Validating Cloud Metering Accuracy via Test Cloud Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need to validate live metering services in cloud infrastructure to ensure the accuracy of resource consumption measurements, as current methods lack effective validation processes that do not disrupt the performance of the cloud being measured.
Innovation Solution
A testing server creates a separate test cloud with a distinct test specification to collect and compare measured values with reference values, determining the accuracy of the metering service without affecting the specific cloud being validated, ensuring alignment with metering intervals for precise validation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a test cloud is created to validate metering accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a test cloud that is a simplified copy of the production cloud environment. This test cloud replicates the essential characteristics and resource types of the production cloud, allowing validation of metering accuracy without requiring validation of every single production cloud. The copying principle enables measurement precision improvement while controlling the increase in system complexity by using a representative subset rather than the full system.
Solution Approach 2:
The test cloud is designed as a temporary, disposable validation environment that can be created, used for validation, and then discarded. This approach avoids the long-term complexity burden of maintaining permanent test infrastructure. The test cloud serves its purpose of validating metering accuracy and then can be removed, making the complexity increase temporary rather than permanent.
2Measurement precision
If live metering validation is performed on the specific cloud, then measurement precision is improved, but reliability of cloud service deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the validation process from the production cloud by creating a separate test cloud. This segmentation isolates the validation activities from the production environment, allowing metering accuracy to be validated without introducing performance degradation, disruptions, or reliability issues to the specific cloud being validated. The segmentation principle resolves the contradiction by separating the measurement function from the service function.
Solution Approach 2:
The test cloud acts as an intermediary that mediates between the validation requirements and the production cloud. Instead of directly validating the production cloud (which would risk its performance), the test cloud serves as an intermediate validation target that reflects production cloud characteristics. This intermediary approach allows measurement precision improvement while protecting production cloud reliability.
3Measurement precision
If metering validation disrupts cloud operation for calibration, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary validation actions on the test cloud before validating the production cloud. By pre-configuring the test cloud with representative characteristics and performing validation procedures beforehand, the system establishes metering accuracy in advance. This preliminary action on the test cloud eliminates the need for disruptive calibration interruptions in the production cloud, maintaining productivity while achieving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The test cloud serves as a copy that absorbs the productivity impact of validation activities. Validation operations that would disrupt production cloud performance are instead performed on the test cloud copy. This copying approach transfers the productivity cost from the production environment to the test environment, allowing measurement precision improvement without decreasing production cloud productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
An aspect of the present disclosure facilitates validating live metering service in a cloud infrastructure. In one embodiment, a testing server receives a request to validate metering of a specific cloud (hosted in a cloud infrastructure) during processing of user requests, and in response collects from a metering service of the cloud infrastructure, measured values representing the actual resources consumed by a reference cloud provisioned in the cloud infrastructure in corresponding durations. The testing server compares the measured values with corresponding reference values expected during the operation of the reference cloud in the corresponding durations and sends a response to the request based on a result of the comparison.