Patent ID: 8041600

Claim:
A method for applying brokering methods to performance characteristics performed on at least one computing device, comprising: translating configuration information that pertains to a plurality of performance service categories into distinct quantities of resource units each quantity attributable to a distinct performance service category using the at least one computing device; for each distinct performance service category, dividing the quantity of resource units by an associated cost for each of a set of service levels using the at least one computing device; for each distinct performance service category, determining a maximum quantity of each of the set of service levels that can be allocated for the quantity of resource units using the at least one computing device; generating a matrix including possible configurations of the quantity of resource units and the set of service levels for each distinct performance service category, using the at least one computing device; providing the matrix to a resource unit broker using the at least one computing device; receiving a distinct winning bid for each of the distinct performance service categories from an auction performed by the resource unit broker; and applying distinct multipliers to each of the winning bids to adjust the cost of each winning bid based on a service level of the bid using the at least one computing device.