Computer system and a method for controlling a computer system

• US 20010044817A1
• Filed: 01/09/2001
• Published: 11/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamashita, Hirofumi, Asano, Masayasu, Arai, Toshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 6,931,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/142 Reconfiguring to eliminate the error group management mechanisms in a peer-to-peer network H04L67/1044
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals

Abstract

In a cluster system including a plurality of operating systems operating on one computer, computer resources can be updated for and reallocated to each operating system. When the operating systems are used as active or standby operating systems, a multiple operating system management controller monitors the state of each operating system. At a failure of an active operating system, the controller allocates a larger part of computer resources to another operating system in a normal state and assigns the operating system as a new active operating system. Regardless of the failure, the computer system can be operated without changing processing capability thereof. The controller can monitor load of each operating system to allocate computer resources to the operating system according to the load.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

means for operating a plurality of operating systems on one computer and allocating computer resources to the operating systems;

means for managing the computer resources;

means for updating allocation of the computer resources to the operating systems and restoring the allocation thereof;

means for managing contents respectively of the update of the computer resource allocation and the restoration of the computer resource allocation in relation to a state of operation of each of the operating systems; and

means for updating the computer resource allocation and restoring the computer resource allocation according to a state of operation of each of the operating systems.

2. A method of controlling a computer system including a cluster system on one computer in which a plurality of operating systems are operating, one of the operating systems is used as an active operating system, another one thereof is used as a standby operating system, and when a failure occurs in the active operating system, processing thereof is passed to the standby operating system, comprising the steps of:

monitoring a failure in the active operating system;

monitoring operation to pass processing to the standby operating system;

allocating, when the active operating system is operating, a larger part of the computer resources to the active operating system than to the standby operating system;

allocating, when the standby operating system starts operation after a failure occurs in the active operating system, a larger part of the computer resources to the standby operating system than to the active operating system; and

operating the standby operating system as an active operating system.

3. A method of controlling a computer system in which a plurality of operating systems are operating on one computer, comprising the steps of:

monitoring load on each of the operating systems by monitoring a state of operation of the operating systems;

analyzing the load and determining a cause of a highest load on one of the operating systems; and

allocating, to the operating system having the highest load, computer resources necessary to remove the cause.

6. A method of controlling a computer system according to

claim 3

, further comprising the steps of:

managing computer resources not allocated to the operating systems;

managing a use ratio of each computer resource allocated to each operating system; and

allocating the computer resources not allocated yet to the operating systems to each operating system according to the use ratio.

7. A method of controlling a computer system according to

claim 6

, further comprising the steps of:

managing a user who establishes connection to the computer system to use computer resources;

managing a use time of each computer resource of the user;

updating allocation of computer resources in response to a request from the user;

allocating computer resources set by the user; and

charging according to a state of the computer resource allocation.

4. A method of controlling a computer system in which a plurality of operating systems are operating on one computer, comprising the steps of:

managing a group of processing under each of the operating systems; and

comparing processing between the operating systems to determine processing to be preferentially executed and allocating a larger part of computer resources to the operating system to be preferentially executed.

5. A method of controlling a computer system in which a plurality of operating systems are operating on one computer, comprising the steps of:

managing a group of processing under each of the operating systems and an operation time to execute each processing;

managing a content of update of computer resources and a valid period of time thereof according to the operation time; and

allocating computer resources to each operating system by relating processing under control of the operating system to dynamic allocation of computer resources.

8. A method of controlling a computer system in which a plurality of operating systems are operating on one computer, comprising the steps of:

reserving a shared main memory area shared among the operating systems; and

writing data in a format for communication in the main memory area and reading the data from the main memory area, thereby forming a virtual communication medium between the operating systems.

9. A method of controlling a computer system in which a plurality of operating systems are operating on one computer, comprising the steps of:

operating the operating systems independent of each other; and

monitoring operation of each of the operating systems by use of a resource shared among the operating systems.