Patent ID: 8656022
Filing Date: 2014-02-18
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for optimizing server farm resource usage among a plurality of contract customers comprising steps performed by a processor of: providing a plurality of long term forecasts of server resource workload, one long term forecast for each contract customer based on previously monitored workload conditions; building a resource allocation plan for allocation of server resources to customers for each of a plurality of time slots by consolidating the long term forecasts and service level guarantees for all of the plurality of contract customers; controlling the allocation of server resources in accordance with the resource allocation plan; monitoring the current workload conditions of server resources during operation of the server farm; providing a short term forecast based on monitored workload conditions at said server resources; evaluating refinement of the resource allocation plan should said short term forecast differ from said long term forecast by comparing a difference between the long term forecast and observed workload for a time slot to a predetermined threshold; refining the resource allocation to generate a current resource allocation plan for a next time slot when the short term forecast differs from said long term forecast by more than a predetermined threshold; and adjusting the allocation of server resources in accordance with the current resource allocation plan when the short term forecast differs from said long term forecast by more than a predetermined threshold and adjusting the allocation of server resources in accordance with the resource allocation plan for a next time slot when the threshold has not been exceeded.