WO2010109952A1 - Resource allocation request device, resource allocation device, resource allocation request method, and resource allocation method - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a resource allocation request device which requests that a resource allocation device allocate resources to be used to provide services over a network, said resource allocation request device comprising: a user context acquisition unit for acquiring user contexts which indicate the characteristics of an end user using a service; a user grouping unit for grouping the end users based on the acquired user contexts; a request creation unit for generating a resource allocation request, which indicates the content of the resources which the resource allocation device is being requested to allocate, for each group of end users on the basis of the user contexts; and a transmission unit which transmits the created resource allocation request to the resource allocation device.

Description

Resource allocation request device, resource allocation device, resource allocation request method, and resource allocation method

The present invention relates to a technique for requesting resources used for providing a service via a network and allocating the requested resources.

Along with the development of the Internet, many services are currently provided via networks. Various providers (xSP: any type of Service Provider) that provide services to end users (general consumers) via the network, such as ASP (Application Service Provider) and CSP (Contents Service Provider) are large-scale services. It is often the case that they provide and have a very large number of end users.

For this reason, some xSPs include computer resources, such as server machines and storage, which perform processing necessary to provide services in order to provide sufficient services to end users while suppressing costs, and computer An increasing number of xSPs do not manage and maintain network resources that provide communication between resources (hereinafter, computer resources and network resources may be simply referred to as “resources”). Such an xSP entrusts the management and maintenance of resources to a data center provider that provides a data center service that manages and maintains resources used for providing services via the network.

In addition, for the management and maintenance of resources performed by the data center operator, the resources used for providing services by the customer xSP are allocated from the resources managed by the data center operator and provided to the xSP. Including.

Data center operators are required to manage and maintain more resources as xSP commissions increase, and as a result, there are concerns about increased operating costs. For this reason, when data centers provide resources to xSPs, data centers are efficiently aggregated and allocated to reduce operating costs necessary for managing and maintaining resources.

For example, in order to reduce the power consumption of a server machine, which is a computer resource, a data center operator aggregates the processing required for xSP to provide a service to a server machine and reduces the power consumption of other server machines. By controlling, the operation cost required for management and maintenance of resources is reduced.

In addition, data center operators manage resources by efficiently allocating network resources while ensuring sufficient network resources (such as network bandwidth) to meet the level required by the services provided by xSP.・ Operational costs necessary for maintenance are reduced.

On the other hand, since services provided by xSP are various, data center operators provide different levels of data center services for each xSP.

For example, the quality and quantity of requested computer resources and network resources differ between xSP that provides a video streaming distribution service and xSP that provides a web service. Accordingly, data center operators have various contracts with each xSP in order to provide different levels of data center services according to the quality and quantity of resources required by each xSP.

And the data center provider has assigned fixed resources to each xSP based on a contract with xSP.

However, such fixed resource allocation cannot be used in real time for a temporary increase in processing load that cannot be predicted even by xSP, and unused resources cannot be effectively used. Existed.

Therefore, in recent years, dynamic and flexible resource allocation has been carried out in order to realize further efficient management and maintenance of resources and reduction of operation costs.

For example, a data center operator uses a load balancer that allocates resources by distributing processing load instead of fixed resource allocation based on a contract with xSP. It can be performed.

In addition, Virtual Machine (VM), which virtually constructs a resource base for resource allocation, makes it easy to freely arrange and move services on a physical server machine, allowing more flexible and dynamic resource allocation. Allocation is possible.

Patent Document 1 describes a resource allocation device that allocates resources in real time in units of xSP.

The resource allocation device described in Patent Document 1 detects the usage status of a computer resource and the usage status of a service, and monitors whether the service level contracted with xSP is satisfied. Make an assignment. At this time, the resource allocation apparatus assigns computer resources in units of xSP by providing an identifier for each xSP and giving the identifier of the xSP to the load balancer arranged in the preceding stage of the computer resources.

As described above, since the resource allocation device described in Patent Document 1 can allocate computer resources in units of xSP, the data center operator can temporarily increase processing load that cannot be predicted even by xSP. However, the load can be distributed and handled in real time.

However, since the resource allocation device described in Patent Document 1 only allocates computer resources and manages computer resources and network resources independently, appropriate resource allocation that meets the requirements from xSP. There is a problem that cannot be performed.

For example, when the usage rate of an end user's service increases and it becomes difficult to provide a service on a single server machine, the resource allocation device described in Patent Document 1 uses a processing capacity and memory for load distribution. Server machines with sufficient capacity can be newly allocated for service provision, and services can be provided by a total of two server machines.

However, even if there is room in the processing capacity of the newly allocated server machine, sufficient service cannot be provided due to network bandwidth congestion if there is not enough room to access the server machine. there is a possibility.

In order to solve the above problem, Patent Document 2 discloses a resource allocation device that manages both computer resources and network resources in an integrated manner.

The resource allocation device described in Patent Document 2 has a resource allocation request from an xSP in order to efficiently and optimally allocate resources in response to a resource allocation request from a customer xSP. After determining whether or not the contract with xSP is violated, computer resources and network resources are allocated.

In this way, by using a resource allocation device that manages both computer resources and network resources in an integrated manner, the data center operator appropriately allocates computer resources and network resources in units of xSP, and manages resources.・ Improve maintenance efficiency and reduce operational costs.

JP 2002-024192 A JP 2003-124976 A

By the way, it is important for xSP to acquire and lock in end users by providing detailed services and contract plans that match the purpose of use of end users who are customers.

For example, even if the same service is provided, there is no guarantee of QoS (Quality of Service), resource allocation is a best effort contract plan with a low charge, or a contract plan with a high charge to allocate resources with guaranteed QoS By providing a plurality of contract plans, the end user can select a contract plan that matches the purpose of use of the service from the plurality of contract plans. In addition, the xSP can acquire or lock in an end user by providing a contract plan different from that of other xSPs.

Therefore, in recent years, in order to provide such detailed services and contract plans, it is desired to allocate resources in units of end users.

Here, as described above, the resource allocation is normally performed based on the level of the data center service contracted between the data center operator and the xSP.

Therefore, when allocating resources in units of end users, the data center operator, for example, based on a contract with xSP, for example, a normal user who contracts a low-priced contract plan and a high-priced contract plan. The resources are allocated so that different resources are allocated when the service is provided to the VIP user who has contracted the service.

For example, a data center operator assigns a high-function server machine to provide a service that guarantees QoS even when service usage is congested to VIP users, and service congestion for normal users. Sometimes a normal server machine is assigned to provide a best-effort service that does not guarantee QoS.

As described above, in recent years, a service is provided to a resource user represented by an xSP, such as a resource user who provides a service via a network, and a resource user represented by a data center operator. In addition to resource providers that provide resources used in the process, computer resources and network resources are managed in an integrated manner, and are determined in advance through contracts between resource users and resource providers. Based on resource allocation, resources are allocated in units of end users.

However, in the resource allocation between the resource user and the resource provider described above, the resource user only requests the resource provider for simple resource allocation.

For example, based on a contract between a resource user and a resource provider that has determined resource allocation in accordance with the end user's contract plan in advance, the resource provider has a separate policy for VIP users and normal users. Resources are secured, and the resource user only requests allocation of resources separately secured by the resource provider according to the contract plan of the end user who uses the service.

However, there are the following problems only when a simple resource allocation request is made from the resource user to the resource provider.

That is, there is a problem that the resource user cannot request more flexible resource allocation based on the user context indicating the characteristics of the end user.

The user context refers to end user's own information such as the end user's age, gender, hobby, address, current service usage location, service usage terminal, service usage frequency and frequency, service preference, etc. It includes information such as which services are received from multiple services provided by, and indicates all information related to end users.

