Providing Optimal Number of Threads to Applications Performing Multi-tasking Using Threads

• US 20060107261A1
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Vedula, Venkata Naga Ravikiran
• Granted Patent: US 7,681,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5018 Thread allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals

Abstract

In an environment in which applications perform multi-tasking by using threads, the optimum number of threads to be provided to an application is determined based on historical data. Due to the use of the historical data, optimum number of threads can be accurately determined, leading to better response times for service requests, without creating unneeded overhead on system processing the service requests. In one embodiment, various status information (of potentially several prior weeks) such as number of tasks received and pending, system resources status (e.g. idle processor time and aggreate memory usage in the system), is maintained. In addition, a table may be maintained to indicate the optimum number of threads for a given combination of status information values. Thus, based on the expected status scenario, the optimum number of threads can be determined and provided at various points of time.

Claims

1. A method of supporting an application in a system, said method comprising:

maintaining a historical data representing a number of threads required to support execution of said application at different prior time instances;

determining an optimum number of threads to be provided at a present time based on said historical data;

providing said optimum number of threads in said system; and

enabling said application to execute a plurality of tasks using said optimum number of threads.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprises storing a mapping which maps of each of a plurality of combination of status information values to a corresponding optimum number of threads, wherein said determining maps values representing a status in the near future to said optimum number of threads using said mapping.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said mapping is represented in the form of a table.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said mapping is represented in the form of a polynomial.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said historical data is stored in a non-volatile memory.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said historical data comprises data corresponding to more than one day.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said status in the near future is determined based on said historical data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said historical data comprises one or more of number of tasks in a queue, number of threads in a thread pool provided to said application, a number of service requests received in said system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said enabling comprises:

interfacing with a thread pool manager to place a plurality of tasks in a queue, wherein said plurality of tasks are required to be executed to process a plurality of service requests, wherein each of said plurality of tasks is selected and executed by one of said optimum number of threads.

10. A computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for causing a system to support an application, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors contained in said system causes said one or more processors to perform the actions of:

maintaining a historical data representing a number of threads required to support execution of said application at different prior time instances;

determining an optimum number of threads to be provided at a present time based on said historical data;

providing said optimum number of threads in said system; and

enabling said application to execute a plurality of tasks using said optimum number of threads.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, further comprises storing a mapping which maps of each of a plurality of combination of status information values to a corresponding optimum number of threads, wherein said determining maps values representing a status in the near future to said optimum number of threads using said mapping.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein said mapping is represented in the form of a table.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein said mapping is represented in the form of a polynomial.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein said historical data is stored in a non-volatile memory.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein said historical data comprises data corresponding to more than one day.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein said status in the near future is determined based on said historical data.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein said historical data comprises one or more of number of tasks in a queue, number of threads in a thread pool provided to said application, a number of service requests received in said system.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein said enabling comprises:

interfacing with a thread pool manager to place a plurality of tasks in a queue, wherein said plurality of tasks are required to be executed to process a plurality of service requests, wherein each of said plurality of tasks is selected and executed by one of said optimum number of threads.