Abstract:
A method for portal performance optimization comprises receiving a request for a portal page, the portal page comprising a plurality of portlets; determining a current system load; determining, based on the current system load, whether a performance rule is triggered; and in the event a performance rule is triggered, deactivating at least one of the plurality of portlets. A system for portal performance optimization comprises a portal server configured to receive a request for a portal page, the portal page comprising a plurality of portlets, the portal server comprising a performance management component, the performance management component configured to determine a current system load; and a rules engine, the rules engine configured to determine if a performance rule is triggered by the determined current system load, and, in the event a performance rule is triggered, to apply the triggered performance rule to at least one of the plurality of portlets.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This disclosure relates generally to the field of web portal performance. 
     A web portal, or portal page, may provide a user with an initial point of access to information on a network, presenting information from diverse sources to the user in a unified manner. A portal page may provide services including but not limited to a search engine, email, news, or stock prices, presenting information from different locations in a common context. 
     The portal page may offer these services through a number of applications, or portlets, that make up the overall portal page. However, a portal page with a large number of component portlets may consume a large amount of system resources and generate significant traffic on the network. This is tolerable if the overall load on the system is low; however, if the load on the system is high, a large number of portlets may overburden the system, while a reduction in portlets on the portal page may reduce the performance burden on the system. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     An exemplary embodiment of a method for portal performance optimization comprises receiving a request for a portal page, the portal page comprising a plurality of portlets; determining a current system load; determining, based on the current system load, whether a performance rule is triggered; and in the event a performance rule is triggered, deactivating at least one of the plurality of portlets. 
     An exemplary embodiment of a system for portal performance optimization comprises a portal server configured to receive a request for a portal page, the portal page comprising a plurality of portlets, the portal server comprising a performance management component, the performance management component configured to determine a current system load; and a rules engine, the rules engine configured to determine if a performance rule is triggered by the determined current system load, and, in the event a performance rule is triggered, to apply the triggered performance rule to at least one of the plurality of portlets. 
     Additional features are realized through the techniques of the present exemplary embodiment. Other embodiments are described in detail herein and are considered a part of what is claimed. For a better understanding of the features of the exemplary embodiment, refer to the description and to the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several FIGURES: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of a method for portal performance optimization. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment of a system for portal performance optimization. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment of a portal page. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an embodiment of a portal page. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment of a computer that may be used in conjunction with systems and methods for portal performance optimization. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of systems and methods for portal performance optimization are provided, with exemplary embodiments being discussed below in detail. 
     A measurement of overall system load may be used to determine an initial state of a portal page that is presented to a user. During low system load, all portlets on the page may be presented. During high system load, selected portlets in the initial portal page may be deactivated by, for example, setting a default state of the selected portlets to minimized. 
     An administrator may define performance rules for the portal page, defining levels of system load at which to deactivate selected portlets. These rules may be contained in the portal page metadata. Portlets that are used infrequently may be minimized at moderate system load, while frequently-used portlets may be minimized at higher system load. Some portlets may also generate higher system traffic than others; portlets that generate higher traffic may be minimized at lower overall system load than portlets that generate lower traffic. The performance rules of the portal page may be modified by an administrator, allowing the administrator to define the behavior of individual portlets. A portal server may also track user behavior, and determine for a user or for a group of users which portlets are used most frequently, and deactivate portlets that are used less frequently at high system load. The performance rules may be defined based on the likelihood that a specific portlet is accessed per user session. The initial portal page may be presented to a user at browser startup; however, in many cases, the user bypasses the initial portal page to reach another portal or web page. Defining performance rules to reduce the system load generated by the initial portal page may greatly reduce the overall system load without inconveniencing the user. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of a method  100  for portal performance optimization. In block  101 , a portal page comprising a plurality of portlets is requested from a portal server. In block  102 , it is determined whether a performance rule applies based on the current system load. The performance rule may be defined by an administrator. In some embodiments, a user may be given administrator privileges to define a performance rule for their particular instance of the portal page. In block  103 , if a performance rule is triggered by the current system load, any portlets affected by the performance rule for the current system load are deactivated; the portlets may be deactivated by the portal without interaction with the portlet, for example, by being minimized. Minimization may include displaying a reduced amount of information by the portlet, reducing use of backend systems. An affected portlet may be replaced by a static HTML fragment that contains core information, or may be tuned to consume less resources by, for example, reducing functionality of the portlet. An affected portlet may be sent a deactivation message in some embodiments. 
