Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Terraspring, Inc.

Mark Gray

Ashar Aziz

Martin Patterson

Thomas Markson

Osman Abdoul Ismael

Tom R Markson

Christopher J Conway

Patrick A Tickle

Tom Markson

A method and apparatus is disclosed for determining interconnections of network devices. The network devices are connected together based on a set of general guidelines. A first network device is associated with a power state that is changed. Whether an alteration occurs at a second network device in response to the change in power state of the first network device is identified and stored. The changing of the power state of the first network device may be in response to a third network device and may be performed via a power controller. The alteration at the second network device may be a link becoming hot or the raising of a trap that is set at a switch. Errors are identified by comparing whether an alteration is identified to information in a database. Different types of interconnections may be determined in a series of phases by testing different types of devices.

Method and apparatus for determining interconnections of network devices

A novel approach for determining an amount to be billed to a customer for the use of resources is based upon usage data and value data. The usage data indicates usage, by the customer, of a set of one or more resources during a specified period of time. The set of one or more resources may be dynamically selected and de-selected from a plurality of resources at any time. For example, the set of one or more resources may comprise a VSF as described herein. The value data indicates generally value provided by each resource from the set of one or more resources used during the specified period of time. The value provided by each resource may be expressed in service units per unit time and a charge may be applied for each service unit consumed during a specified period of time. Example billing schemes to which the approach is applicable include, without limitation, basic billing, flex billing, event flex billing and open flex billing.

Approach for determining an amount to bill a customer for the use of resources

Methods and apparatus providing, controlling and managing a dynamically sized, highly scalable and available server farm are disclosed. A Virtual Server Farm (VSF) is created out of a wide scale computing fabric ('Computing Grid') which is physically constructed once and then logically divided up into VSFs for various organizations on demand. Each organization retains independent administrative control of a VSF. A VSF is dynamically firewalled within the Computing Grid. Allocation and control of the elements in the VSF is performed by a control plane connected to all computing, networking, and storage elements in the computing grid through special control ports. The internal topology of each VSF is under control of the control plane. A request queue architecture is also provided for processing work requests that allows selected requests to be blocked until required human intervention is satisfied.

Request queue management

A Virtual Server Farm (VSF) is created out of a wide scale computing fabric (&ldquo;Computing Grid&rdquo;) which is physically constructed once and then logically divided up into VSFs for various organizations on demand. Allocation and control of the elements in the VSF is performed by a control plane connected to all computing, networking, and storage elements in the computing grid through special control ports. The control plane is comprised of a control mechanism hierarchy that includes one or more master control process mechanisms communicatively coupled to one or more slave control process mechanisms. The one or more master control process mechanisms instruct the slave control process mechanisms to establish VSFs by selecting subsets of processing and storage resources.

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Mark Gray