Also, each item included in the user context such as the age and sex of the end user is called a context.

Therefore, by requesting the allocation of resources based on the user context of the end user, for example, the end user with higher usage frequency is requested to be allocated a resource, which is more flexible based on the characteristics of the end user. Requests for resource allocation can be made.

In addition, since the resource provider only requests a simple resource allocation from the resource user, the resource provider cannot obtain the user context of the end user, and the flexible resource of the end user unit based on the user context cannot be obtained. There is a problem that allocation cannot be performed.

In addition, even if the end user's user context can be acquired, the content of the user context varies from end user to end user, and therefore there is a problem that allocation of resources in units of end users based on the user context is complicated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a resource allocation requesting apparatus and a resource allocation requesting method capable of making a more flexible resource allocation request in consideration of the characteristics of an end user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a resource allocation apparatus and a resource allocation method capable of performing more efficient resource allocation in consideration of characteristics of end users.

In order to achieve the above object, the resource allocation requesting device of the present invention provides:
A resource allocation requesting device that requests a resource allocation device that manages the resource to allocate a resource used to provide a service via a network,
A user context acquisition unit for acquiring a user context indicating characteristics of an end user using the service;
A user grouping unit that groups the end users based on the user context acquired by the user context acquisition unit;
Resource allocation indicating the content of the resource requested to be allocated to the resource allocation device based on the user context acquired by the user context acquisition unit in units of groups of the end users grouped by the user grouping unit A request creation unit for creating a request;
A transmission unit that transmits the resource allocation request created by the request creation unit to the resource allocation device.

In order to achieve the above object, the resource allocation device of the present invention provides:
A resource allocation device that allocates the resource in response to a request from a resource allocation requesting device that requests allocation of a resource necessary for providing a service via a network,
A resource allocation request that is transmitted from the resource allocation requesting device and that requests allocation of the resource in units of the end user group or in units of the end user, created based on the characteristics of the end user using the service A receiving unit for receiving
A resource management unit that allocates the resource in units of groups of the end users or in units of the end users based on the resource allocation request received by the reception unit.

In order to achieve the above object, the resource allocation request method of the present invention comprises:
A resource allocation request method applied to a resource allocation requesting device that requests allocation of resources used for providing a service via a network to a resource allocation device that manages the resource,
Obtain a user context indicating the characteristics of the end user using the service;
Group the end users based on the obtained user context;
Creating a resource allocation request indicating the content of the resource to be allocated to the resource allocation device based on the acquired user context in a group unit of the grouped end users;
The created resource allocation request is transmitted to the resource allocation device.

In order to achieve the above object, the resource allocation method of the present invention comprises:
A resource allocation method applied to a resource allocation device for allocating resources in response to a request from a resource allocation request device that requests allocation of resources necessary for providing a service via a network,
A resource allocation request that is transmitted from the resource allocation requesting device and that requests allocation of the resource in units of the end user group or in units of the end user, created based on the characteristics of the end user using the service Receive
Based on the received resource allocation request, the resources are allocated in groups of the end users or in units of the end users.

According to the present invention, the resource allocation requesting apparatus allocates resources to the resource allocation apparatus that performs resource allocation, created in units of end users grouped based on the user context indicating the characteristics of the end users who use the service. A resource allocation request indicating the content of the requested resource is transmitted to the resource allocation device.

Further, the resource allocation device is a group of end users grouped based on a user context transmitted from the resource allocation request device that requests allocation of resources necessary for providing the service and indicating characteristics of the end user using the service. Resource allocation is performed on the basis of a resource allocation request that indicates the content of a resource that is requested by the resource allocation requesting device, which is created in units.

Therefore, the resource allocation requesting device can make a more flexible resource allocation request considering the characteristics of the end user.

Also, the resource allocation device can perform more efficient resource allocation considering the characteristics of the end user.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the resource allocation request | requirement apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the resource allocation apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a resource allocation request. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a resource allocation request message transmission operation of the resource allocation requesting device shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the resource allocation operation | movement of the resource allocation apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation | movement request | requirement of the change of the resource allocation of the group unit which grouped the end users of the resource allocation request apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows another example of a structure of a resource allocation request. It is a figure which shows another example of the request | requirement operation | movement of a change of the resource allocation of the group unit which grouped the end users of the resource allocation request | requirement apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the resource allocation request | requirement apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a resource allocation request message transmission operation when the resource allocation requesting device illustrated in FIG. 9 receives a denial response message. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the resource allocation request message transmission operation when the resource allocation requesting device shown in FIG. 9 receives a denial response message. It is a figure which shows an example of operation | movement of a resource allocation request apparatus and a resource allocation apparatus in case retransmission of a resource allocation request message is performed. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the resource allocation request | requirement apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows another example of a structure of the resource allocation request | requirement apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the pattern classification of a user context. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement of the end user grouping of the user grouping part of the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the following embodiments, the resource allocation requesting device is installed in a resource user xSP and requests an end user to allocate resources necessary for providing a service via a network. A resource allocation requesting device will be described as an example.

The resource allocation device is an example of a resource allocation device that is installed in a data center provider that is a resource provider and allocates a resource necessary for providing a service in response to a request from the resource allocation request device. Will be described.

However, the present invention is not limited to the above example.

Therefore, the present invention provides a system having general computer resources and network resources, for example, a network resource such as a corporate network, the Internet and NGN (Next Generation Network), and a computer resource such as a server connected to those networks. And a system including network resources such as a storage area network (SAN: Storage Area Network) and computer resources such as storage.

Further, the resource allocation requesting device is not necessarily installed in the resource user xSP, and the resource allocation device does not need to be installed in the data center operator that is the resource provider, either the xSP or the data center operator. On the other hand, it is possible to install both the resource allocation requesting device and the resource allocation device.

If the resource user and the resource provider are the same, both the resource allocation requesting device and the resource allocation device are installed in the resource user.

(First embodiment)
The features of the first embodiment are based on the service usage status of the end user who uses the service provided by xSP, the user context of the end user who uses the service, and the usage status of the resource. The point is that resource allocation is requested for each group in which users are grouped.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of this invention.

1 includes a user management unit 11, an external connection interface 12, a resource information acquisition unit 13, and a request management unit 14.

In addition, the user management unit 11 includes a user usage status information acquisition unit 111 and a user context acquisition unit 112.

In addition, the request management unit 14 includes a request creation unit 141 and a request message control unit 142.

Further, the request creation unit 141 includes a user grouping unit 1411.

Further, the request message control unit 142 includes a message creation unit 1421 and a message transmission unit 1422.

The user management unit 11 manages the usage status of the end user who uses the service provided by the xSP in which the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 is installed and the user context of the end user.

The user usage status information acquisition unit 111 receives end-users such as the number of end users who use services provided by xSP from other devices (not shown) installed in xSP and the usage rate of services by end users. Service usage status information, which is information indicating the usage status of services by users, is acquired and managed. Further, the user usage status information acquisition unit 111 outputs the acquired service usage status information to the request creation unit 141.

The user context acquisition unit 112 acquires and manages the user context of the end user who uses the service provided by the xSP from other devices (not shown) installed in the xSP. Also, the user context acquisition unit 112 outputs the acquired user context to the request creation unit 141.

The external connection interface 12 is connected to the resource allocation device 2 installed in the data center provider, and transmits the resource allocation request message for requesting the resource allocation to the resource allocation device 2 and is managed by the resource allocation device 2. Receives resource information indicating the resource usage status.

Details of the resource allocation request message and resource information will be described later.

The resource information acquisition unit 13 acquires the resource information received from the resource allocation device 2 via the external connection interface 12 and outputs the acquired resource information to the request creation unit 141.

