Information processing system and method in which computer with high load borrows processor of computer with low load to execute process

• US 5,884,077 A
• Filed: 08/30/1995
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Shigeo
• Primary Examiner(s): TOPLU, LUCIEN
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Alice
• Application Number:
  US08/520,586
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 395/672, 395/673, 395/674, 395/675
• US Class Current: 718/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5088 involving task migration

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed in which, when the load of a processor in a given computer is high, a processor is borrowed from another computer. The computer from which the processor is borrowed is selected based on an acquired load state of the other computer, and a processor lending request is issued to the selected computer. The computer which received the processor lending request selects a processor for lending, and causes the selected processor to execute a process of the computer which issued the lending request. This distributes the load on the processor by utilizing the processor resources of other computers.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising a plurality of information processing apparatuses each having one or more processors, wherein said plurality of information processing apparatuses are connected via a high-speed communication line, memories arranged in the respective information processing apparatuses constitute a single memory space as a whole, and the system can operate in the form of an NUMA type multiprocessor system, and wherein each given information processing apparatus of the plurality of information processing apparatuses comprises:

at least one processor;

processor load state detection means for detecting a processing load state of said at least one processor;

determination means for determining on the basis of the detected processing load state if a processor is to be borrowed from another information processing apparatus;

other processor load state acquisition means for acquiring a processing load state of a processor of another information processing apparatus;

information processing apparatus selection means for, when said determination means determines that the processor is to be borrowed from another information processing apparatus, selecting a lending information processing apparatus from which the processor is to be borrowed, on the basis of the processing load state acquired by said other processor load state acquisition means;

processor lending request means for sending a request for a loan of a processor to the lending information processing apparatus;

processor-for-rent selection means for selecting a processor for rent from the given information processing apparatus on the basis of a processor lending request received from a borrowing information processing apparatus;

process assignment means for assigning a current process, from among processes scheduled to be executed by the processor for rent, to other processors of the given information processing apparatus;

processor lending means for migrating the control of the processor for rent to the borrowing information processing apparatus; and

processor reception and assignment means for receiving the control of a rented processor to be executed under control of the borrowing information processing apparatus, and for causing the rented processor to assign and execute a current process scheduled to be executed under control of the borrowing information processing apparatus.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination means determines that the processor is to be borrowed from the other information processing apparatus when a value of the processing load state detected by said processor load state detection means is higher than a predetermined value.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor load state detection means detects a value of the processing load state on the basis of the number of processors and the number of processes in a ready state.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information processing apparatus selection means selects the other information processing apparatus which has a lowest value of the processing load state acquired by said other processor load state acquisition means.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

second determination means for determining if there is a processor borrowed from another information processing apparatus to the subject apparatus; and

return means for, when said second determination means determines that there is a borrowed processor, and a value of the processing load state detected by said processor load state detection means is lower than a second predetermined value, returning the borrowed processor to the creditor information processing apparatus.

6. An information processing method for an information processing system having a plurality of information processing apparatuses, each given information processing apparatus of the plurality of information processing apparatuses having at least one processor, wherein said plurality of information processing apparatuses are connected via a high-speed communication line, memories arranged in the respective information processing apparatuses constitute a single memory space as a whole, and the system can operate in the form of an NUMA type multiprocessor system, the method comprising:

the processor load state detection step of detecting a processing load state of said at least one processor of the given information processing apparatus;

the determination step of determining on the basis of the detected processing load state if a processor is to be borrowed from another information processing apparatus;

the other processor load state acquisition step of acquiring a processing load state of a processor of another information processing apparatus;

the information processing apparatus selection step of selecting a lending information processing apparatus from which the processor is to be borrowed, on the basis of the processing load state acquired in the other processor load state acquisition step when it is determined in the determination step that the processor is to be borrowed;

the processor lending request step of sending a request for a loan of the processor to the lending information processing apparatus;

the processor-for-rent selection step for selecting a processor for rent from the given information processing apparatus on the basis of a processor lending request received from a borrowing information processing apparatus;

