Mechanism for enabling the distribution of operating system resources in a multi-node computer system

• US 20050210470A1
• Filed: 03/04/2004
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Francois, Christopher, Kirkman, Richard Karl, Chung, Lynn Keat, McCarthy, Patrick Joseph, Vossen, Kenneth Charles, Reed, Don Darrell
• Granted Patent: US 7,574,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5019 Workload prediction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus, method, and program product that enables distribution of operating system resources on a nodal basis in the same proportions as the expected system workload. The preferred embodiment of the present invention accomplishes this by assigning various types of weights to each node to represent their proportion of the overall balance within the system. Target Weights represent the desired distribution of the workload based on the existing proportions of processor and memory resources on each node. The actual workload balance on the system is represented by Current Weights, which the operating system strives to keep as close to the Target Weights as possible, on an ongoing basis. When the system is started, operating system services distribute their resources nodally in the same proportions as the Target Weights, and can request to be notified if the Target Weights ever change. If processors and/or memory are subsequently added or removed, new Target Weights are calculated at that time, and all services which requested notification are notified so they can redistribute their resources according to the new Target Weights or a stepwise refinement thereof.

Claims

1. A computer apparatus, said computer apparatus comprising:

a first processor with first memory associated therewith;

a second processor and second memory associated therewith;

a service provider for providing at least one service to entities that execute on said first and second processors; and

a workload management mechanism that ascertains respective workload experienced by said first processor and by said second processor, said workload manager notifying said service provider of said respective workload thereby permitting said service provider to adjust service provider resources according to said respective workload.

2. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node.

3. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said respective workload is a respective desired work load.

4. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said respective workload is a respective current work load.

5. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said respective workload is a respective desired work load and a respective current workload.

6. The computer apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node and wherein said respective desired work load is represented by a first target weight for said first node and a second target weight for said second node.

7. The computer apparatus of claim 4 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node and wherein said respective current work load is represented by a current weight for said first node and a second current weight for said second node.

8. The computer apparatus of claim 5 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node and wherein said respective desired work load is represented by a first target weight on said first node and a second target weight on said second node, and wherein said respective current work load is represented by a current weight for said first node and a second current weight for said second node.

9. A computer apparatus, said computer apparatus comprising:

a first processor with first memory associated therewith;

a second processor and second memory associated therewith;

a service provider for providing at least one service to entities that execute on said first and second processors; and

a workload management mechanism that ascertains a respective desired workload experienced by said first processor and by said second processor and a respective current workload experienced by said first processor and by said second processor, said workload manager deriving a respective intermediate workload from said respective desired workload and from said current work load, said workload manager notifying said service provider of said respective intermediate workload thereby permitting said service provider to adjust service provider resources according to said intermediate workload.

10. The computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein said current workload is adjusted over time such that said current workload more closely matches said desired workload and wherein said intermediate workload is periodically updated to reflect adjustments to said current workload.

11. The computer apparatus of claim 10 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node.

12. The computer apparatus of claim 11 wherein said respective desired workload is represented by a target weight for said first node and a target weight for said second node, and wherein said respective current workload is represented by a first current weight for said first node and a second current weight for said second node, and wherein said respective intermediate workload is represented by a first transition weight for said first node and by a second transition weight for said second node.

13. A program product, said program product comprising:

signal bearing media, and

a workload management mechanism disposed on said signal bearing media, said workload management mechanism ascertaining respective workload experienced by a first processor and by a second processor, said first processor having first memory associated therewith and said second processor having second memory associated therewith, said workload manager notifying a service provider of said respective workload thereby permitting said service provider to adjust service provider resources according to said respective workload, said service provider providing at least one service to entities that execute on said first and second processors.

14. The program product of claim 13 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node.

15. The program product of claim 13 wherein said respective workload is a respective desired work load.

16. The program product of claim 13 wherein said respective workload is a respective current work load.

17. The program product of claim 13 wherein said respective workload is a respective desired work load and a respective current workload.

18. The program product of claim 15 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node and wherein said respective desired work load is represented by a first target weight for said first node and a second target weight for said second node.

19. The program product of claim 16 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node and wherein said respective current work load is represented by a current weight for said first node and a second current weight for said second node.

20. The program product of claim 17 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node and wherein said respective desired work load is represented by a first target weight on said first node and a second target weight on said second node, and wherein said respective current work load is represented by a current weight for said first node and a second current weight for said second node.

21. A program product, said program product comprising:

signal bearing media; and

a workload management mechanism disposed on said signal bearing media, said workload management mechanism ascertaining a respective desired workload experienced by a first processor and by a second processor and a respective current workload experienced by said first processor and by said second processor, said workload manager deriving a respective intermediate workload from said respective desired workload and from said current work load, said workload manager notifying a service provider of said respective intermediate workload thereby permitting said service provider to adjust service provider resources according to said intermediate workload, said service provider for providing at least one service to entities that execute on said first and second processors.

22. The program product of claim 21 wherein said current workload is adjusted over time such that said current workload more closely matches said desired workload and wherein said intermediate workload is periodically updated to reflect adjustments to said current workload.

23. The program product of claim 22 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node.

24. The program product of claim 23 wherein said respective desired workload is represented by a target weight for said first node and a target weight for said second node, and wherein said respective current workload is represented by a first current weight for said first node and a second current weight for said second node, and wherein said respective intermediate workload is represented by a first transition weight for said first node and by a second transition weight for said second node.

25. A computer-implemented method, said method comprising the steps of:

ascertaining respective workload experienced by a first processor and by a second processor, said first processor having first memory associated therewith and said second processor having second memory associated therewith, and

notifying a service provider of said respective workload thereby permitting said service provider to adjust service provider resources according to said respective workload, said service provider providing at least one service to entities that execute on said first and second processors.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein said respective workload is a respective desired work load.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein said respective workload is a respective current work load.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein said respective workload is a respective desired work load and a respective current workload.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node and wherein said respective desired work load is represented by a first target weight for said first node and a second target weight for said second node.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node and wherein said respective current work load is represented by a current weight for said first node and a second current weight for said second node.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node and wherein said respective desired work load is represented by a first target weight on said first node and a second target weight on said second node, and wherein said respective current work load is represented by a current weight for said first node and a second current weight for said second node.

33. A computer-implemented method, said method comprising the steps of:

ascertaining a respective desired workload experienced by a first processor and by a second processor

ascertaining a respective current workload experienced by said first processor and by said second processor;

deriving a respective intermediate workload from said respective desired workload and from said current work load; and

notifying a service provider of said respective intermediate workload thereby permitting said service provider to adjust service provider resources according to said intermediate workload, said service provider for providing at least one service to entities that execute on said first and second processors.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said current workload is adjusted over time such that said current workload more closely matches said desired workload and wherein said intermediate workload is periodically updated to reflect adjustments to said current workload.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said first processor and first memory form a first node and wherein said second processor and said second memory form a second node.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein said respective desired workload is represented by a target weight for said first node and a target weight for said second node, and wherein said respective current workload is represented by a first current weight for said first node and a second current weight for said second node, and wherein said respective intermediate workload is represented by a first transition weight for said first node and by a second transition weight for said second node.