Deskside device-based suspend/resume process

• US 20060143612A1
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Waltermann, Rod D., Locker, Howard J., Springfield, Randall S., Cromer, Daryl C.
• Application Number:
  US11/023,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20060143612A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3423 where the assessed time is active or idle time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/508 Monitor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

A screen saver is run from the deskside device of a workstation used by a first user, rather than from a blade being used by the first user. Screen saver software and the necessary hardware to run the screen saver are located on the deskside device, thereby making the screen saver independent from the blade. This enables the blade to be reallocated for use by a second user, in a manner that is transparent to the idle first user. When the first user wants to resume use of the computer system, a new blade (or the same blade, if available) is allocated to the first user, and the newly-allocated blade is restored to the status of the first blade at the time it entered its suspended state. From the perspective of the first user, nothing appears different, i.e., to the first user everything looks as though he or she is on the same blade as when they entered the idle state.

Claims

1. A method of managing an idle process in a blade computing system that includes one or more deskside devices, comprising the steps of:

storing an idle process on each deskside device;

monitoring the processing operations of a desktop blade operationally associated with a first of said deskside devices; and

when processing activity of said desktop blade operationally associated with said first deskside device has ceased for a predetermined period of time, launching said idle process stored on said first deskside device and disassociating said desktop blade from said first deskside device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing a memory map of said first deskside blade device to a storage blade prior to disassociating said desktop blade from said first deskside device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, upon disassociation of said desktop blade from said first deskside device, said desktop blade is available for association with any deskside device in said blade computing system.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring the input activity of said first deskside device;

when input activity is detected on said first deskside device;

deactivating said idle process of said first deskside device;

associating said first deskside device with an available desktop blade in said blade computing system; and

loading said memory map of said first deskside device onto the available desktop blade associated with said first deskside device.

5. A system for managing an idle process in a blade computing system that includes one or more deskside devices, comprising:

means for storing an idle process on each deskside device;

means for monitoring the processing operations of a desktop blade operationally associated with a first of said deskside devices; and

means for launching said idle process stored on said first deskside device and disassociating said desktop blade from said first deskside device, when processing activity of said desktop blade operationally associated with said first deskside device has ceased for a predetermined period of time.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

means for storing a memory map of said first deskside blade device to a storage blade prior to disassociating said desktop blade from said first deskside device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein, upon disassociation of said desktop blade from said first deskside device, said desktop blade is available for association with any deskside device in said blade computing system.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

means for monitoring the input activity of said first deskside device;

means for deactivating said idle process of said first deskside device when input activity is detected on said first deskside device;

means for associating said first deskside device with an available desktop blade in said blade computing system when input activity is detected on said first deskside device; and

means for loading said memory map of said first deskside device onto the available desktop blade associated with said first deskside device when input activity is detected on said first deskside device.

9. A computer program product for managing an idle process in a blade computing system that includes one or more deskside devices, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code comprising:

computer-readable program code for storing an idle process on each deskside device;

computer-readable program code for monitoring the processing operations of a desktop blade operationally associated with a first of said deskside devices; and

computer-readable program code for when processing activity of said desktop blade operationally associated with said first deskside device has ceased for a predetermined period of time, launching said idle process stored on said first deskside device and disassociating said desktop blade from said first deskside device.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

computer-readable program code for storing a memory map of said first deskside blade device to a storage blade prior to disassociating said desktop blade from said first deskside device.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein, upon disassociation of said desktop blade from said first deskside device, said desktop blade is available for association with any deskside device in said blade computing system.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer-readable program code for monitoring the input activity of said first deskside device;

computer-readable program code for deactivating said idle process of said first deskside device when input activity is detected on said first deskside device;

computer-readable program code for associating said first deskside device with an available desktop blade in said blade computing system when input activity is detected on said first deskside device; and

computer-readable program code for loading said memory map of said first deskside device onto the available desktop blade associated with said first deskside device when input activity is detected on said first deskside device.