The request management unit 14 creates a resource allocation request that is information indicating the content of a resource that is requested to be allocated to the resource allocation device 2 included in the resource allocation request message, and a resource allocation request created based on the resource allocation request The message is transmitted to the resource allocation device 2.

The request creation unit 141 includes service usage status information output from the user usage status information acquisition unit 111, user context output from the user context acquisition unit 112, and resource information output from the resource information acquisition unit 13. Based on this, the resource that requires allocation is calculated. Then, the request creation unit 141 creates a resource allocation request based on the calculated result.

At this time, the request creation unit 141 creates a resource allocation request in units of end users or in groups of end users grouped by a user grouping unit 1411 described later.

Also, the request creation unit 141 outputs the created resource allocation request to the request message control unit 142.

The user grouping unit 1411 groups end users based on service usage status information, user context, and resource information.

The request message control unit 142 creates a resource allocation request message based on the resource allocation request output from the request creation unit 141, and transmits the created resource allocation request message to the resource allocation device 2.

The message creation unit 1421 creates a resource allocation request message based on the resource allocation request output from the request creation unit 141, and outputs the created resource allocation request message to the message transmission unit 1422.

The message transmission unit 1422 transmits the resource allocation request message output from the message creation unit 1421 to the resource allocation device 2 via the external connection interface 12.

Next, the configuration of the resource allocation device according to the first embodiment of this invention will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the resource allocation device 2.

The resource allocation device 2 shown in FIG. 2 includes an external connection interface 21, a request management unit 22, and a resource management unit 23.

The request management unit 22 includes a message control unit 221 and a request determination unit 222.

Further, the message control unit 221 includes a response message creation unit 2211 and a message transmission / reception unit 2212.

In addition, the request determination unit 222 includes a request organizing unit 2221 and a request acceptance determination unit 2222.

Further, the resource management unit 23 includes a resource allocation calculation unit 231, an external controller management unit 232, and a resource information acquisition unit 233.

The resource allocation device 2 shown in FIG. 2 does not include a computer resource controller 24 that manages computer resources or a network resource controller 25 that manages network resources, but the computer resource controller 24 and the network resource controller 25 may be included inside.

The external connection interface 21 is connected to the resource allocation requesting device 1 installed in the xSP, receives the resource allocation request message, and outputs the received resource allocation request message to the message transmitting / receiving unit 2212.

In addition, the external connection interface 21 transmits a response message indicating whether or not the resource allocation request included in the received resource allocation request message can be accepted to the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1.

Further, the external connection interface 21 transmits an instruction signal for instructing the allocation contents of each resource to the computer resource controller 24 and the network resource controller 25.

In the following description, the computer resource controller 24 and the network resource controller 25 may be collectively referred to as an external controller.

Further, the external connection interface 21 receives resource information indicating the usage status of computer resources and network resources output from the external controller.

The request management unit 22 determines whether or not to accept the resource allocation request included in the received resource allocation request message, and transmits a response message indicating whether or not the resource allocation request is accepted to the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1.

The message control unit 221 receives the resource allocation request message transmitted from the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 and transmits a response message to the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 via the external connection interface 21.

The response message creation unit 2211 creates a response message indicating whether or not to accept a resource allocation request based on an instruction from a request acceptance determination unit 2222 described later, and outputs the response message to the message transmission / reception unit 2212.

The message transmission / reception unit 2212 acquires the resource allocation request included in the resource allocation request message output from the external connection interface 21, and outputs the acquired resource allocation request to the request organizing unit 2221.

Further, the message transmitting / receiving unit 2212 transmits the response message output from the response message creating unit 2211 to the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 via the external connection interface 21.

The request determination unit 222 determines whether or not to approve acceptance of the resource allocation request transmitted from the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1.

The request organizing unit 2221 organizes the content of the resource allocation request output from the message transmission / reception unit 2212 into a format that can be recognized by the resource allocation device 2 and outputs the request to the request acceptance determination unit 2222.

Based on the content of the resource allocation request output from the request organizing unit 2221 and the resource information indicating the resource usage status output from the resource information acquiring unit 233 described later, the request acceptance determination unit 2222 It is determined whether or not to accept the resource allocation request from 1. Further, the request acceptance determination unit 2222 determines, for example, whether to approve the reception of the resource allocation request from the resource allocation requesting device 1 based on the content of the contract between the xSP and the data center operator. Also good.

When it is determined that the acceptance of the resource allocation request is approved, the request acceptance determination unit 2222 outputs the content of the resource allocation request to the resource allocation calculation unit 231. Further, the request acceptance determination unit 2222 instructs the response message creation unit 2211 to create a response message indicating that the resource allocation request has been accepted.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the acceptance of the resource allocation request is to be denied, the request acceptance determination unit 2222 instructs the response message creation unit 2211 to create a response message indicating that the acceptance of the resource allocation request has been denied.

The resource management unit 23 determines the content of the resource allocation in response to the resource allocation request, instructs the external controller of the determined resource allocation content, and acquires the resource information from the external controller.

The resource allocation calculation unit 231 corresponds to the content of the resource allocation request based on the content of the resource allocation request output from the request acceptance determination unit 2222 and the resource information output from the resource information acquisition unit 233 described later. As such, calculate and determine resource allocations. Then, the resource allocation calculation unit 231 outputs the determined resource allocation contents to the external controller management unit 232.

The external controller management unit 232 transmits an instruction signal output from the resource allocation calculation unit 231 to instruct the external controller of the content of resource allocation to the external controller via the external connection interface 21.

In addition, the external controller management unit 232 acquires the resource information output from the external controller via the external connection interface 21 and outputs the acquired resource information to the resource information acquisition unit 233.

The resource information acquisition unit 233 outputs the resource information output from the external controller management unit 232 to the request acceptance determination unit 2222 and the resource allocation calculation unit 231.

Next, the structure of the resource allocation request and the resource allocation request request message will be described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the resource allocation request 100.

3 includes a user group ID 101, a user ID 102, an allocation request level 103, and an allocation request address 104.

The user group ID 101 has a value when end users are grouped, and is a field in which an identifier indicating a group in which end users are grouped is described. Therefore, when the end users are not grouped, the user group ID 101 has no value.

User ID 102 is a field in which an identifier indicating an end user is described.

If the user group ID 101 has a value, the user ID 102 describes an identifier indicating an end user belonging to the group described in the user group ID 101.

Further, there may be a plurality of identifiers indicating end users described in the user ID 102.

The allocation request level 103 is a field in which information indicating the quality of the resource requested by the group or end user described in the user group ID 101 or user ID 102 field is described.

The allocation request level 103 is determined by an agreement in advance between the xSP and the data center provider, for example, associating the type of end user with the resource for which allocation is requested.

Therefore, in this case, information described in the resource allocation request level 103 includes, for example, VIP users, general users, users with a high repeat rate, users who prioritize allocation of high network bandwidth, and users who prioritize allocation of high server machines. There are various types of information such as information indicating the type of end user, and information indicating a user group in which these users are grouped.

The allocation request address 104 is a field in which information indicating the address value of a computer resource such as a server machine that requests allocation to the group or end user described in the user group ID 101 or user ID 102 field is described.

The allocation request address 104 is used when the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 that transmits the resource allocation request message knows the address value of the computer resource that requests allocation.

The resource allocation request message is sent to the resource allocation request request 100 described above by sending the source address indicating the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 that is the source of the resource allocation request message and the resource allocation apparatus 2 that is the destination of the resource allocation request message. This is a configuration to which a header necessary for communication such as a transmission destination address is added.

Next, the operation of the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of this invention will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a resource allocation request message transmission operation of the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

First, the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 determines whether or not there is a creation request for the resource allocation request 100 (step S101).

The request for creating the resource allocation request 100 may be generated in the request management unit 14 or may be generated by an input from an external device (not shown).

