Outcome-based software-defined infrastructure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9729421-B2
Application number	US-201514667798-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2015
Priority date	Mar 25, 2015
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A method and system for outcome-based adjustment of a software-defined environment (SDE) that includes establishing a link between a business outcome and a first resource configuration from software defined environment, establishing a monitoring mechanism for continuously measuring a current state of the SDE, using a behavior model of the SDE to anticipate, or forecast, a triggering event, and responsive to the forecast of a triggering event, using the behavior model to determine a second resource configuration to achieve the business outcome. The link includes at least one of a utility of services for the business outcome, a cost of a set of resources consumed by the first resource configuration, and a risk of the set of resources becoming unavailable.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining a business operation and a corresponding set of tasks to be performed in a software defined environment (SDE);
establishing a first resource configuration to perform the corresponding set of tasks to achieve a business outcome target;
determining a first resource cost for performing the corresponding set of tasks;
monitoring the SDE to identify a triggering event;
responsive to identifying the triggering event, establishing a second resource configuration to address the triggering event; and
determining a second resource cost for performing the corresponding set of tasks according to the second resource configuration;
wherein:
at least the monitoring and establishing a second resource configuration steps are performed by computer software running on computer hardware;
the step of establishing the second resource configuration includes evaluating a set of “what-if” scenarios where a set of multiple resource configurations are applied to a behavior model of the SDE to identify a best alternative to the first resource configuration, the best alternative being the second resource configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
assigning a priority level to tasks within the corresponding set of tasks;
determining a set of performance indicators corresponding to a task having a first priority level;
wherein:
the step of establishing the second resource configuration is based, at least in part, on a performance level of a performance indicator in the set of performance indicators.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein addressing the triggering event includes one of scaling up a resource in the first resource configuration for performing a task in the corresponding set of tasks, scaling down a resource in the first resource configuration for performing a task in the corresponding set of tasks, migrating a task of the corresponding set of tasks, re-building a task of the corresponding set of tasks, and re-building the business operation.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Brech Brad L
• Crowder Scott W
• Franke Hubertus
• Frey Jeffrey A
• Halim Nagui
• Hogstrom Matt R
• Li Chung-Sheng
• Lindquist David B
• Pappe Stefan
• Pattnaik Pratap C
• Rajaraman Balachandar
• Ratnaparkhi Radha P
• Smith Rodney A
• Williams Michael D

Classifications

• H04L41/40

  using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities · CPC title

• H04L41/147 Primary

  for predicting network behaviour · CPC title

• H04L43/14 Primary

  using software, i.e. software packages (network security related monitoring H04L63/1408) · CPC title

• G06Q10/0635

  Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities · CPC title

• H04L41/0654

  using network fault recovery (ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437) · CPC title