A Combinatorial Auction Mechanism for Multiple Resource Procurement in Cloud Computing

In hybrid cloud computing, cloud users have the ability to procure resources from multiple cloud vendors, and furthermore also the option of selecting different combinations of resources. The problem of procuring a single resource from one of many cloud vendors can be modeled as a standard winner determination problem, and there are mechanisms for single item resource procurement given different QoS and pricing parameters. There however is no compatible approach that would allow cloud users to procure arbitrary bundles of resources from cloud vendors. We design the cLouo-CABOB algorithm to solve the multiple resource procurement problem in hybrid clouds. Cloud users submit their requirements, and in turn vendors submit bids containing price, QoS and their offered sets of resources. The approach is scalable, which is necessary given that there are a large number of cloud vendors, with more continually appearing. We perform experiments for procurement cost and scalability efficacy on the cLouo-CABOB algorithm using various standard distribution benchmarks like random, uniform, decay and CATS. Simulations using our approach with prices procured from several cloud vendors' datasets show its effectiveness at multiple resource procurement.