A method and system performs dynamic online multi-parameter optimization for autonomic computing systems. A simplex is maintained. The system's performance is measured for the particular setting of configuration parameters associated with each point in the simplex. A new sample point is determined using the geometric transformations of the simplex. A current best point in the simplex can be resampled to determine if the environment has changed. If a sufficiently different utility value is obtained from a previously sampled utility value for the point in the simplex, the simplex is expanded. If the difference is not sufficient enough, then contraction of the simplex is performed.