Method and apparatus for dynamic CPU resource management

• US 20050262504A1
• Filed: 04/25/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Narayanan, Karthik, Chiaramonte, Michael R., Esfahany, Kouros H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for dynamic CPU resource management are provided. CPU related information is collected for one or more virtual machines. CPU shares and affinity of a virtual machine are dynamically changed, as needed, based on the CPU usage information for the virtual machine and based on a specified priority of the virtual machine.

Claims

1. A method for dynamic CPU resource management, comprising:

collecting CPU usage information for a virtual machine; and

dynamically changing CPU shares of the virtual machine, as needed, based on the CPU usage information for the virtual machine and based on a specified priority of the virtual machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the CPU share of the virtual machine is increased, if it is determined that the CPU usage of the virtual machine relative to CPU usage of other virtual machines is equal to or higher than the allocated processing time of the virtual machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the CPU share of the virtual machine is decreased, if it is determined that the CPU usage of the virtual machine relative to CPU usage of other virtual machines is substantially lower than the allocated processing time of the virtual machine.

4. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a program storage device readable by the computer system, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform the method claimed in claim 1.

5. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform the method claimed in claim 1.

6. A computer data signal transmitted in one or more segments in a transmission medium which embodies instructions executable by a computer to perform the method claimed in claim 1.

7. An apparatus for dynamic CPU resource management, comprising:

means for collecting CPU usage information for a virtual machine; and

means for dynamically changing CPU shares of the virtual machine, as needed, based on the CPU usage information for the virtual machine and based on a specified priority of the virtual machine.

8. A method for dynamic CPU resource management, comprising:

collecting CPU related information and user defined criteria for one or more virtual machines;

determining the CPU status for each of the one or more virtual machines; and

determining for each virtual machine whether to increase, decrease, or leave as is the CPU shares of the virtual machine, based on the CPU status and dynamic priority of the virtual machine.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the CPU status is normal, underutilized or critical.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the CPU shares are increased if it is determined that the CPU status is critical.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the CPU shares are decreased if it is determined that the CPU status is underutilized.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising computing for each of the virtual machines dynamic priority using the user defined criteria for the virtual machine.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the user defined criteria comprises management criteria, a virtual machine priority, a virtual machine status upper limit, and a virtual machine status lower limit, for each of the virtual machines.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the management criteria comprises information indicating virtual machines to be managed, not managed or monitored.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the virtual machine status upper limit is the maximum threshold of the virtual machine for CPU usage.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the virtual machine status lower limit is the minimum threshold of the virtual machine for CPU usage.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the user defined criteria comprises an analysis interval and a poll interval, for each server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the analysis interval is the period of time during which the CPU related information is collected.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the poll interval is the period of time between collections of the CPU related information.

20. The method of claim 8, further comprising analyzing the CPU related information in real time.

21. The method of claim 8, wherein the virtual machines are located in client-server system.

22. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a program storage device readable by the computer system, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform the method claimed in claim 8.

23. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform the method claimed in claim 8.

24. A computer data signal transmitted in one or more segments in a transmission medium which embodies instructions executable by a computer to perform the method claimed in claim 8.

25. An apparatus for dynamic CPU resource management, comprising:

means for collecting CPU related information and user defined criteria for one or more virtual machines;

means for determining the CPU status for each of the one or more virtual machines;

means for computing a dynamic priority for each of the one or more virtual machines; and

means for determining for each virtual machine whether to increase, decrease, or leave as is the CPU shares of the virtual machine, based on the CPU status and dynamic priority of the virtual machine.