Dynamic application placement under service and memory constraints

In this paper we consider an optimization problem which models the dynamic placement of applications on servers under two simultaneous resource requirements: one that is dependent on the loads placed on the applications and one that is independent. The demand (load) for applications changes over time and the goal is to satisfy all the demand while changing the solution (assignment of applications to servers) as little as possible. We describe the system environment where this problem arises, present a heuristic algorithm to solve it, and provide an experimental analysis comparing the algorithm to previously known algorithms. The experiments indicate that the new algorithm performs much better. Our algorithm is currently deployed in the IBM flagship product Websphere. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.