MONITORING THREAD USAGE TO DYNAMICALLY CONTROL A THREAD POOL

• US 20080126539A1
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BARATAKKE, KAVITHA VITTAL MURTHY, VENKATSUBRA, VENKAT, JAIN, VINIT, BANERJEE, DWIP N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,568,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5018 Thread allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/508 Monitor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

A method, system, and program for monitoring thread usage to dynamically control a thread pool are provided. An application running on the server system invokes a listener thread on a listener socket for receiving client requests at the server system and passing the client requests to one of multiple threads waiting in a thread pool. Additionally, the application sends an ioctl call in blocking mode on the listener thread. A TCP layer within the server system detects the listener thread in blocking mode and monitors a thread count of at least one of a number of incoming requests waiting to be processed and a number of said plurality of threads remaining idle in the thread pool over a sample period. Once the TCP layer detects a thread usage event, the ioctl call is returned indicating the thread usage event with the thread count, such that a number of threads in the thread pool may be dynamically adjusted to handle the thread count.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

6. :

A system for monitoring thread usage in a server system, comprising;

a server system communicatively connected to a network;

said server system further comprising;

a socket designated for listening for incoming client requests to said server system from said network and passing said incoming client requests to one from among a plurality of threads waiting in a thread pool;

application means for sending an ioctl call in blocking mode on said socket;

TCP timer processing means for monitoring a thread count of at least one of a number of incoming requests waiting to be processed and a number of said plurality of threads remaining idle in said thread pool over a sample period; and

TCP layer means for returning said ioctl call back with said count, responsive to detecting a thread usage event.

7. :

The system according to claim 6 for monitoring thread usage wherein said TCP timer processing means further comprises setting a counter to monitor said number of incoming requests waiting to be processed over a particular number of TCP slow timer processing cycles.

8. :

The system according to claim 6 for monitoring thread usage wherein said TCP timer processing means further comprises monitoring a minimum number of said number of threads remaining idle over said sample period.

9. :

The system according to claim 6 for monitoring thread usage, wherein said server system further comprises;

means for dynamically adjusting a number of active threads in said thread pool according to said thread count to handle a current load.

10. :

The system according to claim 6 for monitoring thread usage, wherein said server system further comprises;

means for initiating a TCP slow timer cycle;

means for processing all of a plurality of sockets during said TCP slow timer cycle;

means responsive to completing said processing of all of said plurality of sockets, for comparing said thread count with a threshold;

means responsive to said thread count exceeding said threshold, for designating a thread usage event with said number of incoming requests waiting to be processed; and

means responsive to said thread count equaling zero after said sample period, for designating a thread usage event with said number of threads remaining idle.

11. :

A computer program product for monitoring thread usage in a server system, comprising;

a recording medium;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for sending an ioctl call in blocking mode on a socket designated for listening for incoming client requests to a server communicatively connected to a network and passing said incoming client requests to one from among a plurality of threads waiting in a thread pool;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for monitoring a thread count of at least one of a number of incoming requests waiting to be processed and a number of said plurality of threads remaining idle in said thread pool over a sample period, responsive to a TCP layer detecting said listen socket in blocking mode; and

means, recorded on said recording medium, for returning said ioctl call back with said thread count, responsive to said TCP layer detecting a thread usage event.

12. :

The computer program product according to claim 11 for monitoring thread usage wherein said means for monitoring a thread count further comprises;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for setting a counter to monitor said number of incoming requests waiting to be processed over a particular number of TCP slow timer processing cycles.

13. :

The computer program product according to claim 11 for monitoring thread usage wherein said means for monitoring further comprises;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for monitoring a minimum number of said number of threads remaining idle over said sample period.

14. :

The computer program product according to claim 11 for monitoring thread usage further comprising;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for dynamically adjusting a number of active threads in said thread pool according to said thread count to handle a current load.

15. :

The computer program product according to claim 11 for monitoring thread usage further comprising;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for initiating a TCP slow timer cycle;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for processing all of a plurality of sockets during said TCP slow timer cycle;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for comparing said thread count with a threshold, responsive to completing said processing of all of said plurality of sockets;

means, recorded on said recording medium, for designating a thread usage event with said number of incoming requests waiting to be processed, responsive to said thread count exceeding said threshold; and

means, recorded on said recording medium, for designating a thread usage event with said number of threads remaining idle, responsive to said thread count equaling zero after said sample period.

16-18. -18. (canceled)