When there is a creation request for the resource allocation request 100 (step S101: YES), the request creation unit 141 displays the service usage status information output from the user usage status information acquisition unit 111 and the user output from the user context acquisition unit 112. Based on the context and the resource information output from the resource information acquisition unit 13, it is determined whether or not to group end users when creating the resource allocation request 100 (step S102).

The criteria for determining whether to perform grouping include various criteria such as grouping for each end user having a common allocation request level indicated by the user context output from the user context acquisition unit 112. There is.

If it is determined that end users are to be grouped (step S102: YES), the user grouping unit 1411 groups end users based on the service usage information, user context, and resource information.

Then, the request creation unit 141 determines what resource allocation is requested for each group grouped by the user grouping unit 1411 based on the service usage status information, the user context information, and the resource information. Calculation is performed to create a resource allocation request (step S103).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the end users are not to be grouped (step S102: NO), the request creation unit 141 determines which end user unit based on the service usage information, the user context, and the resource information. Whether to request such resource allocation is calculated, and a resource allocation request is created (step S104).

Then, the request creation unit 141 outputs the created resource allocation request to the request message control unit 142.

Next, the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 determines whether or not there is a transmission request for a resource allocation request message (step S105).

When there is no request for transmission of the resource allocation request message (step S105: NO), the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 waits for transmission of the resource allocation request message and returns to step S101, and a request for creating a new resource allocation request 100 is received. It is determined whether or not there is.

On the other hand, when there is a transmission request for the resource allocation request message (step S105: YES), the message creation unit 1421 adds the resource allocation that is the transmission source of the resource allocation request message to the resource allocation request 100 output from the request creation unit 141. A resource allocation request message is created by adding a transmission source address indicating the requesting device 1 and a transmission destination address indicating the resource allocation device 2 that is a transmission destination of the resource allocation request message, and the created resource allocation request message is transmitted as a message. Output to the unit 1422.

The message transmission unit 1422 transmits the output resource allocation request message to the resource allocation device 2 via the external connection interface 12 (step S106).

Next, the operation of the resource allocation device 2 according to the first embodiment of this invention will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the resource allocation operation of the resource allocation device 2 shown in FIG.

First, the message transmission / reception unit 2212 determines whether a resource allocation request message is received from the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 via the external connection interface 21 (step S201).

When the resource allocation request message is received (step S201: YES), the message transmitting / receiving unit 2212 acquires the resource allocation request 100 included in the received resource allocation request message, and sends the acquired resource allocation request 100 to the request organizing unit 2221. Output.

The request organizing unit 2221 organizes the contents of the resource allocation request 100 output from the message transmission / reception unit 2212 into a format that can be recognized by the resource allocation device 2, and outputs the format to the request acceptance determination unit 2222.

Further, the resource information acquisition unit 233 outputs the resource information output from the external controller management unit 232 to the request acceptance determination unit 2222.

The request acceptance determination unit 2222 uses the resource allocation request device 1 based on the content of the resource allocation request 100 output from the request organizing unit 2221 and the resource information output from the resource information acquisition unit 233. It is determined whether or not to accept acceptance of the resource allocation request 100 included in the allocation request message (step S202).

When the acceptance of the resource allocation request 100 is not approved (step S202: NO), the request acceptance determination unit 2222 instructs the response message creation unit 2211 to create a response message indicating that the acceptance of the resource allocation request 100 has been denied. .

The response message creation unit 2211 creates a response message indicating that the acceptance of the resource allocation request 100 has been denied based on an instruction from the request acceptance determination unit 2222 and outputs the response message to the message transmission / reception unit 2212.

The message transmitting / receiving unit 2212 transmits a response message indicating that the acceptance of the resource allocation request 100 output from the response message creating unit 2211 is denied to the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 via the external connection interface 21 (step S203). .

On the other hand, when the acceptance of the resource allocation request 100 is approved (step S202: YES), the request acceptance determination unit 2222 creates a response message indicating that the acceptance of the resource allocation request 100 has been accepted in the response message creation unit 2211. Instruct.

The response message creation unit 2211 creates a response message indicating that the acceptance of the resource allocation request 100 has been approved based on an instruction from the request acceptance determination unit 2222, and outputs the response message to the message transmission / reception unit 2212.

The message transmitting / receiving unit 2212 transmits a response message indicating that the acceptance of the resource allocation request 100 output from the response message creating unit 2211 has been approved to the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 via the external connection interface 21 (step S204). .

Next, the request acceptance determination unit 2222 outputs the content of the resource allocation request 100 to the resource allocation calculation unit 231.

The resource allocation calculation unit 231 corresponds to the content of the resource allocation request 100 based on the content of the resource allocation request 100 output from the request acceptance determination unit 2222 and the resource information output from the resource information acquisition unit 233. Next, resource allocation is calculated and determined (step S205).

Then, the resource allocation calculation unit 231 outputs the determined resource allocation content to the external controller management unit 232.

The external controller management unit 232 transmits an instruction signal output from the resource allocation calculation unit 231 to instruct the contents of resource allocation to the external controller via the external connection interface 21 (step S206).

Next, a request operation for changing the resource assignment by the resource assignment requesting apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 when a resource allocation change request is made in units of groups in which end users are grouped.

The resource allocation requesting device 1 is based on the service usage status information acquired by the user usage status information acquisition unit 111 and the user context acquired by the user context acquisition unit 112 from other devices (not shown) installed in the xSP. Ascertain end user usage as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 6, four VIP users (users 1, 4, 5, 6) and two normal users (users 2, 3) use the service.

For example, a VIP user is a user who guarantees QoS and needs to allocate a high-functional resource, and a normal user does not guarantee QoS and allocates best effort resources. Is a user.

Further, the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 knows that the service is provided to all VIP users by using the same resource based on the resource information acquired by the resource information acquiring unit 13.

Here, when the use of the service by the VIP user increases and it is determined that the resource allocation needs to be changed, the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 assigns the VIP user who is using the service to the group 1 (user 1, user 1). 4) and group 2 (users 5 and 6), create a resource allocation request message for each group, and send it to the resource allocation device 2.

Specifically, the resource allocation requesting device 1 describes that the user is a VIP user at the allocation request level 103 for the group 1, and is a high-bandwidth network resource so that the required QoS can be satisfied. A resource allocation request message 201 for requesting allocation of a high-performance computer resource is generated and transmitted to the resource allocation device 2.

Further, the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 describes that the user is a VIP user in the allocation request level 103 for the group 2, and allocates the computer resource having the address value 10.0.0.2 to the allocation request address 104. A resource allocation request message 202 describing the request is created and transmitted to the resource allocation device 2. In this embodiment, an example in which an IP address is used as an address value will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the address value may be a computer resource such as a MAC address or other ID, for example. What is necessary is just to be able to specify.

Since the resource allocation requesting device 1 grasps the resource usage status based on the resource information, it allocates a high bandwidth network resource or a high performance computer resource so as to satisfy the required QoS. A requested resource allocation request message 201 and a resource allocation request message 202 specifying an address value can be created.

In this way, end users who use the service are grouped and a resource allocation request message is created for each group, so that each group can be requested to allocate different resources.

In the example of FIG. 6, the group 2 is requested to allocate the computer resource specified by the address value 10.0.0.2, while the group 1 is requested. Only the allocation of high-bandwidth network resources or high-performance computer resources is required so as to satisfy the required QoS.

Therefore, in this case, the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 needs to change the resource allocation, and the resource allocation apparatus 2 sends the address value to the group 1 even though the resource allocation request messages 201 and 202 are transmitted. There is a possibility that the computer resources specified by 10.0.0.2 are allocated and the same resources are allocated to the groups 1 and 2, and inappropriate resource allocation is performed.

