Server Configuration GUI for Dynamic Resource Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional hosting services lack the ability to provide highly customizable and robust server configurations with real-time monitoring and rapid reconfiguration capabilities, leading to inefficiencies in resource allocation and billing, particularly for users with fluctuating demand or worst-case scenario requirements.
Innovation Solution
A graphical user interface (GUI) for managing server configurations, allowing users to dynamically allocate resources, monitor usage in real-time, and automate reconfiguration, enabling scalable and flexible hosting solutions that adapt to changing demands without human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual configuration management is used, then service personnel can control server setups, but reconfiguration time is excessive and operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables users to perform self-service configuration management through automated provisioning tools. Users can independently allocate, modify, and release computing resources without requiring service personnel intervention. The automated configuration management system processes user requests directly, eliminating manual intervention bottlenecks and reducing reconfiguration time from days to minutes or seconds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations (service personnel physically configuring equipment) with automated software-based configuration management systems. The system uses automated provisioning tools and software agents to manage server configurations, replacing the need for human operators to manually access and reconfigure physical or virtual server infrastructure.
2Reliability
If static resource allocation is used, then users can guarantee processing power, but resource utilization efficiency decreases during low-demand periods
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic resource allocation that automatically adjusts computing resource allocation based on real-time demand conditions. Users can specify minimum guaranteed processing power for reliability, while the system dynamically allocates additional resources during high-demand periods and releases them during low-demand periods. This dynamic adjustment mechanism maintains service level agreements while optimizing overall resource utilization efficiency across the infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes in resource allocation by allowing users to define minimum resource guarantees while the system automatically adjusts allocation parameters based on workload conditions. The configuration management system monitors resource usage patterns and dynamically modifies allocation parameters, enabling the transition from static to adaptive resource distribution that balances reliability guarantees with efficiency optimization.
3Reliability
If users allocate resources for worst-case scenarios, then service availability is maintained, but cost increases due to underutilized resources
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by allocating resources dynamically rather than providing full worst-case capacity continuously. Users receive guaranteed minimum resources for baseline service availability, while additional resources are allocated on-demand based on actual usage patterns. This partial allocation strategy eliminates the need to maintain excessive idle capacity, reducing resource waste while preserving service availability through automated scaling capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration management system implements feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor resource utilization patterns and service demand. Based on this feedback, the system automatically adjusts resource allocation to match actual needs, preventing both over-provisioning and under-provisioning. The feedback loop enables the system to learn from usage patterns and optimize resource distribution, ensuring service availability while minimizing waste from underutilized allocated resources.
4Productivity
If configuration changes are made during operational hours, then user responsiveness improves, but service disruption risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by implementing configuration changes during off-peak periods or scheduling maintenance windows in advance. The automated configuration management system identifies optimal times for reconfiguration that minimize impact on service operations, performing updates during periods of lower utilization. This preliminary planning approach allows the system to maintain high user responsiveness while preserving service continuity through carefully timed execution of configuration changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary configuration management system that acts as a mediator between user requests and actual server configurations. This intermediary layer processes configuration changes, validates them, and coordinates implementation to avoid service disruptions. The configuration management system serves as a buffer that decouples user responsiveness requirements from actual reconfiguration timing, allowing users to request changes immediately while the system schedules execution to maintain service continuity.
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments of the invention provide a graphical user interface for receiving a server configuration (e.g., receiving a new configuration or a modification to an existing configuration). The graphical user interface (UI) includes several UI control elements for defining components of the server configuration. It also includes a display area for displaying graphical representations of the defined components of the server configuration. Examples of control elements in some embodiments include control elements for adding, deleting, and modifying servers. In some embodiments, at least one control element is displayed when a cursor control operation is performed on the UI. The cursor control operation (e.g., a right hand click operation) in some embodiments opens a display area that shows the control element. In some embodiments, at least two different components in the server configuration correspond to two different layers (e.g., a web server layer and a data storage layer) in the server configuration. The display area of some embodiments includes multiple tiers, where each tier is for displaying graphical representation of components in a particular layer of the server configuration. At least two tiers in some embodiments are displayed simultaneously in the display area.