on demand manager disables all borrowed capacity from all of the plurality of servers and reclaims all lent capacity from all of the plurality of servers.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 5 wherein when the server cloud is no longer intact due to one of the plurality of servers no longer being in the server cloud, the cloud capacity on demand manager disables borrowed capacity borrowed from the one server, reclaims lent capacity on the one server, and retains other borrowed capacity and lent capacity for a plurality of servers that are still in the server cloud.

9. An apparatus comprising:
at least one permanent hardware processor that is permanently enabled to be used by the apparatus;
at least one cloud permanent hardware processor that is permanently enabled to any server in a server cloud of which the apparatus is a member, wherein the at least one cloud permanent hardware processor may be shared with any other server in the server cloud;
a memory coupled to the at least one permanent hardware processor and the at least one cloud permanent hardware processor; and
a cloud capacity on demand manager residing in the memory and executed by the at least one permanent hardware processor, the cloud capacity on demand manager managing capacity for a plurality of cloud permanent hardware processors for a plurality of servers in a server cloud that includes the apparatus, the cloud capacity on demand manager borrowing capacity for at least one of the plurality of cloud permanent hardware processors from at least one of the plurality of servers in the server cloud and lending the borrowed capacity to a different one of the plurality of servers in the server cloud as long as the server cloud is intact, and when the server cloud is no longer intact due to one of the plurality of servers no longer being in the server cloud, the cloud capacity on demand manager disables borrowed capacity borrowed from the one server, reclaims lent capacity on the different one server, and retains other borrowed capacity and lent capacity for a plurality of servers that are still in the server cloud.

Assignees

• Olsen Paul F
• Schardt Terry L
• IBM

Inventors

• Olsen Paul F
• Schardt Terry L

Classifications

• H04L67/1097

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• H04L67/1031 Primary

  Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests · CPC title

• H04L41/5096

  wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications · CPC title

• G06F9/5027

  the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals · CPC title

• H04L41/0897 Primary

  by horizontal or vertical scaling of resources, or by migrating entities, e.g. virtual resources or entities · CPC title