In order to avoid such inappropriate resource allocation, it is possible to expand the resource allocation request as shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of another configuration of the resource allocation request.

7 has a non-shared user group ID 301, a non-shared user ID 302, and a non-shared allocation request address 303 in addition to the resource allocation request 100 shown in FIG.

The non-shared user group ID 301 is a resource assigned to the group or end user described in the user group ID 101 or user ID 102 field, and is assigned to the group described in the non-shared user group ID 301 field. Alternatively, it is a field indicating that a resource other than the resource to be allocated should be used.

That is, the non-shared user group ID 301 describes an identifier indicating a group assigned to a group or end user described in the field of the user group ID 101 or the user ID 102 and an end user group to which the same resource cannot be assigned. It is a field.

Therefore, when the non-shared user group ID 301 has a value, the end user indicated by the identifier described in the user group ID 101 or the user ID 102 field is assigned to the group described in the non-shared user group ID 301. Or it indicates that a resource other than the one to be allocated is requested.

The non-shared user ID 302 is a resource assigned to the group or end user described in the user group ID 301 or the user ID 302 field, assigned to the end user described in the non-shared user ID 302 field, or This field indicates what should be a resource other than the resource to be allocated.

That is, the non-shared user ID 802 is a field in which an identifier indicating an end user who cannot be assigned the same resource as the resource assigned to the group or end user described in the user group ID 101 or user ID 102 field. .

Therefore, when the non-shared user ID 302 has a value, the group or end user described in the user group ID 101 or user ID 102 field is assigned to or assigned to the end user described in the non-shared user ID 302. Indicates that a request is made to allocate resources other than those to be scheduled.

The non-shared allocation request address 303 should be a resource other than the resource described in the non-shared allocation request address 303 as a resource allocated to the group or end user described in the user group ID 101 and user ID 102 fields. It is a field which shows.

That is, the non-shared allocation request address 303 is a field in which information indicating resources that are not allocated to the groups and end users described in the user group ID 101 and user ID 102 fields is described.

Therefore, when there is a value in the non-shared allocation request address 303, a resource other than the resource described in the non-shared allocation request address 303 is sent to the group and end user described in the user group ID 101 and user ID 102 fields. Indicates that an allocation is requested.

Next, a request operation for changing the resource allocation by the resource allocation request 300 shown in FIG. 7 by the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the operation of the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 when a resource allocation change request is made in units of groups in which end users are grouped.

Similarly to FIG. 6, it is assumed that four VIP users (users 1, 4, 5, 6) and two normal users (users 2, 3) are using the service.

Further, the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 knows that the service is provided to all VIP users by using the same resource based on the resource information acquired by the resource information acquiring unit 13.

Here, when the use of the service by the VIP user increases and it is determined that the resource allocation needs to be changed, the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 assigns the VIP user who is using the service to the group 1 (user 1, user 1). 4) and group 2 (users 5 and 6), create a resource allocation request message for each group, and send it to the resource allocation device 2.

Specifically, the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 describes that the user is a VIP user at the allocation request level 103 for the group 2, and the server machine having the address value 10.0.0.2 at the allocation request address 104. A resource allocation request message 401 describing the request for allocation is generated and transmitted to the resource allocation device 2.

In addition, the resource allocation requesting device 1 specifies a value of group 2 for the non-shared user group ID 301 so that the resource allocated to group 2 is not allocated to group 1 for group 1. Is transmitted to the resource allocation device 2.

In this way, different resources can be allocated in units of end users or groups in which end users are grouped by a resource allocation request 300 indicating groups or end users that do not share resources.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 uses the end-user service usage status information, the end-user user context, and the resource information indicating the usage status of computer resources and network resources to A resource allocation request message created in units of users or in groups of end users is transmitted to the resource allocation device 2.

Further, the resource allocation device 2 performs resource allocation based on the resource allocation request message and the resource information generated in units of end users transmitted from the resource allocation device 1 or group units in which end users are grouped.

Therefore, the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 can make a more flexible resource allocation request considering the characteristics of the end user.
Moreover, since the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 creates a resource allocation request based on the resource information, it is possible to make a more flexible resource allocation request in consideration of the resource usage status.

Further, the resource allocation device 2 can perform more efficient resource allocation in consideration of the characteristics of the end user.
(Second Embodiment)
The feature of the second embodiment is that, when the resource allocation device denies acceptance of the resource allocation request, the resource allocation device rejects acceptance of the resource allocation request including a rejection content indicating content of rejection of the resource allocation request. A response message indicating that the request has been made is transmitted to the resource allocation requesting device, and the resource allocation requesting device retransmits the resource allocation request message for requesting resource allocation based on the rejection contents of the resource allocation request included in the response message. It is a point to do.

In the following description, a response message indicating that the acceptance of a resource allocation request including rejection contents is rejected is called a rejection response message.

First, the operation of the resource allocation device 4 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Note that the configuration of the resource allocation device 4 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the resource allocation device 2 shown in FIG.

However, the resource allocation device 4 is different from the first embodiment in that, when rejecting acceptance of the resource allocation request, the resource allocation device 4 transmits a denial response message to the resource allocation request device to the resource allocation request device.

Specifically, when request acceptance / rejection determination unit 2222 denies acceptance of the resource allocation request, it outputs to the response message creation unit 2211 refusal content indicating content of refusal of allocation to the resource allocation request. Then, the request acceptance determination unit 2222 instructs the response message creation unit 2211 to create a rejection response message for the resource allocation request.

The response message creation unit 2211 creates a denial response message for the resource allocation request output from the request acceptance determination unit 2222 and outputs the created response message to the message transmission / reception unit 2212.

The message transmission / reception unit 2212 transmits the response message output from the response message creation unit 2211 to the resource allocation request device via the external connection interface 21.

Next, the configuration of the resource allocation requesting device 3 according to the second embodiment of this invention will be described.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the resource allocation requesting apparatus 3 according to the second embodiment.

The resource allocation requesting device 3 shown in FIG. 9 has a configuration in which a rejection request control unit 143 is added to the request management unit 14 with respect to the configuration of the resource allocation requesting device 1 shown in FIG.

Also, the rejection request control unit 143 includes a message reception unit 1431 and a request rejection content arrangement unit 1432.

In addition, about the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected, the description is abbreviate | omitted, and the point which is different from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated.

The rejection request control unit 143 receives a denial response message for the resource allocation request transmitted from the resource allocation device 4, organizes rejection contents of the resource allocation request included in the received denial response message, and creates a request creation unit 141 is output.

The message receiving unit 1431 receives the denial response message transmitted from the resource allocation device 4, and outputs the rejection content of the resource allocation request included in the received response message to the request rejection content organizing unit 1432.

The request rejection content organizing unit 1432 organizes the rejection content of the resource allocation request output from the message receiving unit 1431 into a format that can be recognized by the resource allocation requesting device 3, and outputs it to the request creating unit 141.

The request creation unit 141 includes the service usage status information output from the user usage status information acquisition unit 111 and the user context acquisition unit 112 so as to correspond to the rejection content of the resource allocation request output from the request rejection content organization unit 1432. Based on the user context output from the resource information and the resource information output from the resource information acquisition unit 13, the resource for which allocation is requested is recalculated. Then, the request creation unit 141 creates a resource allocation request based on the recalculated result, and outputs the created resource allocation request to the request message control unit 142.

Then, similarly to the first embodiment, the request message control unit 142 creates a resource allocation request message based on the resource allocation request output from the request creation unit 141, and sends the created resource allocation request message to the external connection. The data is retransmitted to the resource allocation device 4 via the interface 12.

Next, the operation of the resource allocation requesting apparatus 3 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of transmitting a resource allocation request message when the resource allocation requesting device 3 shown in FIG. 9 receives a denial response message.

