System For Energy Efficient Computer Management Environment Via Tightly Integrated Target Status and Directed Work Sessions

• US 20100070661A1
• Filed: 09/17/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ranjan, Dasgupta, Cherry, Gene Wayne, Lazzaro, Christopher Victor
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/10 Streamlined, light-weight or high-speed protocols, e.g. express transfer protocol [XTP] or byte stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

A method and system for providing an energy efficient computer management environment via tightly integrated target status and directed work sessions. The illustrative embodiments query, by a lightweight communication means, an availability status of a target computer device using a status thread. The status of the target computer device is recorded in a memory of a central computer according to response from the server thread. Responsive to an absence of a response by the target computer, the illustrative embodiments query, by a heavyweight communication means, the status of the target computer device using the status thread.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing a computer environment in an energy efficient manner, the computer implemented method comprising:

querying, by a lightweight communication means, an availability status of a target computer device using a status thread;

recording the status of the target computer device in a memory of a central computer according to a response from the server thread; and

responsive to an absence of a response by the target computer, querying, by a heavyweight communication means, the status of the target computer device using the status thread.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the lightweight communications means is User Datagram Protocol, and wherein the heavyweight communications means is Transmission Control Protocol.

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

responding, by the target computer device, to the query by the lightweight communication means or the heavyweight communication means in a configurable manner.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein both the lightweight communications means and the heavyweight communications means use encrypted datagrams.

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

responsive to a determination that work needs to be performed on the target computer device by one or more work threads, adjusting a priority level of the status thread to a priority level secondary to the one or more work threads.

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

responsive to a determination that a load on the central computer falls below a threshold, adjusting a priority level of the status thread to a primary priority level.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein recording the status of the target computer device further comprises:

modifying the status flag associated with the target computer device in the memory of the central computer to indicate the target computer is currently responsive.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein querying the availability status of a target computer device is performed using a sending status thread, and wherein recording the status of the target computer device in a memory of a central computer according to a response from the server thread is performed using a listening status thread.

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

responsive to a determination that work needs to be performed on the target computer device by one or more work threads, checking a status flag associated with the target computer device to determine if the status flag indicates the target computer device is responsive; and

responsive to a determination that the status flag indicates that the target computer device is responsive, establishing a heavyweight communication with the target computer device to perform the work on the target computer device.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the status flag indicates that the target computer device is not responsive, delaying establishing a heavyweight communication with the target computer device to perform the work on the target computer device until a recheck of the status flag indicates that the target computer device is responsive.

11. A data processing system for managing a computer environment in an energy efficient manner, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer usable code;

at least one managed device connected to the bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to query, by a lightweight communication means, an availability status of a target computer device using a status thread;

record the status of the target computer device in a memory of a central computer according to a response from the server thread; and

query, in response to an absence of a response by the target computer, the status of the target computer device by a heavyweight communication means using the status thread.

12. A computer program product for managing a computer environment in an energy efficient manner, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code tangibly embodied thereon, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code for querying, by a lightweight communication means, an availability status of a target computer device using a status thread;

computer usable program code for recording the status of the target computer device in a memory of a central computer according to a response from the server thread; and

computer usable program code for querying, in response to an absence of a response by the target computer, the status of the target computer device by a heavyweight communication means using the status thread.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the lightweight communications means is User Datagram Protocol, and wherein the heavyweight communications means is Transmission Control Protocol.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein both the lightweight communications means and the heavyweight communications means use encrypted datagrams.

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

computer usable program code for responding, by the target computer device, to the query by the lightweight communication means or the heavyweight communication means in a configurable manner.

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

computer usable program code for adjusting, in response to a determination that work needs to be performed on the target computer device by one or more work threads, a priority level of the status thread to a priority level secondary to the one or more work threads.

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

computer usable program code for adjusting, in response to a determination that a load on the central computer falls below a threshold, a priority level of the status thread to a primary priority level.

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

computer usable program code for checking, in response to a determination that work needs to be performed on the target computer device by one or more work threads, a status flag associated with the target computer device to determine if the status flag indicates the target computer device is responsive;

computer usable program code for establishing, in response to a determination that the status flag indicates that the target computer device is responsive, a heavyweight communication with the target computer device to perform the work on the target computer device; and

computer usable program code for delaying establishing, in response to a determination that the status flag indicates that the target computer device is not responsive, a heavyweight communication with the target computer device to perform the work on the target computer device until a recheck of the status flag indicates that the target computer device is responsive.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer usable program code is stored in a computer readable storage medium in a data processing system, and wherein the computer usable program code is downloaded over a network from a remote data processing system.

20. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer usable program code is stored in a computer readable storage medium in a server data processing system, and wherein the computer usable program code is downloaded over a network from a remote data processing system for use in a computer readable storage medium with the remote system.