     In block  104 , the portal page is displayed to the user, with the component portlets displayed according to the triggered performance rules. In block  105 , data regarding an outcome of triggered performance rules, the navigation of the user (i.e., which, if any, portlets are selected by the user), and the system load of various portlets are fed into a learning component. Based on the data, the learning component may provide suggestions for new performance rules to a portal administrator in block  106 . For example, if a specific user repeatedly reactivates a deactivated portlet, the learning component may suggest a rule to always present the page to the specific user with the portlet active. A suggested rule may automatically replace an existing rule in some embodiments. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment of a system  200  for portal performance optimization. Portal server  201  comprises rules engine  202 , performance management component  203 , and learning component  204 , in addition to hardware and software configured to generate the portal page; this may include various backend systems. Rules engine  202  may contain performance rules set by an administrator. A user communicates with portal server  201  via a computing device  205  connected to network  206 . Computing device  205  requests the portal page from portal server  201 . Performance management component  203  determines a current system load of system  200 , including a load of any backend systems that are used to generate the portal page, and sends the current system load to rules engine  202 . Rules engine  202  determines if any performance rules are triggered by the current system load. If a performance rule is triggered, portal server  201  renders the individual portlets that comprise the portal page according to the triggered performance rule, and sends the portal page to computing device  205  via network  206 . Learning component  204  receives data regarding an outcome of triggered performance rules, the navigation of the user (i.e., which, if any, portlets are selected by the user), and the system load of various portlets, and may determine new performance rules for rules engine  202  based on the data. An administrator or a user with administrator privileges may also modify performance rules contained in rules engine  202  via computing device  205  and network  206 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment of a portal page  300 . The portal page  300  presents news stories in news portlet  301 . The information contained in news portlet  301  may change only once a day, so it may be cached. Therefore, the system load generated by news portal  301  may be relatively low. Search portlet  302  may be a frequently-used portlet that is also cacheable, generating a relatively low system load. Essential links portlet  303  may also be frequently used, and may be cached. What&#39;s new portlet  304  may search dynamically for content based on user properties. As a result, the what&#39;s new portlet  304  may not be cached across multiple users, and dynamic generation may create a relatively high system load. Users may use the what&#39;s new portlet  304  relatively infrequently. Market report portlet  305  is also dynamically generated from user settings specifying a list of stock symbols to display and current market data. Thus, the market report portlet may not be cached across multiple users, and may have a relatively high system load due to dynamic generation. The market report portlet  305  may be also be used relatively infrequently. 
     Given the respective usages and system loads of portlets  301 - 305 , an administrator may set performance rules specifying that what&#39;s new portlet  304  and market report portlet  305  may be deactivated during periods of high system load. If what&#39;s new portlet  304  generates a higher system load, the performance rules may specify that if the system load starts to get high, what&#39;s new portlet  304  may be deactivated at a moderate system load, and market report portlet  305  may be deactivated at a higher level of system load. The performance rules may specify that a system load may be above a certain level for a predetermined period of time before a portlet is deactivated. In this example, the administrator may create 2 rules: rule 1, which is triggered if the CPU utilization goes above 80% for more than a minute, and rule 2, which is triggered if the CPU utilization stays above 80% for more than 10 minutes. The administrator may further connect the selected portlets with the rules, deactivated the what&#39;s new portlet  304  if rule 1 is triggered, and deactivated the market report portlet if rule 2 is triggered. 
     If the system load exceeds 80% CPU utilization for more than 10 minutes, rule 1 and rule 2 may be triggered, resulting in the embodiment of a portal page  400  shown in  FIG. 4 . In portal page  400 , what&#39;s new portlet  404  and market research portlet  405  are deactivated. The system may use various methods to deactivate the portlets, including but not limited to minimization. The title bars of the deactivated portlets are visible, indicating the availability of the portlet to a user. The user may choose to maximize a deactivated portlet, or to redefine the performance rules for a particular portlet for the individual user. This may results in additional system load being generated by the individual user, however, overall system load generated by all users may be significantly reduced. If a user modifies the performance rules for the user&#39;s portal page, the modified performance rules may be active for a user session, or for a longer period of time that may be set by an administrator. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a computer  500  having capabilities, which may be utilized by exemplary embodiments of systems and methods for portal performance optimization as embodied in software. Various operations discussed above may utilize the capabilities of the computer  500 . One or more of the capabilities of the computer  500  may be incorporated in any element, module, application, and/or component discussed herein. 
     The computer  500  includes, but is not limited to, PCs, workstations, laptops, PDAs, palm devices, servers, storages, and the like. Generally, in terms of hardware architecture, the computer  500  may include one or more processors  510 , memory  520 , and one or more input and/or output (I/O) devices  570  that are communicatively coupled via a local interface (not shown). The local interface can be, for example but not limited to, one or more buses or other wired or wireless connections, as is known in the art. The local interface may have additional elements, such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers, to enable communications. Further, the local interface may include address, control, and/or data connections to enable appropriate communications among the aforementioned components. 
