Cloud Tenant Process Suspension for Resource Conservation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cloud computing data centers face inefficiencies in resource usage, as administrative processes continue to consume resources even when users are not actively accessing services, leading to underutilization of computing resources.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method to suspend administrative processes for tenants who have not used their cloud computing services within a specified period, allowing for resource conservation and quick reinstatement upon user log-on, with state transitions managing the suspension and activation states.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If administrative computing processes continue to run for all tenants, then service readiness is maintained, but computing resources are wasted on unused tenants

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice readinessVSAvoidcomputing resource waste
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the state of administrative computing processes based on tenant activity status. Tenants transition between active and suspended states, with their associated administrative processes being started or stopped accordingly. This dynamic state management allows the system to optimize resource usage while maintaining service readiness for active tenants.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically detects when a tenant has not used services within a specified period and autonomously suspends their administrative processes without manual intervention. Upon user log-on, the system automatically reinitiates the necessary processes. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual process management while optimizing resource allocation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Loss of energy

If administrative processes are suspended for inactive tenants, then resource usage is optimized, but service activation time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomputing resource conservationVSAvoidservice activation time
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-identifying inactive tenants and suspending their administrative processes before resources are fully consumed. The suspension state is maintained with minimal resource overhead, allowing for rapid reactivation. This preliminary suspension approach balances resource conservation with quick service restoration capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system extracts and isolates the state information of suspended tenants from the active processing pool. By separating the tenant state (suspended vs. active) from the computational resource allocation, the system can quickly restore services by reinitializing processes for suspended tenants without affecting other active tenants, thus minimizing activation time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If all tenant processes run simultaneously, then system responsiveness is maintained, but overall system capacity is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem responsivenessVSAvoidsystem capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments tenant administrative processes into separate, independently controllable units. Each tenant's administrative processes can be suspended or activated independently based on their activity status. This segmentation allows the system to maintain responsiveness for active tenants while freeing up resources that would otherwise be consumed by inactive tenants, thereby increasing overall system capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2776941B1Managing capacity in a data center by suspending tenants
Publication Date: 2020.08.05 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP2776941B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2776941B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2776941B1 patent drawingFigure 3A

AI summary

A tenant comprising one or more users receives services from a cloud computing system ("CCS"). The CCS determines when a tenant is not using any services, and if so, the CCS initiates a tenant suspension process. The tenant suspension process involves suspending various asynchronous computing processes for the tenant, which execute otherwise execute even if no users of the tenant are currently accessing the CCS. After a period of non-use of the CCS, the tenant is suspended. The tenant is returned to an active state automatically when a user of the tenant logs-on to receive services.