Patent ID: 7490095

Claim:
A method to manage knowledge in an autonomic computing system, comprising: allowing knowledge to be loaded from a knowledge source to an autonomic manager, wherein allowing knowledge to be loaded from the knowledge source to the autonomic manager comprises: loading policy knowledge related to policies, rules and protocols for the autonomic manager to follow in performing a monitor, analyze, plan, and execute (MAPE) autonomic computing loop of the autonomic manager; loading symptom knowledge related to conditions, events and other occurrences within the autonomic computing system influencing how the autonomic manager is to respond in performing the MAPE autonomic computing loop; loading change plan and change request knowledge related to analysis and plan modules of the MAPE autonomic computing loop of the autonomic manager and which relate to functions executable by the autonomic manager and the autonomic manager causes to be executed by any managed resource as a result of a particular symptom in the autonomic computing system that is being monitored by the autonomic manager; allowing knowledge to be loaded on the knowledge source; allowing management of knowledge loaded on the knowledge source; and allowing the knowledge source to be queried to determine types of knowledge loaded on the knowledge source.