System and method for performing power management on a distributed system

• US 20030055969A1
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Newell, Darryl C., Begun, Ralph Murray, Hunter, Steven Wade
• Application Number:
  US09/953,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20030055969A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5014 Reservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5094 where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An improved system and method for performing power management on a distributed system. The system utilized to implement the present invention includes multiple servers for processing a set of tasks. The method of performing power management on a system first determines if the processing capacity of the system exceeds a predetermined workload. If the processing capacity exceeds a predetermined level, at least one of the multiple servers on the network is selected to be powered down and the tasks across the remaining servers are rebalanced. If the workload exceeds a predetermined processing capacity of the system and at least a server in a reduced power state may be powered up to a higher power state to increase the overall processing capacity of the system.

Claims

1. A method for power management in a distributed system including a plurality of servers, said method comprising:

determining whether or not processing capacity of said system exceeds a current workload associated with a plurality of tasks;

in response to determining said processing capacity of said system exceeds said workload, selecting at least one of said plurality of servers to be powered down to a reduced power state;

rebalancing said tasks across said plurality of servers; and

powering down said at least one selected server to a reduced power state.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including:

determining whether or not said workload exceeds said processing capacity of said system; and

in response to determining said workload exceeds said processing capacity of said system, powering up at least one of said plurality of servers to a higher power state.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

rebalancing said tasks across said plurality of servers.

4. A resource manager, comprising:

a dispatcher for receiving a plurality of tasks and relaying said tasks to a distributed system;

a workload manager (WLM) that balances said tasks on said system; and

a power regulator that determines whether or not processing capacity of a system exceeds a current workload and responsive to determining said processing capacity of said network exceeds said current workload, said power regulator selects and powers down at least one of said plurality of servers to a reduced power state.

5. The resource manager of claim 4, said power regulator including:

means for determining whether or not said current workload exceeds said processing capacity of said system; and

means, responsive to determining said current workload exceeds said processing capacity of said system, for powering up at least one of said plurality of servers to a higher power state.

7. A system, comprising:

a resource manager in accordance with claim 4;

and

a plurality of servers coupled to the resource manager for processing said current workload associated with said plurality of tasks.

8. A resource manager, comprising:

an interactive session support (ISS) that determines whether or not processing capacity of a network exceeds a current workload associated with a plurality of tasks;

a power manager that selects and powers down at least one of said plurality of servers down to a reduced power state responsive to said ISS determining said processing capacity of said network exceeds said current workload associated with said plurality of tasks;

a dispatcher that balances said tasks across said plurality of servers; and

a switching logic controlled by said dispatcher to balance said tasks.

9. The resource manager of claim 8, said interactive session support (ISS) further including:

means for determining whether or not said current workload exceeds said processing capacity of said network.

10. The resource manager of claim 8, said power manager comprising:

means for powering up at least one of said predetermined plurality of servers to a higher power state, responsive to said interactive session support (ISS) determining said current workload exceeds said processing capacity of said system.

11. A system comprising:

a resource manager in accordance with claim 8;

and

a plurality of servers for processing said current workload associated with said plurality of tasks.

12. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-usable medium;

a control program encoded within said computer-usable medium for controlling a system including a plurality of servers for processing a workload associated with a plurality of tasks, said control program including;

instructions for determining whether or not processing capacity of said system exceeds said workload;

instructions, responsive to determining said processing capacity of said network exceeds said workload, for selecting at least one of said plurality of servers to be powered down to a reduced power state;

instructions for rebalancing said tasks across said plurality of servers; and

instructions for powering down said at least one selected server to a reduced power state.

13. The computer program product according to claim 12, said control program further including:

instructions for determining whether or not said workload exceeds said processing capacity of said system; and

instructions responsive to determining said workload exceeds said processing capacity of said system, for powering up at least one of said plurality of servers to a higher power state.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, said control program further comprising:

instructions for rebalancing said workload across said plurality of servers.