Autonomic Computing systems that are self-healing will not only cut costs, but also ensure maximum system uptime, and automate the management of increasingly complex systems. Brian Pereira brings you an update on autonomic computing and its immediate benefits

Autonomic computing is an approach to self-managed computing systems that will work independently

With Autonomic Computing applications like server load balancing, process allocation, monitoring power supply, automatic updating of software, will become possible

Once autonomous computing is adopted by enterprises, will service engineers and network administrators become redundant?

According to Van Symons of IBM, while autonomic computing won’t put sys admins out of jobs, it will minimise the number of people needed to do the more mundane tasks

THE human body is self-healing. Broken bones mend, cuts heal, and a child’s immunity system grows stronger. The body’s autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary actions without conscious awareness or involvement, has fascinated the world of medicine. So why can’t it be the same with computers? Must a computer engineer or a systems administrator monitor a server round-the-clock to ensure normal operation?

The solution is autonomic computing systems that will have the ability to configure, tune and even repair themselves. Autonomic computing is an approach to self-managed computing systems that will work independently, without human intervention.

Engineers in research labs around the world are now creating autonomic systems and it’s not just for computers. Take the automobile industry for instance. Engineers at Daimler-Chrysler AG (manufacturer of the highly reputed Mercedes-Benz cars), have been working on autonomic systems to ensure driver/passenger safety, for many years. The fruits of their efforts are ABS (Anti-lock braking system) and other safety innovations. (You can

read more about these innovations at www.mercedes-benz.com/e/innovation/rd/). ABS prevents the wheel from locking when the car goes into a skid. This ensures the car can still be steered and thus prevents accidents. The ABS comprises electronic sensors and solenoid valves in the wheel hubs.

Scientists at Goodyear and Michelin (both tyre manufacturers) have created ‘Run-flat’ tyres that let you drive safely for a few more miles (to the nearest repair shop) after a tyre puncture. Run-flat tyres have a reinforced sidewall that maintains some thickness in the tyre and thus keeps the chassis level when the tyre is deflated. In addition, there are sensors in all four tyres that relay information about the air pressure to the dashboard of the car. The driver can monitor the pressure levels in the tyres and take corrective action when necessary. This feature could be automated in the future. (You can read more about this at www.orbweb.net/autoshop247/tyre_talk/11_latest_trends.html).

Self-healing technology in computers is not a new concept. Notable examples of this technology are ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory, SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) for hard disks, and fault-tolerant servers. Research institutions are working towards making such technologies more autonomous. In this sense, there will be minimal human intervention, and computing sub-systems will be able to proactively detect and rectify potential faults before any failure occurs. A fully autonomous computing system does not exist today, but such systems could make the concept of 24 x 7 x 365, or 99.999 percent uptime possible.

Initiatives

M Ganesh of IBM India says the ultimate goal of autonomic computing is to give businesses the ability to manage systems and technology infrastructures that are hundreds of times more complex than those in existence today

Various computer vendors and research institutions are involved in autonomic computing, which is also referred to as ‘self-healing technology’, ‘holistic computing’ or ‘introspective computing’. The technology is not only applicable to servers, but also extends to databases, software applications, and Grid Computing networks.

Perhaps the first elements of autonomous computing were ‘software agents’ that made waves around 1999. A prime example is Computer Associates’ Neugents. According to CA, Neugents look for patterns in data and can extrapolate from the patterns to predict future events. Neugents, which are included in CA’s Unicenter systems management software and its Jasmine object-oriented database, can look at up to 1,200 variables and make sense of it all. Business data is one area in which CA is pushing this technology.

‘Spiders’ or software agents from search engines are another example. Also called ‘Bots’, these agents scour the Web looking for new websites and then return to the search engine and update its database with the new URLs.

Windows XP also incorporates self-healing technology. When an application crashes, the user can shut it down systematically, thereby preventing the entire system from freezing or hanging. This operating system also offers to report program errors to the Microsoft Support team. Further, Windows XP looks out for updates and automatically downloads these when available.

Recent versions of Microsoft Office include a Repair feature. So if key program file (such as Winword.exe) gets corrupted or accidentally deleted, the software can reinstall it. Such features will soon be present in other desktop software.

