Automated Web Server Provisioning via Traffic Thresholds

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current web server management involves manual provisioning, leading to inefficiencies during traffic spikes or dips, resulting in potential denial of service or resource underutilization, as administrators struggle to quickly reconfigure servers to match changing traffic demands.

Innovation Solution

Implementing automated techniques to dynamically allocate or deallocate web server resources based on real-time or historical traffic metrics by setting threshold values, which trigger the provisioning or decommissioning of additional servers, ensuring optimal resource utilization and uninterrupted service.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If manual provisioning of web servers is used, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity deteriorates due to slow response to traffic changes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresponse speed to traffic changesVSAvoidautomation system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically monitors traffic metrics and provisions or decommissions web servers based on predefined thresholds without requiring administrator intervention. The management daemon continuously checks operational metrics and autonomously decides when to allocate or deallocate server resources, enabling the system to serve itself.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-configures threshold values for traffic metrics before deployment. When traffic patterns approach these pre-set thresholds, the system proactively provisions additional servers before service degradation occurs, or decommissions servers before underutilization sets in, based on the monitored metric values.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If fixed number of web servers are provisioned, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates during traffic spikes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptation to traffic variationsVSAvoiddynamic provisioning complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the number of provisioned web servers based on real-time monitoring of operational metrics such as traffic volume, CPU utilization, or request rates. The management daemon continuously evaluates metric values against thresholds and automatically modifies server provisioning to match current traffic demands, making the system flexible and adaptive.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback loop where the management daemon continuously monitors operational metrics of the web server farm and uses this information to make informed decisions about server provisioning. The threshold values serve as feedback criteria that trigger automated responses when metric values exceed or fall below these predetermined levels.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of time

If manual reconfiguration is performed, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of time increases during traffic spikes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetime to reconfigure serversVSAvoidautomated provisioning level

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSExtent of automation

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of administrator intervention with an automated software-based management daemon that continuously monitors metrics and automatically provisions or decommissions servers based on threshold comparisons, eliminating the need for human operators to manually reconfigure server resources.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Reliability

If additional web servers are provisioned, then reliability is improved during high traffic, but loss of energy increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice availability during spikesVSAvoidenergy consumption of idle servers

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system decommissions additional web servers when traffic metrics fall below the threshold values, recovering the computational resources and energy that would otherwise be wasted on underutilized servers. This allows the system to discard server resources when not needed and recover them for future use when traffic increases again.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Data Source

PatentUS9930111B2Techniques for web server management

Publication Date: 2018.03.27 ORACLE INT CORP

AI summary

Techniques for provisioning and decommissioning web servers in an automated manner. In one embodiment, a threshold value relating to an operational metric of a web server can be stored. The metric can be monitored as the web server receives requests. If the metric exceeds the threshold value, additional web servers can be automatically provisioned to handle a portion of the requests. If the metric falls below the threshold value, the additional web servers can be automatically decommissioned. In another embodiment, information can be logged pertaining to web server requests received over time. Based on this information and a threshold value, patterns of high/low server load can be determined and a policy can be generated identifying time intervals during which additional web servers should be provisioned (or existing web servers should be decommissioned). The policy can be used at server runtime to provision or decommission web servers at the identified intervals.