Utility-based placement of dynamic Web applications with fairness goals

Abstract—We study the problem of dynamic resource allocation to clustered Web applications. We extend application server middleware with the ability to automatically decide the size of application clusters and their placement on physical machines. Unlike existing solutions, which focus on maximizing resource utilization and may unfairly treat some applications, the approach introduced in this paper considers the satisfaction of each application with a particular resource allocation and attempts to at least equally satisfy all applications. We model satisfaction using utility functions, mapping CPU resource allocation to the performance of an application relative to its objective. The demonstrated online placement technique aims at equalizing the utility value across all applications while also satisfying operational constraints, preventing the over-allocation of memory, and minimizing the number of placement changes. We have implemented our technique in a leading commercial middlewar...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: NOMS
• Authors: David Carrera, Malgorzata Steinder, Ian Whalley, Jordi Torres, Eduard Ayguadé
• Keywords: Application Server Middleware, Communications, Dynamic Resource Allocation, NOMS 2008, Resource Allocation