In the following description, in response to a resource allocation request rejected by the resource allocation device 4, the resource allocation request included in the resource allocation request message retransmitted to request resource allocation is retransmitted. This is called a resource allocation request.

In addition to the resource allocation request rejected from the resource allocation device 4, the resource allocation request included in the resource allocation request message transmitted to newly request resource allocation is referred to as a new resource allocation request.

First, the resource allocation requesting device 3 receives the denial response message transmitted from the resource allocation device 4, and determines whether there is a request for retransmission of the resource allocation request message (step S301).

Note that the retransmission request for the resource allocation request message may be generated in the request management unit 14 or may be generated by input from an external device (not shown).

If there is a request for retransmission of the resource allocation request message (step S301: YES), the message receiving unit 1431 outputs the rejection content of the resource allocation request included in the received denial response message to the request rejection content organizing unit 1432.

The request rejection content organizing unit 1432 organizes the rejection content of the resource allocation request output from the message receiving unit 1431 and outputs it to the request creating unit 141.

The request creating unit 141 rejects the resource allocation request output from the request rejection content organizing unit 1432, service usage status information output from the user usage status information acquisition unit 111, and output from the user context acquisition unit 112. Based on the user context and the resource information output from the resource information acquisition unit 13, it is determined whether to group end users when creating a resource allocation request (step S 302).

When it is determined that the end users are to be grouped (step S302: YES), the user grouping unit 1411 determines the end based on the service usage status information, the user context, the resource information, and the rejection contents of the resource allocation request. Group users.

Then, the request creation unit 141 determines what resource in group units the user grouping unit 1411 has grouped based on the service usage status information, the user context, the resource information, and the rejection contents of the resource allocation request. Whether to request the allocation is recalculated, and a retransmission resource allocation request is created (step S303).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the end users are not to be grouped (step S302: NO), the request creation unit 141 is based on the service usage status information, the user context, the resource information, and the rejection contents of the resource allocation request. Then, the resource allocation request for each end user is recalculated, and a retransmission resource allocation request is created (step S304).

Next, when there is no request for retransmission of the resource allocation request message (step S301: NO), the resource allocation requesting device 3 determines whether there is a request for creating a new resource allocation request message (step S305).

A request for creating a new resource allocation request may be generated in the request management unit 14 or may be input from an external device (not shown).

When there is a request to create a new resource allocation request (step S305: YES), the request creation unit 141 creates an end user group in creating the resource allocation request based on the service usage information, the user context, and the resource information. It is determined whether or not to perform conversion (step S306).

When it is determined that end users are to be grouped (step S306: YES), the user grouping unit 1411 groups end users based on the service usage information, user context, and resource information.

Then, the request creation unit 141 calculates what resource allocation is requested for each group grouped by the user grouping unit 1411 based on the service usage status information, the user context, and the resource information. A new resource allocation request is created (step S307).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the end users are not to be grouped (step S306: NO), the request creation unit 141 determines how the end users are based on the service usage information, the user context, and the resource information. Whether a new resource allocation is required is calculated, and a new resource allocation request is created (step S308).

Then, the request creation unit 141 outputs the created retransmission resource allocation request or new resource allocation request to the request message control unit 142.

Next, the resource allocation requesting device 3 determines whether or not there is a request for transmitting a resource allocation request message (step S309).

If there is no request for transmission of the resource allocation request message (step S309: NO), the resource allocation requesting apparatus 3 waits for transmission of the resource allocation request message and returns to step S301 to determine whether there is a request for retransmission of the resource allocation request message. Determine.

On the other hand, when there is a transmission request for the resource allocation request message (step S309: YES), the message creation unit 1421 transmits the resource allocation request message to the retransmission resource allocation request or the new resource allocation request output from the request creation unit 141. A resource allocation request message is created by adding a source address indicating the resource allocation requesting device 3 that is the source and a destination address indicating the resource allocation device 4 that is the destination of the resource allocation request message. The request message is output to the message transmission unit 1422.

The message transmission unit 1422 transmits the resource allocation request message output from the message creation unit 1421 to the resource allocation device 4 via the external connection interface 12 (step S310).

In FIG. 10, an example in which the retransmission resource allocation request and the new resource allocation request are created in one flow has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the creation of a new resource allocation request is illustrated in FIG. The retransmission resource allocation request can be created according to the flow shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing another example of the resource allocation request message transmission operation when the resource allocation requesting device 3 shown in FIG. 9 receives a denial response message.

The flowchart of FIG. 11 is obtained by extracting steps S301 to S304, step S309, and step S310 from the flowchart shown in FIG.

In FIG. 11, when there is no request for retransmission of the resource allocation request message in step S301 (step S301: NO), only the point of proceeding to step S309 is different from FIG.

Next, operations of the resource allocation request device 3 and the resource allocation device 4 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of operations of the resource allocation requesting device 3 and the resource allocation device 4 when the resource allocation request message is retransmitted.

The resource allocation requesting device 3 is based on the service usage status information acquired by the user usage status information acquisition unit 111 and the user context acquired by the user context acquisition unit 112 from other devices (not shown) installed in the xSP. The usage status of the end user as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 12, four normal users (users 1, 2, 3, 4) use the service.

Here, the resource allocation requesting device 3 groups users 1, 2, 3 and 4 as group 1, describes that the user is a normal user in the allocation request level 103 of the resource allocation request, and assigns VIP to the allocation request address 104. It is assumed that a resource allocation request message 501 for requesting allocation of computer resources having a user address value 10.0.0.3 is transmitted.

Note that the configuration of the resource allocation request follows the configuration of the resource allocation request shown in FIG. 3 or FIG.

Here, since the computer resource with the address value 10.0.0.3 is for the VIP user, the resource allocation device 4 sends the resource allocation request included in the resource allocation request message 501 transmitted from the resource allocation request device 3. A denial response message 601 indicating that denial of acceptance has been denied is transmitted.

At this time, the resource allocation device 4 cannot allocate the computer resource having the address value 10.0.0.3 to the group 1 (reject: 10.0.0.3) and the address value 10.0.0.3. Denial contents of resource allocation request indicating that computer resources having an address value of 0.4 and an address value of 10.0.0.5 can be allocated (accepts: 10.0.0.4, 10.0.0.5) Is transmitted to the resource allocation requesting device 3.

Note that the above-described configuration of the denial response message 601 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

Next, the resource allocation requesting device 3 receives the denial response message 601 transmitted from the resource allocation device 4, and recalculates the resource for which allocation is requested based on the rejection content included in the received denial response message 601. Do.

Then, the resource allocation requesting device 3 sets the users 1 and 2 as group 1 based on the rejection contents, describes that the user is a normal user in the resource allocation request level 103 of the resource allocation request, and sets the address value in the allocation request address 104. A resource allocation request message 502 requesting to allocate a computer resource of 10.0.0.4, and users 3 and 4 are group 2, and the resource allocation request level 103 describes that the user is a normal user, and an allocation request address A resource allocation request message 503 requesting that a server machine having an address value of 10.0.0.5 is allocated to 104 is generated and transmitted to the resource allocation device 4.

The resource allocation device 4 that has received the resource allocation request messages 502 and 503 sends a response message 602 to the resource allocation requesting device 3 indicating approval of acceptance of the resource allocation request included in the resource allocation request messages 502 and 503. Send.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, when the resource allocation device 4 denies acceptance of the resource allocation request, the resource allocation device 4 transmits a denial response message including the rejection contents of the resource allocation request to the resource allocation request device 3.

Further, the resource allocation requesting device 3 retransmits a resource allocation request message for requesting resource allocation based on the rejection contents of the resource allocation request included in the denial response message.