Plug-and-play is another element of autonomous computing. Plug in a new device to your PC and the system will automatically detect it. The operating system will then fire up its hardware wizard, which guides you through the process of installing the appropriate drivers for the new device.

One company that is actively working towards fully autonomous systems is IBM, which has an initiative named Project eLiza (See box: An update on IBM’s Project eLiza). IBM has incorporated some elements of eLiza (now in phase 2 of development) in its servers. The company is demonstrating software called Enterprise Workload Manager, which monitors groups of servers, managing the machines and moving work between them without the aid of human administrators.

An initiative similar to eLiza is Project Oceano. It will enable a group of Linux servers to share jobs, and reassign jobs when new servers are added or removed from the cluster.

Compaq is also pursuing autonomic computing. It is offering a suite of tools collectively called Proliant Essentials. The tool with autonomic characteristics is Compaq Insight Manager. This software delivers pre-failure alerts for Compaq ProLiant servers, thereby proactively detecting potential server failures before they result in unplanned system downtime. Another tool in the suite is ActiveUpdate, an advanced Web-based application that provides proactive notification and automatic download of software updates for all Compaq systems that range from handhelds to servers.

Another example of an autonomic system is the Adaptive data flow engine, a technology used to scan ‘Deep Web’ databases and collect information. Deep Web refers to information on the Internet that cannot be found using traditional search engines. The technology was developed by University of California, Berkley associate professors Joseph Hellerstein and Michael Franklin. They (along with a team of six students) have designed Telegraph software, a data retrieval system designed to harness streams of live data coming out of the Internet as well as from networked sensors, software, and smart devices. Telegraph does much more than traditional search engines. It fetches data from Web-accessible databases, analyses it, does cross-referencing, collates data and presents it all on one screen.

(You can read more about this development at telegraph.cs.berkeley.edu/).

Dr Manoj Kumar of IBM India Research Lab says the most immediate benefit of autonomic computing will be reduced deployment and maintenance cost and increased stability of IT systems

Research in autonomic computing is also taking place in labs at MIT, University of Texas, University of Michigan and other universities.

Objectives
There has to be a compelling reason for institutions to invest millions of dollars towards autonomic computing research. Why do we need such systems? What do researchers hope to achieve and what would an autonomic system be capable of in the future?

A key reason for development is the management of complex and disparate systems. Says M Ganesh, country manager, Enterprise Systems Group, IBM India, “Due to rapid advances, technology is becoming accessible to more people everyday. Ironically, this has led to a growing problem in the industry as we get better technology with increasing price/performance, managing those technologies has become a customer’s number one problem.”

According to Ganesh, the ultimate goal of autonomic computing initiatives like Project eLiza, is to give businesses the ability to manage systems and technology infrastructures that are hundreds of times more complex than those in existence today. “This means computer systems should be able to self-optimise, self-configure, self-protect and self-heal,” says Ganesh.

As enterprises expand IT infrastructure, they will require skilled manpower to manage the complexity of interconnected systems, each sophisticated in its own way. Organisations that frequently expand IT infrastructure are confronted with the problem of shortage of skilled manpower. Autonomic computing can address this requirement because systems will self-manage, and adapt to new situations without the need for administrator intervention.

But once autonomous computing is adopted by enterprises, will service engineers and network administrators become redundant?
“Autonomic computing won’t put people out of jobs, but it will minimise the number of people needed to do the more mundane tasks,” says Van Symons, IBM’s global executive for Project eLiza. “Autonomic computing will raise the level of their positions so that they will be setting the policy, and not just being the equivalent of ‘cable guys’.”

It may be some time before people feel threatened, but for the moment it would be appropriate to consider autonomic computing as a solution to the management of complex systems and the answer to the shortage of skilled administrators.

Says Dr Manoj Kumar, director, IBM India Research Lab, “Autonomic computing has risen to the top of the IT agenda because of the immediate need to solve the skills shortage, and the rapidly increasing size and complexity of the world’s computing infrastructure.”

