Cloud Broker for Automated Container Selection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Organizations face difficulties in comparing different cloud facilities for their computing needs due to varying performance metrics and service level agreements, making it challenging to identify the best cloud provider for performance at the lowest price.

Innovation Solution

A cloud broker receives containers with software applications and metadata, instructs multiple cloud hosting facilities to execute them, and determines performance metrics to automatically select the facility that meets the specified performance level at the lowest cost.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple cloud facilities are used for comparison, then selection flexibility improves, but comparison difficulty increases due to varying metrics

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecloud facility selection flexibilityVSAvoidcomparison difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a cloud broker as an intermediary system that mediates between multiple cloud facilities and client devices. The broker standardizes performance metrics from different cloud facilities into a common format, enabling apples-to-apples comparisons while maintaining the ability to select from multiple providers. This resolves the contradiction by providing selection flexibility through multiple facilities while eliminating comparison difficulty through standardized metrics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system transforms various performance metrics from different cloud facilities into standardized parameters that can be directly compared. By changing the representation of performance data into a uniform format through the cloud broker, organizations can easily compare different cloud facilities on equivalent metrics, thus maintaining flexibility while reducing comparison complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If manual cloud facility comparison is performed, then control over selection process is maintained, but time and resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveselection process controlVSAvoidcomparison time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The cloud broker system enables automated self-service comparison and selection of cloud facilities. The system automatically collects performance metrics, standardizes them, and provides comparison data without requiring manual intervention. This reduces time consumption significantly while maintaining organizational control through the ability to review and select from standardized comparisons.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The cloud broker performs preliminary actions by pre-standardizing and preparing performance metric comparisons before the organization needs to make a selection decision. Metrics are collected, normalized, and organized in advance, so when the organization needs to compare cloud facilities, the work is already done, dramatically reducing the time required for the selection process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If standardized metrics are implemented across cloud facilities, then comparison ease improves, but implementation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemetric comparison easeVSAvoidsystem implementation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cloud broker serves as an intermediary layer between cloud facilities and the organization's comparison needs. Rather than requiring cloud facilities to implement complex standardization themselves, the broker handles the metric standardization process, translating various cloud facility metrics into a common format. This maintains comparison ease while managing implementation complexity within the broker system rather than across multiple cloud facilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10740128B2Selecting a cloud from a plurality of clouds for a workload

Publication Date: 2020.08.11 QUEST SOFTWARE INC

AI summary

A cloud broker receives a container from a client device. The container includes a software application and metadata. The cloud broker instructs a first cloud hosting facility to execute the container at a performance level specified by the metadata. The cloud broker determines first metrics when the first cloud hosting facility is executing the container. The cloud broker instructs a second cloud hosting facility to execute the container at the performance level specified by the metadata. The cloud broker determines second metrics when the second cloud hosting facility is executing the container. The cloud broker automatically selects a particular cloud hosting facility to host the container based at least partly on the first metrics and the second metrics.