Therefore, the resource allocation requesting device 3 can retransmit the resource allocation request message based on the rejection contents even when the resource allocation request request is rejected, and the resource allocation requesting device 3 and the resource allocation device 4, more efficient resource allocation can be performed.
(Third embodiment)
The feature of the third embodiment is that the user management unit 11 and the resource information acquisition unit 13 are removed from the resource allocation requesting device 1 shown in FIG. 1 and the resource allocation requesting device 3 shown in FIG. The configuration of the resource allocation requesting device is simplified by providing it outside.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the resource allocation requesting apparatus 5 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

The resource allocation requesting device 5 shown in FIG. 13 has a configuration in which the user management unit 11 and the resource information acquisition unit 13 are removed from the resource allocation requesting device 1 shown in FIG.

The resource allocation requesting device 5 provides service usage status information, user context, and resource information provided by the xSP in which the resource allocation device 5 is installed, and a user management unit 11 and resources installed outside the resource allocation requesting device 5 Although it differs from the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 in that it is obtained from the information obtaining unit 13, other configurations and operations of the respective blocks are the same, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the resource allocation requesting apparatus 7 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

The resource allocation request device 7 shown in FIG. 14 has a configuration in which the user management unit 11 and the resource information acquisition unit 13 are removed from the resource allocation request device 3 shown in FIG.

The resource allocation requesting device 7 provides service usage status information, user context, and resource information provided by the xSP in which the resource allocation requesting device 7 is installed, a user management unit 11 installed outside the resource allocation requesting device 7, Although it differs from the resource allocation requesting device 3 shown in FIG. 9 in that it is obtained from the resource information obtaining unit 13, the other configurations and the operations of the respective blocks are the same, and the description thereof is omitted.

In this way, the service management status information, user context, and resource information provided by the xSP in which the resource allocation requesting devices 5 and 7 are installed are provided to the user management unit 11 installed outside the resource allocation requesting devices 5 and 7. Or the resource information acquisition unit 13, and even if necessary information is acquired from the external user management unit 11 or the resource information acquisition unit 13, a resource allocation request similar to that in the first and second embodiments is made. Can do.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the resource allocation requesting devices 5 and 7 use the resource allocation information, user context, and resource information provided by the xSP in which the resource allocation requesting devices 5 and 7 are installed, Management is performed by the user management unit 11 and the resource information acquisition unit 13 installed outside the requesting devices 5 and 7, and necessary information is acquired from the external user management unit 11 and the resource information acquisition unit 13.

Therefore, the configuration of the resource allocation request device can be simplified.
(Fourth embodiment)
In the fourth embodiment, it will be described how the user context of the end user is reflected in the grouping of the end user in creating the resource allocation request.

A feature of the fourth embodiment is that, in grouping end users, grouping is performed so that the same end user does not join a plurality of groups grouped based on different contexts. .

As described above, the user context is detailed information of the end user, such as age, gender, hobby, address, current service usage location, service usage terminal, service usage frequency and frequency, and service preference. It consists of information such as the user's own information and which of a plurality of services provided by xSP, and shows all information related to the end user.

Then, the user management unit 1411 performs grouping based on the context of the user context.

Further, in order to perform grouping, context pattern classification as shown in FIG. 15 is performed for each context.

In the example shown in FIG. 15, pattern classifications 701 to 706 are performed for the context of usage count, usage terminal, age, usage plan, address 1 and address 2 among the contexts included in the user context.

Note that the context included in the user context in which the pattern classification shown in FIG. 15 is performed and the pattern classification method are merely examples, and can be arbitrarily set by, for example, a resource user.

Further, such context pattern classification is performed, for example, by the user context acquisition unit 112 of the resource allocation requesting apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of grouping end users will be described.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an end user grouping operation by the user grouping unit 1411 according to the fourth embodiment of this invention.

First, a request to create a resource allocation request is generated based on service usage status information, user context, and resource information.

For example, because the number of end users who use the service is increasing as the service usage status of end users, end users whose usage frequency context is more than a certain number are grouped and unused for the grouped group This is a case where a request for creating a resource allocation request for requesting resource allocation for providing a service by the resource is generated in the resource allocation requesting device.

In such a case, the user grouping unit 1411 performs grouping so that end users whose usage count context is equal to or greater than a certain number of times join the same group.

First, the user grouping unit 1411 determines, for each end user, whether the target context to be grouped belongs to a pattern that satisfies the grouping condition (step S401).

In the above example, the user grouping unit 1411 determines whether the context of the number of uses belongs to a pattern of a certain number of times or more.

When the context to which the end user is grouped belongs to a pattern that satisfies the grouping condition (step S401: YES), the user grouping unit 1411 groups the end user based on another context. It is determined whether or not the group has already joined (step S402).

In the above example, it is determined whether an end user whose usage count context belongs to a pattern of a certain number of times or more has already joined a group grouped based on another context.

When the end user belonging to the pattern that satisfies the grouping condition does not join the group grouped based on another context (step S402: YES), the user grouping unit 1411 selects the end user. Then, a group based on a context to be grouped is joined (step S403).

In the above example, when an end user whose usage frequency context belongs to a pattern of a certain number of times or more has not joined a group grouped based on another context, the user grouping unit 1411 A user is joined to a group based on the usage frequency context.

On the other hand, when an end user belonging to a pattern that satisfies the grouping condition has already joined a group grouped based on another context (step S402: YES), the user grouping unit 1411 In order to prevent an end user from joining multiple groups, does the context to be grouped take precedence over other contexts from which the end user has already been grouped? It is determined whether or not (step S404).

In the above example, when an end user whose usage frequency context belongs to a pattern of a certain number of times or more already joins a group grouped based on another context, the user grouping unit 1411 uses the usage group. It is determined whether the number of contexts has priority over the other contexts. In the following, it is assumed that the other context is the context of the usage plan.

Therefore, the user grouping unit 1411 determines whether the context of the number of times of use has priority over the context of the usage plan.

When the context to be grouped has priority over other contexts from which the end users who belong to the pattern that satisfies the grouping condition already belong are grouped (steps) (S404: YES), the user grouping unit 1411 joins the end user to a group that is grouped based on the context to be grouped.

In the above example, when the context of the usage count is given priority over the context of the usage plan, the user grouping unit 1411 groups end users whose usage count is a certain number or more based on the context of the usage count. Join a group.

On the other hand, when the target context for grouping does not take precedence over other contexts that are the basis for grouping groups that already belong to a pattern that satisfies the pattern that satisfies grouping ( In step S404: NO), the user grouping unit 1411 joins the end user to a group grouped based on another context to which the end user has already joined.

In the above example, if the context of the usage count is not prioritized over the context of the usage plan, the user grouping unit 1411 has already subscribed an end user whose usage count is a certain number of times. Join a group that is grouped based on the context of the usage plan.

Next, the user grouping unit 1411 determines whether there is an end user who has not performed the above-described processing from step S401 to S404.

If there is an end user who has not performed the processing from step S401 to S404, the processing from step S401 is repeated.

Note that the priority order for each context can be arbitrarily set by the resource user, and can also be set for each end user.

In addition, the user grouping unit 1411 gives priority to the context to be grouped over other contexts that are the basis for grouping the groups to which the end user has already joined. When an end user belonging to the pattern to be satisfied is added to a group that is grouped based on a context as a grouping target, the end user is deleted from the group that has already been added.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user grouping unit 1411 determines, for each end user, whether the context to be grouped belongs to a pattern that satisfies the grouping condition, If so, the end user is joined to a group that is grouped based on the context to be grouped.

In addition, the user grouping unit 1411, when an end user who belongs to a pattern that satisfies the grouping condition already joins a group grouped based on another context, is a target context for grouping Determines whether it is preferred over other contexts, and joins the end user to a group grouped based on the preferred context.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the same end user from joining a plurality of groups grouped based on different contexts, thereby preventing inconsistency in resource allocation.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-079165 filed on Mar. 27, 2009, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein.

