SYSTEM FOR HOSTING CUSTOMIZED COMPUTING CLUSTERS

• US 20110023104A1
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Modern Grids Inc.
• Inventors: FRANKLIN, JEFFREY B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures

Abstract

A computer system for hosting computing clusters for clients. The system includes clusters each including a set of computing resources and each implemented in custom or differing configurations. Each of the configurations provides a customized computing environment for performing particular client tasks. The configurations may differ due to configuration of the processing nodes, the data storage, or the private cluster network or its connections. The system includes a monitoring system that monitors the clusters for operational problems on a cluster level and also on a per-node basis such as with monitors provided for each node. The system controls client access to the clusters via a public communications by only allowing clients to access their assigned cluster or the cluster configured per their specifications and performing their computing task. Gateway mechanisms isolate each cluster such that communications within a cluster or on a private cluster communications network are maintained separate.

Claims

1. A computer system for hosting computing clusters for clients, comprising:

a private communications network linked to a public communications network;

a first cluster comprising a set of computing resources, including at least one hardware processor, in a first configuration, wherein the first cluster is communicatively linked to the private communications network; and

a second cluster comprising a set of computing resources, including at least one hardware processor, in a second configuration, wherein the second cluster is communicatively linked to the private communications network,

wherein the first configuration differs from the second configuration and wherein the first configuration provides a first computing environment for performing a first client task and the second configuration provides a second computing environment for performing a second client task and

wherein the computing resources comprise processing nodes, data storage shared by the processing nodes, and one or more communications networks linking the processing nodes to each other and to the data storage.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first configuration differs from the second configuration based on configuration of the processing nodes in the first and second clusters.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first configuration differs from the second configuration based on configuration of the data storage in the first and second clusters.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first configuration differs from the second configuration based on configuration of the one or more communications networks provided in the first and second clusters.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring system monitoring operations of the first and second clusters, identifying operational and connectivity problems, and issuing an alert in response to the identified problems indicating a corresponding one of the first and second clusters associated with the identified problems.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the monitoring system comprises a main monitor that operates to monitor the first and second clusters to identify the operation and connectivity problems and further comprises monitors for each node of the first and second clusters operating to check for hardware and software problems within a particular node and to report the hardware and software problems to the main monitor.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein one of the main monitors is provided within each of the first and second clusters and the system further comprises a central monitoring system in communication with the main monitors of the first and second clusters.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising means, positioned between the public communications network and the first and second clusters, for limiting access to the first cluster to communication access from a first client associated with the first client task and limiting access to the second cluster to communication access from a second client associated with the second client task.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the public communications network is accessible by clients accessing the first and second clusters and wherein the system further comprises a monitoring system linked to the private communications network for monitoring operation of the first and second clusters,

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first and second clusters each comprise a private cluster network for communications among the computing resources of a particular cluster and a gateway mechanism positioned between the private cluster network and the private communications network, whereby the communications within the first and second clusters are isolated.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first configuration configures the first cluster as a high performance computing cluster and wherein the second configuration configures the second cluster as a load balancing cluster or a high availability cluster.

12. A hosted cluster system, comprising:

a first cluster including a processing node with a processor, data storage, and software applications run by the processor, wherein the first cluster is configured as a high performance computing cluster;

a second cluster including a processing node with a processor, data storage, and software applications run by the processor, wherein the second cluster is configured as a high availability cluster or as a load balancing cluster.

a first gateway communicatively linked to the first cluster limiting access to the first cluster to communications transmitted over a public communications network from a first client associated with a first computing task; and

a second gateway communicatively linked to the second cluster limiting access to the second cluster to communications transmitted over the public communications network from a second client associated with a second computing task.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first cluster is configured with a first configuration corresponding with the first computing task and wherein the second cluster is configured with a second configuration corresponding with the second computing task.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first configuration and the second configuration differ in configuration of the processing nodes and the data storage of the first and second clusters.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising a firewall mechanism positioned between the first and second gateways and the public communications network, the firewall mechanism authenticating access requests to the first and second clusters and directing incoming connections associated with the first computing task to the first cluster and incoming connections associated with the second computing task to the second cluster.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a private communications network linking the firewall mechanism and the first and second gateways, whereby the first and second clusters are separated from the public communications network by the firewall mechanism, the private communications network, and the first and second gateways.

17. A computer system for hosting computing clusters for clients linked to a public network, comprising:

a firewall mechanism communicatively linked to the public network;

a first high performance computing (HPC) cluster comprising a set of computing resources in a first configuration; and

a second high performance computing (HPC) cluster comprising a set of computing resources in a second configuration;

wherein the first configuration differs from the second configuration,

wherein the first configuration provides a first computing environment for performing a first client task and the second configuration provides a second computing environment for performing a second client task, and

wherein the firewall mechanism limits communications from a first client associated with the first client task to connections with the first cluster and limits communications from a second client associated with the second client task to connections with the second clusters.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing resources of each of the first and second clusters comprise processing nodes, data storage shared by the processing nodes, and one or more communications networks linking the processing nodes to each other and to the data storage and

wherein the first configuration differs from the second configuration based on configuration of the processing nodes in the first and second clusters.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first configuration differs from the second configuration based on configuration of the data storage in the first and second clusters.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the first configuration differs from the second configuration based on configuration of the one or more communications networks provided in the first and second clusters.