Cloud Metering Tool for Software Resource Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cloud computing systems primarily focus on measuring hardware utilization for cost determination, neglecting software infrastructure usage, which limits flexibility, reliability, and accurate billing in cloud-based services.
Innovation Solution
A cloud management system equipped with a metering tool that monitors and tracks both hardware and software resource utilization, enabling precise monitoring of software resources and duration of usage to enhance flexibility and reliability, and facilitate accurate billing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If only hardware utilization is measured for cost determination, then hardware resource tracking is simple, but software infrastructure usage cannot be accurately billed
Solution Approach 1:
The metering tool is designed to perform multiple functions: it tracks both hardware resources (CPU, memory, storage) and software infrastructure components (operating systems, applications, software updates). This multi-functional approach allows comprehensive resource monitoring without requiring separate systems for hardware and software metering, thus improving measurement precision while controlling complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtual machine monitor as an intermediary layer between the hardware and the software infrastructure. This mediator captures usage information from both hardware and software components, consolidating the data into a unified format that can be processed by the billing system. This intermediary approach simplifies the overall architecture by providing a single point of data collection rather than requiring direct integration with multiple disparate systems.
2Reliability
If comprehensive software and hardware monitoring is implemented, then accurate billing is enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The metering tool is designed to automatically collect, track, and report usage information without requiring manual intervention. The system self-monitors both hardware and software resource consumption, automatically generating usage data that can be used for billing. This automation improves billing accuracy while reducing the operational complexity that would arise from manual tracking methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where usage information is constantly collected from hardware and software components, processed by the metering tool, and used to generate accurate billing data. This feedback mechanism ensures that the system maintains reliable tracking of resource consumption patterns, enabling precise billing while the automated nature of the feedback loop prevents complexity from escalating.
3Adaptability or versatility
If software resource tracking is added to hardware monitoring, then service flexibility improves, but implementation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monitoring system into distinct functional components: hardware resource monitoring, software infrastructure monitoring, and billing data generation. Each segment can be independently implemented and configured based on specific cloud service requirements. This segmentation allows the system to be gradually implemented and easily adapted to different service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) without requiring complete system redesign, thus improving flexibility while managing implementation complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method include determining, by a processing device, a first quantity associated with usage of a hardware resource on which a virtual machine is instantiated in a cloud, determining, by the processing device from the virtual machine, a second quantity associated with usage of a software resource utilized on the virtual machine, and determining usage of the cloud in view of the first quantity and the second quantity.