Load Balancing with Power Consumption Metrics
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current load balancing systems for server computers do not effectively account for non-performance related variables such as power consumption, operating temperature, and geographical location, leading to inefficiencies in resource management and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A method that modifies load balancing processes in response to non-performance related variables, such as power consumption and operating temperature, by redirecting traffic and deactivating underutilized servers, and utilizing geographical distribution to optimize resource usage and reduce costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional load balancing is used to distribute traffic across servers, then system performance and reliability are improved, but resource management efficiency deteriorates due to ignoring non-performance variables
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends traditional load balancing by incorporating additional parameters beyond performance metrics. The load balancing decision now considers non-performance variables such as power consumption, operating temperature, and geographical location alongside traditional metrics like response time and throughput. This multi-parameter approach enables more comprehensive resource optimization while maintaining system reliability.
2Reliability
If servers are kept active to handle uneven traffic demands, then service availability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic server management where server states (active/standby) are adjusted in real-time based on current system conditions. Load balancing decisions dynamically consider power consumption metrics, allowing the system to transition servers between active and standby states according to traffic patterns and power efficiency requirements, thereby optimizing the balance between availability and energy usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates power consumption as a variable parameter in load balancing decisions. By monitoring and responding to power consumption metrics alongside traditional performance metrics, the system can make informed decisions about server activation and deactivation, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining necessary service availability.
3Speed
If servers are distributed geographically to handle localized traffic, then response time is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different geographical locations to have specialized roles based on their local conditions. Each data center or server location can be optimized for specific functions based on its geographical advantages, such as proximity to certain user bases or environmental conditions. The load balancing system routes traffic to appropriate local servers, improving response time while managing complexity through localized optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of server computers in a network that includes load balancing processes to enhance performance employs a non-performance related variable, such as power consumption, and modifies the load balancing processes in response to the reading of the non-performance variable. Such variables do not affect the response and performance as perceived by a browsing client but do provide other advantages with in the environment as a whole. The non-performance related variable is employed such that one or more of said server computers are de-activated to reduce power consumption, and the load balancing processes balance load across the remaining active server computers.