Scheduling method and apparatus for a distributed automated testing system
First Claim
1. A dispatcher machine for automatically scheduling and processing jobs in an automated testing system, the dispatcher machine comprising:
- a job-submission interface in communication with a plurality of user interfaces, each user interface displaying test parameter choices to a user from which the user may select test parameters relating to a job to be processed, each user interface generating a job to be processed in response to selections from the user and outputting the job, the dispatcher machine receiving the outputted job via the job-submission interface and assigning a priority level to the received job and placing the received job in a job list, the job list containing a list of jobs, each of the listed jobs having an assigned priority level;
a job-allocation interface in communication with a plurality of test machines, the dispatcher machine maintaining a list of test machines, the list of test machines including characteristics of the listed test machines, wherein the dispatcher machine analyzes the test machine list to determine whether any of the test machines listed are capable of processing the received job, wherein if the dispatcher machine determines that one or more of the listed test machines are capable of processing the received job, the dispatcher machine sends a notification to said one cr more test machines, wherein at least one of the notified test machines sends an indication to the dispatcher machine indicating that the notified test machine is available for processing a job, wherein upon receiving the indication from the available test machine the dispatcher machine selects a job to be processed by the available test machine and sends the selected job to the available test machine via the job-allocation interface.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a scheduling method and apparatus for use in an automated testing system for automatically scheduling and allocating jobs to test machines. The automated testing system may be distributed over a network, such as the Internet, for testing hardware and software. The user interfaces generate jobs in response to selections by the users and output the obs onto the network in the form of data packets. A plurality of test machines are in communication with the dispatcher machines via the network. When a test machine is available to process a job, the available test machine generates availability data packets which indicate that the test machine is available to process a job. These availability data packets are sent over the network and routed to the dispatcher machine designated by the address contained in the availability data packet. Upon receiving an availability data packet, the dispatcher machine determines whether one or more of the jobs on the list of jobs maintained by the dispatcher machine is capable of being performed by the available test machine. If one or more of the jobs listed are capable of being performed by the available test machine, the dispatcher machine instructs the test machine to perform one of the jobs, preferably the job having the highest priority.
111 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A dispatcher machine for automatically scheduling and processing jobs in an automated testing system, the dispatcher machine comprising:
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a job-submission interface in communication with a plurality of user interfaces, each user interface displaying test parameter choices to a user from which the user may select test parameters relating to a job to be processed, each user interface generating a job to be processed in response to selections from the user and outputting the job, the dispatcher machine receiving the outputted job via the job-submission interface and assigning a priority level to the received job and placing the received job in a job list, the job list containing a list of jobs, each of the listed jobs having an assigned priority level; a job-allocation interface in communication with a plurality of test machines, the dispatcher machine maintaining a list of test machines, the list of test machines including characteristics of the listed test machines, wherein the dispatcher machine analyzes the test machine list to determine whether any of the test machines listed are capable of processing the received job, wherein if the dispatcher machine determines that one or more of the listed test machines are capable of processing the received job, the dispatcher machine sends a notification to said one cr more test machines, wherein at least one of the notified test machines sends an indication to the dispatcher machine indicating that the notified test machine is available for processing a job, wherein upon receiving the indication from the available test machine the dispatcher machine selects a job to be processed by the available test machine and sends the selected job to the available test machine via the job-allocation interface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for scheduling jobs in an automated testing system, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a request to process a job; assigning a priority level to the job and placing the job in a job list, the job list containing a list of jobs, each of the listed jobs having an assigned priority level; analyzing a test machine list to determine whether any test machines listed on the test machine list are capable of processing the received job; if in the analyzing step it is determined that one or more test machines listed are capable of processing the received job, sending a notification to said one or more test machines; receiving an indication from at least one of the notified test machines indicating that the notified test machine is available for processing a job; selecting a job from the job list and instructing the available test machine to perform the selected job in response to receiving the indication from the notified test machine. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification