Feedback control for multi-resource usage of virtualised database server

[Display omitted] •We demonstrated the application of control theory for resource management of DBVM.•Both MIMO and multiple SISO system models were obtained.•The relation between system inputs and outputs can be approximated by a linear model.•PI controllers were designed for each of two separate SISO systems.•Control theoretical approach increased both efficiency and QoS in the cloud. Virtualisation and cloud computing have recently received significant attention. Resource allocation and control of multiple resource usages among virtual machines in virtualised data centres remains an open problem. Therefore, in this paper, our focus is to control CPU (central processing unit) usage and memory consumption of a virtual database machine in a data centre under a time-varying heavy workload. In addition to existing work, we attempt to control multiple outputs, such as the CPU usage and memory consumption of a virtualised database server (DBVM), via changing multiple server parameters, such as the CPU allocation and memory allocation, in real time. We indicated that a virtualised database server might be modelled as a linear time-unvarying system. We obtained and compared both MIMO (multi input–multi output) and multiple SISO (single input–single output) models of that system. We designed multiple SISO feedback controllers to achieve desired CPU usages and memory consumptions under workload.