Job management apparatus, job management method, and job management program

• US 20070039003A1
• Filed: 11/22/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Meguro, Masakazu
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5005 to service a request

Abstract

There is provided a technique capable of reducing load to management of jobs which are made executable based on licenses. The job management apparatus manages jobs being executed and to be executed, based on licenses, and comprises: a detection section that detects the number of unused licenses, based on used states of licenses; a determination section that determines whether or not the number of unused licenses detected by the detection section is sufficient to cover the number of licenses necessary for execution of a job to be executed; and a job control section that sets at least such a number of licenses each into an unused state that are equivalent to a shortage of licenses for execution of the job to be executed, among licenses used by a job for which a lower priority rank has been set than a priority rank set for the job to be executed, thereby to make the job to be executed be executed, if the determination section determines that the number of unused licenses is not sufficient to cover the number of licenses necessary for execution of the job to be executed.

Claims

1. A job management apparatus that manages jobs being executed and to be executed, based on licenses, comprising:

a detection section that detects the number of unused licenses;

a determination section that determines whether or not the number of unused licenses detected by the detection section is sufficient to cover the number of licenses necessary for execution of a job to be executed; and

a job control section that sets a used license that is used by an executing job into an unused state, in which said executing job has a priority lower than a priority of said job to be executed, when said determination section determines that the number of unused license is not sufficient to cover the number of job to be executed, and allocates said license set into the unused state to said job to be executed.

2. The job management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the job control section sets the licenses each into an unused state by suspending execution of a job for which a lower priority rank than the priority rank set for the job to be executed has been set.

3. The job management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, if the job to be executed is completed, the job control section restarts execution of the job which has been suspended.

4. The job management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if a job for which a predetermined priority rank has been set is kept executed continuously for a predetermined time period or more, the job control section suspends execution of the job, and changes the predetermined priority rank of the job to a lower priority rank, thereby to set the job into an execution waiting state.

5. The job management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if the fob for which the lower priority rank than the priority rank set for the job to be executed has been set is a kind of job which uses plural CPUs, the job control section sets the licenses each into an unused state, by reducing the number of CPUs used by the job.

16. A job management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said job control section sets a used license into an unused state, in which the number of such used license is equal to the number of job to be executed that requires license.

6. A job management method that manages jobs being executed and to be executed, based on licenses, comprising:

a detection step that detects the number of unused licenses;

a determination step that determines whether or not the number of unused licenses detected by the detection step is sufficient to cover the number of licenses necessary for execution of a job to be executed; and

a job control step that sets a used license that is used by an executing job into an unused state, in which said executing job has a priority lower than a priority of said job to be executed, when said determination step determines that the number of unused license is not sufficient to cover the number of job to be executed, and allocates said license set into the unused state to said job to be executed.

7. The job management method according to claim 6, wherein the job control step sets the licenses each into an unused state by suspending execution of a job for which a lower priority rank than the priority rank set for the job to be executed has been set.

8. The job management method according to claim 7, wherein, if the job to be executed is completed, the job control step restarts execution of the job which has been suspended.

9. The job management method according to claim 6, wherein, if a job for which a predetermined priority rank has been set is kept executed continuously for a predetermined time period or more, the job control step suspends execution of the job, and changes the predetermined priority rank of the job to a lower priority rank, thereby to set the job into an execution waiting state.

10. The job management method according to claim 6, wherein, if the fob for which the lower priority rank than the priority rank set for the job to be executed has been set is a kind of job which uses plural CPUs, the job control step sets the licenses each into an unused state, by reducing the number of CPUs used by the job.

17. A job management method according to claim 6, wherein said job control step sets a used license into an unused state, in which the number of such used license is equal to the number of job to be executed that requires license.

11. A medium that has recorded therein, readable by a computer, a job management program that makes a computer execute management of jobs being executed and to be executed, based on licenses, the job management program comprising:

a detection step that detects the number of unused licenses;

a determination step that determines whether or not the number of unused licenses detected in the detection step is sufficient to cover the number of licenses necessary for execution of a job to be executed; and

a job control step that sets at least such a number of licenses each into an unused state that are equivalent to a shortage of licenses for execution of the job to be executed, among licenses used by a job for which a lower priority rank has been set than a priority rank set for the job to be executed, thereby to make the job to be executed be executed, if the determination step determines that the number of unused licenses is not sufficient to cover the number of licenses necessary for execution of the job to be executed.

12. The medium that has recorded therein a job management program according to claim 11, wherein the job control step sets the licenses each into an unused state by suspending execution of a job for which a lower priority rank than the priority rank set for the job to be executed has been set.

13. The medium that has recorded therein a job management program according to claim 12, wherein, if the job to be executed is completed, the job control step restarts execution of the job which has been suspended.

14. The medium that has recorded therein a job management program according to claim 11, wherein, if a job for which a predetermined priority rank has been set is kept executed continuously for a predetermined time period or more, the job control step suspends execution of the job, and changes the predetermined priority rank of the job to a lower priority rank, thereby to set the job into an execution waiting state.

15. The medium that has recorded therein a job management program according to claim 11, wherein, if the fob for which the lower priority rank than the priority rank set for the job to be executed has been set is a kind of job which uses plural CPUs, the job control step sets the licenses each into an unused state, by reducing the number of CPUs used by the job.