the process assignment step for assigning a current process, from among processes scheduled to be executed by the processor for rent, to other processors of the given information processing apparatus;

the processor lending step for migrating the control of the processor for rent to the borrowing information processing apparatus; and

the processor reception and assignment step for receiving the control of a rented processor to be executed under control of the borrowing information processing apparatus, and for causing the rented processor to assign and execute a current process scheduled to be executed under control of the borrowing information processing apparatus.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein it is determined in the determination step that the processor is to be borrowed from the other information processing apparatus when a value of the processing load state detected in the processor load state detection step is higher than a predetermined value.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the processor load state detection step includes the step of detecting a value of the processing load state on the basis of the number of processors and the number of processes in a ready state.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein the information processing apparatus selection step includes the step of selecting the other information processing apparatus which has a lowest value of the processing load state acquired in the other processor load state acquisition step.

10. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

the second determination step of determining if there is a processor borrowed from another information processing apparatus to the subject apparatus; and

the return step of returning the borrowed processor to control of the creditor information processing apparatus when it is determined in the second determination step that there is a borrowed processor, and a value of the processing load state detected in the processor load state detection step is lower than a second predetermined value.

11. A method according to claim 6, wherein the information processing apparatus selection step includes the step of selecting one of information processing apparatuses in each of which a value of the processing load state acquired in the other processor load state acquisition step is lower than a second predetermined value, when a value of the processing load state detected in the processor load state detection step is higher than a first predetermined value.

12. An information processing system comprising a given information processing apparatus connected to at least one other information processing apparatus having an independent memory via a high speed communication line, wherein each information processing apparatus has one or more processors, memories arranged in the respective information processing apparatuses constitute a single memory space as a whole, and the system can operate in the form of an NUMA type multi-processor system, and wherein each information processing apparatus comprises:

information acquisition means for acquiring control information of a physical memory and scheduling information of process execution of the other information processing apparatus;

assignment page determination means for determining an information processing apparatus from a physical memory of which a physical page to be assigned to a process to be executed is secured, on the basis of the information acquired by said information acquisition means;

remote page securing means for securing a remote page from the information processing apparatus determined by said assignment page determination means and having the physical page;

processor migration decision means for determining if control of a processor of the other information processing apparatus is to be transferred to control of the subject apparatus and the processor is assigned to the process to be executed upon proceeding with execution of the process by migrating control of the processor; and

processor migration assignment means for, when said processor migration decision means determines that the process is to be executed by the transferred processor, transferring the control of the processor from the transferor information processing apparatus and assigning the processor to execute the process.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said assignment page determination means determines to secure a physical page from a physical memory of an information processing apparatus having a physical memory with a large number of free pages.

14. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said assignment page determination means determines to secure a physical page from a physical memory of an information processing apparatus with a low processor load.

15. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus which is connected to at least one other information processing apparatus having an independent memory via a high speed communication line to form an information processing system, wherein each information processing apparatus of the system has one or more processors, memories arranged in the respective information processing apparatuses constitute a single memory space as a whole, and the system can operate in the form of an NUMA type multi-processor system, the method comprising:

the information acquisition step of acquiring control information of a physical memory and scheduling information of process execution of the other information processing apparatus;

the assignment page determination step of determining an information processing apparatus from a physical memory of which a physical page to be assigned to a process to be executed is secured, on the basis of the information acquired in the information acquisition step;

the remote page securing step of securing a remote page from the information processing apparatus determined in the assignment page determination step and having the physical page;

the processor migration decision step of determining if control of a processor of the other information processing apparatus is to be transferred to control of the subject apparatus and the processor is assigned to the process to be executed upon proceeding with execution of the process by migrating control of the processor; and

the processor migration assignment step of transferring the control of the processor from the transferor information processing apparatus and assigning the processor to execute the process when it is determined in the processor migration decision step that the process is to be executed by the transferred processor.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the assignment page determination step includes the step of determining to secure a physical page from a physical memory of an information processing apparatus having a physical memory with a large number of free pages.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the assignment page determination step includes the step of determining to secure a physical page from a physical memory of an information processing apparatus with a low processor load.