MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING A PROCESS ON A COMPUTING NODE BASED ON THE PARTICIPATION STATUS OF THE COMPUTING NODE

• US 20150222506A1
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Phoenix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Apollo Education Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Kizhakkiniyil, Sajithkumar, Pingali, Jeevan, Vattikonda, Narender, Kumar, Rahul, Chapa, Krishnam
• Granted Patent: US 9,800,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/00 Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units program control for peripheral devices G06F13/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1004 Server selection for load balancing

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for controlling a process on a computing node. In one implementation, a determination is made as to whether the participation status of a computing node has changed. The participation status may, for example, be active, in which case the computing node is participating in the processing of requests from a request handler, or it may be passive, in which case the computing node is not participating in the processing of requests from the request handler. In response to a determination that the participation status of the computing node has changed from a current status to a new status, one or more processes on the computing node may be caused to begin or halt processing, in accordance with the new status. For example, if the current status is passive and the new status is active, a process on the computing node may be caused to begin processing. On the other hand, if the current status is active and the new status is passive, the process on the computing node may be caused to halt processing. Doing so helps to ensure that a process (such as a self-initiated process) executing on a passive node will not perform any processing that may lead to incorrect or inconsistent results, or even worse, to system corruption or failure.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computing node, comprising:

determining whether a participation status of a computing node has changed, wherein the participation status indicates whether the computing node participates in processing requests from a request handler, and wherein the participation status has a current status; and

in response to a determination that the participation status has changed from the current status to a new status, causing a process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the participation status of the computing node has changed comprises:

obtaining information from the request handler indicating whether the request handler considers the computing node to be a node that participates in processing requests from the request handler; and

determining, based at least in part upon the information from the request handler and the current status of the computing node, whether the participation status of the computing node has changed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the participation status of the computing node has changed comprises:

determining how many, if any, requests have been received by the computing node from the request handler over a certain period of time; and

determining, based at least in part upon how many requests have been received by the computing node from the request handler over the certain period of time and the current status of the computing node, whether the participation status of the computing node has changed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering the process;

determining whether the current status of the computing node indicates that the computing node participates in processing requests from the request handler; and

in response to determining that the current status of the computing node indicates that the computing node participates in processing requests from the request handler, causing the process to begin processing.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein registering the process comprises registering a callback function associated with the process;

and

wherein causing the process to begin processing comprises invoking the callback function.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method further comprises registering a callback function associated with the process;

and

wherein causing the process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status comprises invoking the callback function.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method further comprises registering a callback function associated with the process;

wherein the current status indicates that the computing node does not participate in processing requests from the request handler and the new status indicates that the computing node does participate in processing requests from the request handler; and

wherein causing the process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status comprises invoking the callback function to cause the process to begin processing.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method further comprises registering a callback function associated with the process;

wherein the current status indicates that the computing node participates in processing requests from the request handler and the new status indicates that the computing node does not participate in processing requests from the request handler; and

wherein causing the process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status comprises invoking the callback function to cause the process to halt processing.

9. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining whether a participation status of a computing node has changed, wherein the participation status indicates whether the computing node participates in processing requests from a request handler, and wherein the participation status has a current status; and

in response to a determination that the participation status has changed from the current status to a new status, causing a process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein determining whether the participation status of the computing node has changed comprises:

obtaining information from the request handler indicating whether the request handler considers the computing node to be a node that participates in processing requests from the request handler; and

determining, based at least in part upon the information from the request handler and the current status of the computing node, whether the participation status of the computing node has changed.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein determining whether the participation status of the computing node has changed comprises:

determining how many, if any, requests have been received by the computing node from the request handler over a certain period of time; and

determining, based at least in part upon how many requests have been received by the computing node from the request handler over the certain period of time and the current status of the computing node, whether the participation status of the computing node has changed.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform operations comprising:

registering the process;

determining whether the current status of the computing node indicates that the computing node participates in processing requests from the request handler; and

in response to determining that the current status of the computing node indicates that the computing node participates in processing requests from the request handler, causing the process to begin processing.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12,

wherein registering the process comprises registering a callback function associated with the process;

and

wherein causing the process to begin processing comprises invoking the callback function.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9,

wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform an operation of registering a callback function associated with the process;

and

wherein causing the process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status comprises invoking the callback function.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9,

wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform an operation of registering a callback function associated with the process;

wherein the current status indicates that the computing node does not participate in processing requests from the request handler and the new status indicates that the computing node does participate in processing requests from the request handler; and

wherein causing the process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status comprises invoking the callback function to cause the process to begin processing.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9,

wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform an operation of registering a callback function associated with the process;

wherein the current status indicates that the computing node participates in processing requests from the request handler and the new status indicates that the computing node does not participate in processing requests from the request handler; and

wherein causing the process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status comprises invoking the callback function to cause the process to halt processing.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a storage storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

determining whether a participation status of a computing node has changed, wherein the participation status indicates whether the computing node participates in processing requests from a request handler, and wherein the participation status has a current status; and

in response to a determination that the participation status has changed from the current status to a new status, causing a process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein determining whether the participation status of the computing node has changed comprises:

obtaining information from the request handler indicating whether the request handler considers the computing node to be a node that participates in processing requests from the request handler; and

determining, based at least in part upon the information from the request handler and the current status of the computing node, whether the participation status of the computing node has changed.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein determining whether the participation status of the computing node has changed comprises:

determining how many, if any, requests have been received by the computing node from the request handler over a certain period of time; and

determining, based at least in part upon how many requests have been received by the computing node from the request handler over the certain period of time and the current status of the computing node, whether the participation status of the computing node has changed.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform operations comprising:

registering the process;

determining whether the current status of the computing node indicates that the computing node participates in processing requests from the request handler; and

in response to determining that the current status of the computing node indicates that the computing node participates in processing requests from the request handler, causing the process to begin processing.

21. The apparatus of claim 20,

wherein registering the process comprises registering a callback function associated with the process;

and

wherein causing the process to begin processing comprises invoking the callback function.

22. The apparatus of claim 17,

wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform an operation of registering a callback function associated with the process;

and

wherein causing the process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status comprises invoking the callback function.

23. The apparatus of claim 17,

wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform an operation of registering a callback function associated with the process;

wherein the current status indicates that the computing node does not participate in processing requests from the request handler and the new status indicates that the computing node does participate in processing requests from the request handler; and

wherein causing the process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status comprises invoking the callback function to cause the process to begin processing.

24. The apparatus of claim 17,

wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform an operation of registering a callback function associated with the process;

wherein the current status indicates that the computing node participates in processing requests from the request handler and the new status indicates that the computing node does not participate in processing requests from the request handler; and

wherein causing the process on the computing node to begin or halt processing in accordance with the new status comprises invoking the callback function to cause the process to halt processing.