Kumar feels the goal of autonomic computing is to realise the promise of IT: increasing productivity while minimising complexity for users. “It’s time to design and build computing systems capable of running themselves, adjusting to varying circumstances, and preparing their resources to handle most efficiently the workloads we put upon them,” he says.

The other driver for creating autonomic systems is the potential benefits it presents.

Benefits
The main benefit of autonomic computing is reduced TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). Breakdowns will be less frequent, thereby drastically reducing maintenance costs. Fewer personnel will be required to manage the systems.

According to IBM studies, approximately 80 percent of the cost of major computer systems revolved around hardware and software procurement earlier. Now, the cost of trained personnel required to manage these systems is roughly equivalent to the equipment costs. IBM feels the cost of personnel will double that of equipment in the next five to six years.

“The most immediate benefit of autonomic computing will be reduced deployment and maintenance cost and increased stability of IT systems through automation,” says Dr Kumar. “Higher order benefits will include allowing companies to better manage their business through IT systems that are able to adopt and implement directives based on business policy, and are able to make modifications based on changing environments.”

IBM also says that autonomic systems can reduce the time for deploying new systems.

“The challenge for a customer today is that his IT infrastructure is most likely heterogeneous, meaning it’s comprised of hardware from multiple vendors. This makes it increasingly difficult to add systems and manage them autonomically,” says Symons. “Customers spend three-fourths of their application deployment time and costs on the integration equation. We need autonomic capabilities so that IT infrastructures can be self-configuring, self-healing, self-optimising and self-protecting.”

Another benefit of this technology is that it provides server consolidation to maximise system availability, and minimises cost and human effort to manage large server farms.

Applications
Autonomic computing promises to simplify the management of computing systems. But that capability will provide the basis for much more: from seamless e-sourcing and Grid Computing, to dynamic e-business and the ability to translate business decisions that managers make to the IT processes and policies that make those decisions a reality.

IBM’s Dr Kumar says one of the first applications of autonomic computing is e-sourcing, which is gaining traction now. E-sourcing is the ability to deliver IT as a utility, when you need it, in the amount you must have to accomplish the task at hand. Autonomic computing will create huge opportunities for these kinds of services, feels Dr Kumar.

Other applications include server load balancing, process allocation, monitoring power supply, automatic updating of software and drivers, pre-failure warning, memory error-correction, automated system backup and recovery, etc.

One area where autonomic computing can contribute significantly is Grid Computing. Grids, empowered with the self-managing capabilities of autonomics can revolutionise computing. And the applications are not just restricted to the IT industry alone.

There are several Grid Computing initiatives underway. The University of Pennsylvania, for instance, is building a powerful grid that aims to bring advanced methods of breast cancer diagnosis and screening to patients, while reducing costs. The Grid is a utility-like service delivered over the Internet, enabling thousands of hospitals to store mammograms in digital form. The Grid will provide analytical tools that help physicians diagnose individual cases and identify cancer ‘clusters’ in the population.

Another example is the North Carolina Biometrics Grid, accessible to thousands of researchers and educators to help accelerate the pace of genomic research that could lead to new medicines to combat diseases and develop more nutritious foods to feed the world’s population.

But autonomic computing development faces some challenges too and it may be some time before we see its implementation in applications like Grid Computing.

Challenges
Analysts say the days of widespread autonomic computing usage are still way off. However, we are beginning to see elements of it in business systems (See box: An update on IBM’s Project eLiza). Meanwhile, the challenges faced in developing such systems are mainly those dealing with the management of complex systems operating in heterogeneous environments.

The other challenge is to convince customers that autonomic computing actually simplifies systems management and can cut costs in a manner described earlier in this article. IT managers and administrators may be reluctant to give up control of the systems they manage.

The transition to the new self-healing systems must cause minimal or no disruption. Teething problems will only shatter an IT manager’s faith in these systems.

Systems with autonomic capabilities (such as IBM’s servers) are already available in the Indian market. The next few months will determine the acceptance of autonomic computing as such systems begin to be deployed in enterprises. But we can look forward to the days of highly simplified network management and rapid systems deployment, thanks to the self-healing, self-configuring, and self-tuning characteristics of the next generation of computing systems.