Patent ID: 8108503

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for load balancing work between multiple blade chassis in a blade center, the computer-implemented method comprising: monitoring, via a management module in a first chassis, a network ingress switch for chassis data traffic ingressing to the first chassis; monitoring, via a software network agent on a first blade in the first chassis, a plurality of Network Interface Cards (NICs) on the first blade for first blade data traffic ingressing to and egressing from the first blade; and determining that the first blade and the first chassis are being overutilized based on a delay that is longer than a predetermined length of time between data arriving at the network ingress switch and leaving via the plurality of NICs on the first blade and either: (1) measuring a first resource usage level for the first chassis, wherein a resource usage level is based on how many total hardware resources from blades in the first chassis are being used compared to how many total hardware resources from blades in the first chassis are available; measuring a second resource usage level for a second chassis, wherein the second resource usage level is less than the first resource usage level; computing a difference between the first resource usage level and the second resource usage level to determine a resource usage level difference; and determining that the first chassis is overutilized if the resource usage level difference exceeds a pre-defined action level; or (2) measuring first blade chassis data traffic, wherein the first blade chassis data traffic is data traffic that is addressed to the first blade and that passes through the network ingress switch; measuring first blade NIC data traffic, wherein the first blade NIC data traffic is data traffic that has been processed by the first blade and egresses from the first blade; and computing a difference between the first blade chassis data traffic and the first blade NIC data traffic, wherein a pre-determined difference indicates an overutilization of resources in the first blade in the first chassis; in response to the determination that the first blade and the first chassis are being overutilized: deactivating the first blade from the first chassis, and activating a second blade in a second chassis.