     The processor  510  is a hardware device for executing software that can be stored in the memory  520 . The processor  510  can be virtually any custom made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a data signal processor (DSP), or an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with the computer  500 , and the processor  510  may be a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip) or a macroprocessor. 
     The memory  520  can include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM), such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), etc.) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), programmable read only memory (PROM), tape, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), disk, diskette, cartridge, cassette or the like, etc.). Moreover, the memory  520  may incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. Note that the memory  520  can have a distributed architecture, where various components are situated remote from one another, but can be accessed by the processor  510 . 
     The software in the memory  520  may include one or more separate programs, each of which comprises an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. The software in the memory  520  includes a suitable operating system (O/S)  550 , compiler  540 , source code  530 , and one or more applications  560  in accordance with exemplary embodiments. As illustrated, the application  560  comprises numerous functional components for implementing the features and operations of the exemplary embodiments. The application  560  of the computer  500  may represent various applications, computational units, logic, functional units, processes, operations, virtual entities, and/or modules in accordance with exemplary embodiments, but the application  560  is not meant to be a limitation. 
     The operating system  550  controls the execution of other computer programs, and provides scheduling, input-output control, file and data management, memory management, and communication control and related services. It is contemplated by the inventors that the application  560  for implementing exemplary embodiments may be applicable on all commercially available operating systems. 
     Application  560  may be a source program, executable program (object code), script, or any other entity comprising a set of instructions to be performed. When a source program, then the program is usually translated via a compiler (such as the compiler  540 ), assembler, interpreter, or the like, which may or may not be included within the memory  520 , so as to operate properly in connection with the O/S  550 . Furthermore, the application  560  can be written as (a) an object oriented programming language, which has classes of data and methods, or (b) a procedure programming language, which has routines, subroutines, and/or functions, for example but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Pascal, BASIC, API calls, HTML, XHTML, XML, ASP scripts, FORTRAN, COBOL, Perl, Java, ADA, .NET, and the like. 
     The I/O devices  570  may include input devices such as, for example but not limited to, a mouse, keyboard, scanner, microphone, camera, etc. Furthermore, the I/O devices  570  may also include output devices, for example but not limited to a printer, display, etc. Finally, the I/O devices  570  may further include devices that communicate both inputs and outputs, for instance but not limited to, a NIC or modulator/demodulator (for accessing remote devices, other files, devices, systems, or a network), a radio frequency (RF) or other transceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, a router, etc. The I/O devices  570  also include components for communicating over various networks, such as the Internet or intranet. 
     If the computer  500  is a PC, workstation, intelligent device or the like, the software in the memory  520  may further include a basic input output system (BIOS) (omitted for simplicity). The BIOS is a set of essential software routines that initialize and test hardware at startup, start the O/S  550 , and support the transfer of data among the hardware devices. The BIOS is stored in some type of read-only-memory, such as ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM or the like, so that the BIOS can be executed when the computer  500  is activated. 
     When the computer  500  is in operation, the processor  510  is configured to execute software stored within the memory  520 , to communicate data to and from the memory  520 , and to generally control operations of the computer  500  pursuant to the software. The application  560  and the O/S  550  are read, in whole or in part, by the processor  510 , perhaps buffered within the processor  510 , and then executed. 
     When the application  560  is implemented in software it should be noted that the application  560  can be stored on virtually any computer readable medium for use by or in connection with any computer related system or method. In the context of this document, a computer readable medium may be an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical device or means that can contain or store a computer program for use by or in connection with a computer related system or method. 
     The application  560  can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a “computer-readable medium” can be any means that can store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium can be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. 
     More specific examples (a nonexhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium may include the following: an electrical connection (electronic) having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic or optical), a random access memory (RAM) (electronic), a read-only memory (ROM) (electronic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory) (electronic), an optical fiber (optical), and a portable compact disc memory (CDROM, CD R/W) (optical). Note that the computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium, upon which the program is printed or punched, as the program can be electronically captured, via for instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory. 
     In exemplary embodiments, where the application  560  is implemented in hardware, the application  560  can be implemented with any one or a combination of the following technologies, which are each well known in the art: a discrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon data signals, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates, a programmable gate array(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. 
     The technical effects and benefits of exemplary embodiments include reduction of system load caused by a portal page while minimizing inconvenience to the user. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.