THREAD CLASSIFICATION SUSPENSION

• US 20090113433A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Griffith, Douglas James, Dunshea, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,627,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5022 Mechanisms to release resources

Abstract

The exemplary embodiments provide a computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer-usable program code for managing memory. A notice of a shortage of real memory is received. For each active thread, the thread classification of the active thread is compared to a global hierarchy of thread classifications to determine a thread to affect. The global hierarchy of thread classifications defines the relative importance of each thread classification. An action to take for the determined thread is determined. The determined action is performed for the determined thread.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing memory, the computer- implemented method comprising:

receiving a notice of a shortage of real memory;

responsive to receiving the notice, comparing, for each active thread, the thread classification of the active thread to a global hierarchy of thread classifications, wherein the global hierarchy of thread classifications defines the relative importance of each thread classification, to identify a selected thread to affect;

determining an action to take for the selected thread to form a determined action; and

performing the determined action for the selected thread.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a thread classification from a thread; and

storing the thread classification for the thread.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a new thread classification from the thread; and

updating the thread classification for the thread.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a default thread classification; and

receiving at least one thread classification for at least one application.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

creating the global hierarchy of thread classifications based on the default classification and the received at least one thread classification.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the thread classification is based on a workload of a thread.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determined action is to kill the determined thread.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-usable medium having computer-usable program code for managing memory, the computer program product comprising;

computer-usable program code for receiving a notice of a shortage of real memory;

computer-usable program code, responsive to receiving the notice, for comparing, for each active thread, the thread classification of the active thread to a global hierarchy of thread classifications, wherein the global hierarchy of thread classifications defines the relative importance of each thread classification, to identify a selected thread to affect;

computer-usable program code for determining an action to take for the selected thread to form a determined action; and

computer-usable program code for performing the determined action for the selected thread.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer-usable program code for receiving a thread classification from a thread; and

computer-usable program code for storing the thread classification for the thread.

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

computer-usable program code for receiving a new thread classification from the thread; and

computer-usable program code for updating the thread classification for the thread.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer-usable program code for creating a default thread classification; and

computer-usable program code for receiving at least one thread classification for at least one application.

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

computer-usable program code for creating the global hierarchy of thread classifications based on the default classification and the received at least one thread classification.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the thread classification is based on a workload of a thread.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the determined action is to kill the determined thread.

15. A data processing system for managing memory, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device includes computer-usable program code; and

a processor unit connected to the bus, wherein the processor unit executes the computer-usable program code to receive a notice of a shortage of real memory;

responsive to receiving the notice, compare, for each active thread, the thread classification of the active thread to a global hierarchy of thread classifications, wherein the global hierarchy of thread classifications defines the relative importance of each thread classification, to identify a selected thread to affect;

determine an action to take for the selected thread to form a determined action; and

perform the determined action for the selected thread.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processor further executes the computer-usable program code to receive a thread classification from a thread;

and store the thread classification for the thread.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the processor further executes the computer-usable program code to receive a new thread classification from the thread;

and update the thread classification for the thread.

18. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processor further executes the computer-usable program code to create a default thread classification;

and receive at least one thread classification for at least one application.

19. The data processing system of claim 18, wherein the processor further executes the computer-usable program code to create the global hierarchy of thread classifications based on the default classification and the received at least one thread classification.

20. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the thread classification is based on a workload of a thread.