Claims (28)

A resource allocation requesting device that requests a resource allocation device that manages the resource to allocate a resource used to provide a service via a network,
A user context acquisition unit for acquiring a user context indicating characteristics of an end user using the service;
A user grouping unit that groups the end users based on the user context acquired by the user context acquisition unit;
Resource allocation indicating the content of the resource requested to be allocated to the resource allocation device based on the user context acquired by the user context acquisition unit in units of groups of the end users grouped by the user grouping unit A request creation unit for creating a request;
A resource allocation requesting device comprising: a transmission unit that transmits the resource allocation request created by the request creation unit to the resource allocation device. The request creation unit further creates a resource allocation request for requesting the resource allocation apparatus to allocate the resource based on the user context acquired by the user context acquisition unit for each end user. The resource allocation requesting device described in 1. The resource allocation request includes at least one of an allocation request level indicating the quality of the resource requested to be allocated to the resource allocation device and an allocation request address specifying the resource requested to be allocated to the resource allocation device. The resource allocation requesting device according to claim 2. A resource information acquisition unit that acquires resource information indicating a use status of the resource;
The said request creation part creates the said resource allocation request in the said end user group unit or the said end user unit based on the said resource information acquired by the said resource information acquisition part. Resource allocation request device. The resource allocation request is:
Non-shared group information specifying an end user group that cannot be assigned the same resource as the group of the end user or the resource assigned to the end user, which is requested to be assigned in the resource allocation request;
Non-shared user information specifying an end user who is not assigned the same resource as the group of end users or the resource assigned to the end user that requests assignment in the resource assignment request; and
Non-shared allocation request resource information that specifies a group that is not allocated to the end user group or the end user;
The resource allocation requesting device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, comprising at least one. When the resource allocation apparatus rejects the resource allocation request transmitted by the transmission unit, the resource allocation request is transmitted from the resource allocation apparatus. A receiving unit for receiving a response message including the rejection content;
In response to the resource allocation request, when the resource allocation apparatus rejects the resource allocation, the request creation unit is based on the rejection content included in the response message received by the reception unit. 6. The resource allocation requesting device according to claim 1, wherein the resource allocation requesting device again creates a retransmission resource allocation request for requesting the resource allocation. The user context consists of a plurality of items indicating the characteristics of the end user,
The user grouping unit is a group in which end users satisfying a grouping condition are grouped based on other items of the user context based on a predetermined item of the user context for grouping the end users. To determine if you have
If the end user is in a group grouped based on other items in the user context,
Determining a priority between a predetermined item of the user context for grouping the end users and other items of the user context;
The resource allocation requesting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a group to which the end user joins is determined based on a result of the priority determination. The resource allocation requesting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the resource is a computer resource that performs processing necessary to provide the service. The resource allocation requesting device according to claim 8, wherein the resource is a network resource that provides communication between the computer resource and the computer resource. A resource allocation device that allocates the resource in response to a request from a resource allocation requesting device that requests allocation of a resource necessary for providing a service via a network,
A resource allocation request that is transmitted from the resource allocation requesting device and that requests allocation of the resource in units of the end user group or in units of the end user, created based on the characteristics of the end user using the service A receiving unit for receiving
A resource allocation apparatus comprising: a resource management unit that allocates the resource in units of groups of the end users or in units of the end users based on the resource allocation request received by the reception unit. A resource information acquisition unit for acquiring resource information indicating a use status of the resource to which the resource allocation device performs allocation;
The resource according to claim 10, wherein the resource management unit allocates the resource in a group unit of the end user or the end user unit based on the resource information acquired by the resource information acquisition unit. Allocation device. When rejecting the resource allocation request received by the receiving unit, a message creating unit for creating a response message including a rejection content indicating a rejection content for the resource allocation request;
The message transmitting unit that transmits a response message created by the message creating unit to the resource allocation requesting device when rejecting the resource allocation request received by the receiving unit. Resource allocation device. The resource allocation apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the resource is a computer resource that performs processing necessary to provide the service. 14. The resource allocation device according to claim 13, wherein the resource is a network resource that provides communication between the computer resource and the computer resource. A resource allocation request method applied to a resource allocation requesting device that requests allocation of resources used for providing a service via a network to a resource allocation device that manages the resource,
Obtain a user context indicating the characteristics of the end user using the service;
Group the end users based on the obtained user context;
Creating a resource allocation request indicating the content of the resource to be allocated to the resource allocation device based on the acquired user context in a group unit of the grouped end users;
A resource allocation request method for transmitting the created resource allocation request to the resource allocation device. 16. The resource allocation requesting method according to claim 15, wherein a resource allocation request for requesting resource allocation to the resource allocation device is further created for each end user based on the acquired user context. The resource allocation request includes at least one of an allocation request level indicating the quality of the resource requested to be allocated to the resource allocation device and an allocation request address specifying the resource requested to be allocated to the resource allocation device. The resource allocation request method according to claim 16. Obtaining resource information indicating the usage status of the resource;
The resource allocation requesting method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the resource allocation request is created in groups of the end users or in units of the end users based on the acquired resource information. The resource allocation request is:
Non-shared group information specifying an end user group that cannot be assigned the same resource as the group of the end user or the resource assigned to the end user, which is requested to be assigned in the resource allocation request;
Non-shared user information specifying an end user who is not assigned the same resource as the group of end users or the resource assigned to the end user that requests assignment in the resource assignment request; and
Non-shared allocation request resource information that specifies a group that is not allocated to the end user group or the end user;
The resource allocation requesting method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, comprising at least one. In response to the transmitted resource allocation request, the resource allocation apparatus rejects the resource allocation;
Receiving a response message including a rejection content indicating a rejection content to the resource allocation request transmitted from the resource allocation device;
20. The retransmission resource allocation request for requesting the resource allocation apparatus to allocate the resource again is created based on the rejection content included in the received response message. 21. Resource allocation request method. The user context is composed of a plurality of items indicating the characteristics of the end user,
Based on a predetermined item of the user context that performs grouping of the end users, whether or not an end user that satisfies the grouping condition joins a group that is grouped based on other items of the user context. Judgment,
If the end user is in a group grouped based on other items in the user context,
Determining a priority between a predetermined item of the user context for grouping the end users and other items of the user context;
21. The resource allocation request method according to claim 15, wherein a group to which the end user joins is determined based on a result of the priority determination. The resource allocation request method according to any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein the resource is a computer resource that performs processing necessary to provide the service. The resource allocation request method according to claim 22, wherein the resource is a network resource that provides communication between the computer resource and the computer resource. A resource allocation method applied to a resource allocation device for allocating resources in response to a request from a resource allocation request device that requests allocation of resources necessary for providing a service via a network,
A resource allocation request that is transmitted from the resource allocation requesting device and that requests allocation of the resource in units of the end user group or in units of the end user, created based on the characteristics of the end user using the service Receive
A resource allocation method for allocating the resource in units of end user groups or in units of end users based on the received resource allocation request. Obtaining resource information indicating a usage status of the resource to which the resource allocation device allocates;
25. The resource allocation method according to claim 24, wherein the resource allocation is performed in units of groups of the end users or in units of the end users based on the acquired resource information. When rejecting the received resource allocation request,
Creating a response message including a rejection content indicating a rejection content to the resource allocation request;
The resource allocation method according to claim 24 or 25, wherein the created response message is transmitted to the resource allocation requesting device. 27. The resource allocation method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein the resource is a computer resource that performs a process necessary to provide the service. The resource allocation method according to claim 27, wherein the resource is a network resource that provides communication between the computer resource and the computer resource.

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