Dynamic Subscription Periods for Cloud Resource Consumption Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cloud management systems lack the ability to accurately track and manage resource consumption across multiple independent host clouds, leading to difficulties in detecting over- or under-consumption, applying subscription limits, and generating timely billing, especially for users with bursty consumption patterns or large-scale user deployments.
Innovation Solution
A cloud management system that aggregates and reconciles resource consumption data from multiple host clouds, using a centralized entitlement engine to track marginal consumption rates, generate variable subscription periods, and adjust billing records based on actual consumption patterns, allowing for real-time monitoring and management of resource usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fixed subscription periods are used for tracking resource consumption, then billing simplicity is maintained, but accuracy in capturing bursty consumption patterns deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic subscription periods that automatically adjust their duration based on the observed consumption patterns of users. When consumption is stable, longer periods are used for simplicity; when bursty patterns are detected, the system transitions to shorter, more granular periods to accurately capture consumption spikes, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the time period parameter dynamically based on consumption characteristics. By monitoring consumption rates and variability, the system adjusts the subscription period length to optimize both accuracy and simplicity, applying parameter changes to adapt to different usage scenarios
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple independent host clouds are used to support user deployments, then service availability and scalability are improved, but coordination of subscription limits and usage tracking across clouds deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges consumption data from multiple independent host clouds into a unified view by implementing a centralized coordination mechanism. This allows the system to track aggregate usage across clouds while maintaining the independence and flexibility of individual cloud deployments, preventing data silos and ensuring subscription limits are enforced globally
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a universal consumption tracking framework that works across different host clouds with varying characteristics. This multi-functional approach enables consistent subscription limit enforcement and usage tracking regardless of which specific cloud hosts the resources, maintaining data visibility across the entire distributed infrastructure
3Speed
If fixed time intervals are used for tracking resource consumption, then system simplicity is maintained, but responsiveness to rapid consumption changes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic time intervals for consumption tracking that adjust based on the rate of consumption change. When rapid changes are detected, the system automatically shortens the tracking interval to capture the change promptly; when consumption is stable, longer intervals are used to reduce processing overhead, thus balancing speed and time loss
4Measurement precision
If centralized tracking of resource consumption across multiple clouds is implemented, then billing accuracy is improved, but system complexity and computational overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized tracking function into distributed components that operate autonomously at each cloud and then aggregate results centrally. This segmentation reduces the complexity of any single component while maintaining overall measurement accuracy, allowing each cloud to independently track its own consumption and contribute to the aggregate view
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for managing cloud consumption including accessing a set of aggregate usage history data for a set of users each operating a set of machines consuming a set of resources in a host cloud, generating a set of variable consumption periods over which the consumption of the set of resources will be tracked for the set of users on a combined basis, identifying a set of subscription margins for a resource in the set of resources based on a comparison of the consumption of the resource to a resource subscription limit for the set of users on a combined basis over the set of variable consumption periods, generating a set of marginal consumption values for the set of users for a resource for the set of variable consumption periods in the host cloud, and generating a management action based on the marginal consumption value.