Resource Manager Architecture Utilizing a Policy Manager

• US 20060236368A1
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McDowell, Sean C., Sankaranarayan, Mukund, Srinivasan, Jai, Raja, Jayachandran, Speed, Robin, Bakin, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5021 Priority
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals

Abstract

Resource management architectures implemented in computer systems to manage resources are described. In one embodiment, a general architecture includes a resource manager and multiple resource providers that support one or more resource consumers such as a system component or application. Each provider is associated with a resource and acts as the manager for the resource when interfacing with the resource manager. The resource manager arbitrates access to the resources provided by the resource providers on behalf of the consumers. A policy manager sets various policies that are used by the resource manager to allocate resources. One policy is a priority-based policy that distinguishes among which applications and/or users have priority over others to use the resources. A resource consumer creates an “activity” at the resource manager and builds one or more “configurations” that describe various sets of preferred resources required to perform the activity. Each resource consumer can specify one or more configurations for each activity. If multiple configurations are specified, the resource consumer can rank them according to preference. This allows the resource consumers to be dynamically changed from one configuration to another as operating conditions change.

Claims

1. A policy manager, comprising:

an activity list of activity data structures that correspond to consumers using resources to perform computing-based tasks;

a policies component configured to maintain policies that are implemented to prioritize the activity data structures; and

a dispatch engine configured to maintain the activity list and to dispatch the activity list to the policies component.

2. A policy manager as recited in claim 1, wherein the policies component includes a fixed priority based policy configured to prioritize the activity data structures according to a user-defined importance ordering of activities associated with the activity data structures.

3. A policy manager as recited in claim 1, wherein the policies component includes a focus based policy configured to prioritize the activity data structures according to a focus history of user interactive applications associated with the activity data structures.

4. A policy manager as recited in claim 1, wherein the policies component includes a user resolution policy configured to resolve a resource conflict between two or more activity data structures.

5. A computing-based method comprising:

maintaining an activity list of activity data structures;

prioritizing the activity data structures according to one of multiple policies to arbitrate access to resources; and

resolving a resources conflict between two or more of the activity data structures.

6. A computing-based method as recited in claim 5, wherein resolving the resources conflict comprises implementing a user resolution policy configured to request a user response to resolve the resources conflict.

7. A computing-based method as recited in claim 5, further comprising updating a resource manager of the activity data structures'"'"' priorities.

8. A computing-based method as recited in claim 5, wherein prioritizing the activity data structures comprises giving higher priority activity data structures precedence in reserving the resources over lower priority activity data structures.

9. A computing-based method as recited in claim 5, wherein prioritizing the activity data structures comprises implementing a fixed priority based policy to arbitrate access to the resources according to a user-defined importance ordering of activities associated with the activity data structures.

10. A computing-based method as recited in claim 5, wherein prioritizing the activity data structures comprises implementing a focus based policy to arbitrate access to the resources according to a focus history of user interactive applications associated with the activity data structures.

11. A computing-based method, comprising:

receiving an activity data structure event notification from a resource manager;

in response to receiving the activity data structure event;

updating an activity list of activity data structures implemented at the resource manager;

resolving a resources conflict between two or more of the activity data structures;

prioritizing the activity data structures according to one of multiple policies to arbitrate access to resources; and

updating the resource manager of the activity data structures'"'"' priorities.

12. A computing-based method as recited in claim 11, wherein resolving the resources conflict comprises implementing a user resolution policy configured to request a user response to resolve the resources conflict.

13. A computing-based method as recited in claim 11, wherein prioritizing the activity data structures comprises giving higher priority activity data structures precedence in reserving the resources over lower priority activity data structures.

14. A computing-based method as recited in claim 11, wherein prioritizing the activity data structures comprises implementing a fixed priority based policy to arbitrate access to the resources according to a user-defined importance ordering of activities associated with the activity data structures.

15. A computing-based method as recited in claim 11, wherein prioritizing the activity data structures comprises implementing a focus based policy to arbitrate access to the resources according to a focus history of user interactive applications associated with the activity data structures.