Patent ID: 8286174

Claim:
A method for supporting the execution of a multicomponent software application (MCSA) in a virtual computer system, wherein multiple components of the MCSA execute within multiple virtual machines (VMs) on one or more physical computers, the method comprising: allocating computing resources to the MCSA to establish MCSA computing resources; obtaining information about the MCSA, the information including resource requirements of individual components of the MCSA; using computer software to allocate the MCSA computing resources among the multiple VMs in which the multiple components of the MCSA execute, based on the information about the MCSA, including using computer software to automatically determine an effective set of the components for the MCSA based on the MCSA computing resources, and running this effective set of components within the multiple VMs on the virtual computer system, the effective set being based on the information about the MCSA and on the resource requirements of the individual components; monitoring performance of the MCSA, the monitoring being specific to identified performance objectives of at least some of the individual components of the MCSA; and based on the monitoring that is specific to the performance objectives of at least some of the individual components, using computer software to automatically adjust the allocation of the MCSA computing resources among the VMs in which the components of the MCSA execute, wherein automatically adjusting the allocation is implemented without migrating any VM from the physical computer on which the VM executes and wherein the computing resources which are automatically adjusted based on the monitoring comprise processor cycles and system memory.