Process Management Apparatus, Computer Systems, Distributed Processing Method, and Computer Program

• US 20090013023A1
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Maegawa, Hirotoshi, Ishida, Takayuki, Kato, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 8,195,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load

Abstract

When performing distributed processing in processing devices connected to a network and a processing managing device for managing the processing devices, it is possible to eliminate the overhead of the processing management device. The processing management device (PU) (203) managing processing devices (SPU) (207) under its control lists the network address of the SPU (207) and other SPU connected to the network and resource information indicating the current task execution ability of the SPU in a resource list. When one of the SPU transmits a task request to the PU (203), the PU (203) specifies one or more SPU capable of performing the task request in the resource list and requests the specified SPU to execute a task including the execution result specification destination, thereby enabling execution result transmission/reception not using the PU (203).

Claims

1. A process management apparatus adapted to be connected to a network to which a plurality of processing devices are connected, each of the processing devices being capable of executing a requested task and transferring the executed result to a destination designated by the requester of the task, comprising:

first management means for allowing access to a predetermined memory in which resource information for representing task execution capability of the processing device connected to the network and communication setting information for enabling network communication with the processing device are listed;

second management means for specifying, upon receiving a task demand from any of the processing devices through network communication, one of the plurality of processing devices that is capable of executing the task by the resource information listed in the memory, wherein the second management means acquires the communication setting information for the specified processing device from the memory, and transferring, to at least one processing device from the specified processing device and the processing device that requested the task demand, the communication setting information for the other processing device, thereby allowing direct transfer of the executed result between the processing devices through network communication.

2. The process management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

said memory; and

holding means for recording the resource information and communication setting information in said memory.

3. The process management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the task includes:

a task execution request for requesting execution of a subsequent task to be executed subsequently to the execution of the task; and

information for a destination of the executed result of the subsequent task.

4. The process management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second management means requests, to the specified processing device, execution of the task which includes a destination of the executed result of the received task.

5. The process management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second management means causes the processing device that requested the task demand to request direct task execution toward the specified processing device.

6. The process management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shared space module for generating shared space on the network, wherein a plurality of said processing devices participate in or leave from the shared space at any time, the second management means acquires communication setting information for the processing devices participating in the shared space generated by the shared space module and current resource information from the processing device, and lists the acquired communication setting information in the memory to put the acquired communication setting information into valid condition while putting the information listed for the processing device that left the shared space into invalid condition.

7. A computer system comprising:

processing devices that are each capable of executing a requested task and transferring the executed result to a destination designated by the requester of the task; and

a process management apparatus connected to the processing devices via an internal bus, wherein the processing devices and the process management apparatus are connected to a network via the internal bus, respectively, the process management apparatus comprising;

first management means for allowing access to a predetermined memory in which resource information for representing task execution capability of the processing device connected to the network and communication setting information for enabling network communication with the processing devices are listed;

second management means for specifying, upon receiving a task demand from any of the processing device through network communication, a specified processing device from among the plurality of processing devices that is capable of executing the task by the resource information listed in the memory, wherein the second management means acquires the communication setting information for the specified processing device from the memory, and transfers, to at least one processing device from the specified processing device and the processing device that requested the task demand, the communication setting information for the other processing device, thereby allowing direct transfer of the executed result between the processing devices through network communication.

8. A device for distributed processing management adapted to be installed in a computer system adapted to be connected to a network to which a plurality of processing devices are connected, each of the processing devices being capable of executing a requested task and transferring the executed result to a destination designated by the requester of the task, wherein the device for distributed processing management executes a predetermined computer program to cause the computer system to operate as:

first management means for allowing access to a predetermined memory in which resource information for representing task execution capability of the processing device connected to the network and communication setting information for enabling network communication with the processing device are listed; and

second management means for specifying, upon receiving a task demand from any of the processing device through network communication, a specified processing device from among the plurality of processing devices that is capable of executing the task by the resource information listed in the memory, wherein the second management means acquires the communication setting information for the specified processing device from the memory, and transfers, to at least one processing device from the specified processing device and the processing device that requested the task demand, the communication setting information for the other processing device, thereby allowing direct transfer of the executed result between the processing devices through network communication.

9. A method for performing distributed processing in cooperation between a plurality of processing devices and a process management apparatus, each of the processing devices being capable of executing a requested task and transferring the executed result to a destination designated by the requester of the task, and the process management apparatus communicates with each of the processing device via a network, comprising the steps of:

obtaining, in the process management apparatus, resource information for representing task execution capability of the processing device connected to the network and communication setting information for enabling network communication with the processing device, and listing these obtained information in a predetermined memory;

transferring, in any of the processing device, a task demand to the process management apparatus;

specifying, in the process management device that received the task demand, at least one processing device that is capable of performing the received task demand from the information recorded in the memory, and requesting the specified processing device to perform the task that includes the destination of the executed result thereby allowing direct transfer of the executed result without intervening the process management apparatus.

10. The distributed processing method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of processing devices all have a processor element having a common structure.

11. The distributed processing method according to claim 10, wherein the processor element of the plurality of processing devices employs a common instruction set architecture (ISA), and can perform predetermined processing according to the same instruction set.

12. A computer program for causing a computer to operate as a process management apparatus adapted to be connected to a network to which a plurality of processing devices are connected, each of the processing devices being capable of executing a requested task and transferring the executed result to a destination designated by the requester of the task, wherein the computer program causes the computer to function as:

first management means for allowing access to a predetermined memory in which resource information for representing task execution capability of the processing device connected to the network and communication setting information for enabling network communication with the processing device are listed; and

second management means for specifying, upon receiving a task demand from any of the processing device through network communication, a specified processing device that is capable of executing the task by the resource information listed in the memory, wherein the second management means acquires the communication setting information for the specified processing device from the memory, and transfers, to at least one processing device from the specified processing device and the processing device that requested the task demand, the communication setting information for the other processing device, thereby allowing direct transfer of the executed result between the processing devices through network communication.