Systems/Enterprise:
IBM: SOFTWARE CAN REGULATE
GRID
Computer software has been used to predict hurricanes and financial
markets,
and now IBM says it has come up with a way to predict what is about to happen
next with the computers themselves.
International Business Machines Corp., the world's largest computer
company,
said that it has developed computing technology that allows systems to
automatically react to unexpected surges in demand and turn on additional
computers on the network.
The technology is part of IBM's efforts to develop computers that adapt
themselves to changing conditions and can fix themselves in the event of
failure, what is known as autonomic computing.
Autonomic computing in turn is part of IBM Chief Executive Officer Samuel
Palmisano's focus on creating what he calls on-demand computing, which covers
everything from managing inventory to using the Internet to deliver computing
power.
The computer services, hardware and software company said that the demand
prediction technology differs from the types of forecasting software now
available because it is based on actual demand rather than seasonal or
historical trends.
The company said the technology could be used to tap into computing power
on
other computer servers on a network if the system is being overtaxed by a
sudden flood of demand such as over the Internet.
For instance, if an airline starts a fare sale and is hit by a flood of
customer inquiries, it would take about one minute for the software to figure
out more power is needed and add another computer, said Joe Hellerstein,
manager of the adaptive systems department at IBM's Watson research
center.
The system can also turn off computers as they are no longer needed,
Hellerstein said.
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