System and method for dynamic load balancing

• US 20020178262A1
• Filed: 05/21/2002
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Bonnell, David, Sterin, Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/152,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178262A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system

Abstract

A method, system, and medium for dynamic load balancing of a multi-domain server are provided. A first computer system includes a plurality of domains and a plurality of system processor boards. A management console is coupled to the first computer system and is configurable to monitor the plurality of domains. An agent is configurable to gather a first set of information relating to the domains. The agent includes one or more computer programs that are configured to be executed on the first computer system. The agent is configurable to automatically migrate one or more of the plurality of system processor boards among the plurality of domains in response to the first set of gathered information relating to the domains.

Claims

1. A method for dynamic load balancing a plurality of system processor boards across a plurality of domains in a first computer system, the method comprising:

gathering a first set of information relating to the plurality of domains using an agent;

automatically migrating one or more of the plurality of system processor boards among the plurality of domains in response to the first set of gathered information relating to the plurality of domains;

wherein said automatic migration operates to dynamic load balance the plurality of system processor boards.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the first set of gathered information relating to the plurality of domains on a management console wherein the management console is coupled to the first computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a CPU load on the first computer system from each of the plurality of domains.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a rolling average CPU load on the first computer system from each of the plurality of domains.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent comprises one or more knowledge modules, wherein each knowledge module is configured to gather part of the first set of information relating to the domains.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a prioritized list of a subset of recipient domains of the plurality of domains.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a prioritized list of a subset of donor domains of the plurality of domains.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically migrating one or more of the plurality of system processor boards among the plurality of domains further comprises:

a. selecting a highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains;

b. moving the selected highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains to a highest priority domain in the subset of recipient domains;

c. repeating steps (a) and (b) until supply of available system processor boards from the subset of donor domains is exhausted.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically migrating one or more of the plurality of system processor boards among the plurality of domains further comprises:

a. selecting a highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains;

b. moving the selected highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains to a highest priority domain in the subset of recipient domains;

c. repeating steps (a) and (b) until demand for system processor boards in the subset of recipient domains is exhausted.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of domains are user configurable.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user configuration comprises setting characteristics for each of the plurality of domains, wherein the characteristics comprise one or more of:

a priority;

an eligibility for load balancing;

a maximum number of system processor boards;

a threshold average CPU load on the first computer system;

a minimum time interval between migrations of a system processor board.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying the first set of gathered information relating to the plurality of domains on a management console.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer programs are further executable to:

display the first set of gathered information relating to the plurality of domains on a management console wherein the management console is coupled to the first computer system.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a CPU load on the first computer system from each of the plurality of domains.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a rolling average CPU load on the first computer system from each of the plurality of domains.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the agent comprises one or more knowledge modules, wherein each knowledge module is configured to gather part of the first set of information relating to the domains.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a prioritized list of a subset of recipient domains of the plurality of domains.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a prioritized list of a subset of donor domains of the plurality of domains.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein in automatically migrating one or more of the plurality of system processor boards among the plurality of domains, the computer programs are further executable to:

a. select a highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains;

b. move the selected highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains to a highest priority domain in the subset of recipient domains;

c. repeat steps (a) and (b) until supply of available system processor boards from the subset of donor domains is exhausted.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein in automatically migrating one or more of the plurality of system processor boards among the plurality of domains, the computer programs are further executable to:

a. select a highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains;

b. move the selected highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains to a highest priority domain in the subset of recipient domains;

c. repeat steps (a) and (b) until demand for system processor boards in the subset of recipient domains is exhausted.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of domains are user configurable.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the user configuration comprises setting characteristics for each of the plurality of domains, wherein the characteristics comprise one or more of:

a priority;

an eligibility for load balancing;

a maximum number of system processor boards;

a threshold average CPU load on the first computer system;

a minimum time interval between migrations of a system processor board.

26. The carrier medium of claim 25, wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

displaying the first set of gathered information relating to the plurality of domains on a management console wherein the management console is coupled to the first computer system.

27. The carrier medium of claim 25, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a CPU load on the first computer system from each of the plurality of domains.

28. The carrier medium of claim 25, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a rolling average CPU load on the first computer system from each of the plurality of domains.

29. The carrier medium of claim 25, wherein the agent comprises one or more knowledge modules, wherein each knowledge module is configured to gather part of the first set of information relating to the domains.

30. The carrier medium of claim 25, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a prioritized list of a subset of recipient domains of the plurality of domains.

31. The carrier medium of claim 30, wherein the first set of gathered information comprises a prioritized list of a subset of donor domains of the plurality of domains.

32. The carrier medium of claim 31, wherein in automatically migrating one or more of the plurality of system processor boards among the plurality of domains, the program instructions are further executable to implement:

a. selecting a highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains;

b. moving the selected highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains to a highest priority domain in the subset of recipient domains;

c. repeating steps (a) and (b) until supply of available system processor boards from the subset of donor domains is exhausted.

33. The carrier medium of claim 31, wherein in automatically migrating one or more of the plurality of system processor boards among the plurality of domains, the program instructions are further executable to implement:

a. selecting a highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains;

b. moving the selected highest priority available system processor board from the subset of donor domains to a highest priority domain in the subset of recipient domains;

c. repeating steps (a) and (b) until demand for system processor boards in the subset of recipient domains is exhausted.

34. The carrier medium of claim 25, wherein the plurality of domains are user configurable.

35. The carrier medium of claim 34, wherein the user configuration comprises setting characteristics for each of the plurality of domains, wherein the characteristics comprise one or more of:

a priority;

an eligibility for load balancing;

a maximum number of system processor boards;

a threshold average CPU load on the first computer system;

a minimum time interval between migrations of a system processor board.

36. The carrier medium of claim 25, wherein the carrier medium is a memory medium.

12. A method for dynamic load balancing a plurality of system processor boards across a plurality of domains, the method comprising:

gathering a first set of information relating to the plurality of domains using an agent;

automatically migrating one or more of the plurality of system processor boards among the plurality of domains in response to the first set of gathered information relating to the plurality of domains;

wherein said automatic migration operates to dynamic load balance the plurality of system processor boards.

14. A system for dynamic load balancing a plurality of system processor boards across a plurality of domains in a first computer system, the system comprising:

a CPU coupled to the first computer system;

a system memory coupled to the CPU, wherein the system memory stores one or more computer programs executable by the CPU;

wherein the computer programs are executable to;

gather a first set of information relating to the plurality of domains using an agent;

automatically migrate one or more of the plurality of system processor boards among the plurality of domains in response to the first set of gathered information relating to the plurality of domains;

wherein said automatic migration operates to dynamic load balance the plurality of system processor boards.

25. A carrier medium which stores program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement:

gathering a first set of information relating to the plurality of domains using an agent;

automatically migrating one or more of the plurality of system processor boards among the plurality of domains in response to the first set of gathered information relating to the plurality of domains;

wherein said automatic migration operates to dynamic load balance the plurality of system processor boards.