Method and apparatus for managing a memory shortage situation in a data processing system

• US 6,519,637 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1999
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cohen, Richard Jay, Arkeketa, Woodrow Wyatt, Khatwani, Umesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Application Number:
  US09/404,276
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/223, 709/226, 709/229, 709/232, 709/235, 709/210, 709/211, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory

Abstract

A method and apparatus in a distributed data processing system for managing memory in a data processing system within the distributed data processing system. Responsive to detecting a first level of memory shortage on the data processing system, a first set of monitors is automatically stopped on the data processing system. Responsive to detecting a second level of memory shortage on the data processing system, a second set of monitors is stopped on the data processing system. Responsive to detecting a ceasing of the memory shortage, all stopped monitors are automatically started.

Claims

1. A method in a distributed data processing system for managing memory in a data processing system within the distributed data processing system, the method comprising:

responsive to detecting a first level of memory shortage on the data processing system, automatically stopping a first set of monitors on the data processing system;

responsive to detecting a second level of memory shortage on the data processing system, stopping a second set of monitors on the data processing system; and

responsive to detecting a ceasing of the memory shortage, automatically starting all stopped monitors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first level is an eighty percent use of the memory and the second level is a ninety percent use of the memory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory is a swap space on the data processing system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of monitors is a set of statistical monitors.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to detecting a first level of memory shortage on the data processing system, preventing initiation of automated actions on the data processing system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first level is equal to the second level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the stopping and ceasing steps are performed on a server computer.

8. A method in a distributed data processing system for managing memory in a data processing system within the distributed data processing system, the method comprising:

monitoring the data processing system for memory resource usage at another data processing system;

responsive to detecting a memory shortage in the data processing system, sending a first message to the data processing system to stop monitor on the data processing system to form a set of stopped monitors; and

responsive to detecting a ceasing of the memory shortage on the data processing system, sending a second message to the data processing system starting the set of stopped monitors.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

responsive to detecting a memory shortage, preventing initiation of a set processes on the data processing system.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the memory shortage is a shortage of swap space.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the memory shortage is detected by receiving events from the data processing system.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the memory shortage is a first memory shortage and the set of stopped monitors is a first set of stopped monitors and further comprising:

responsive to detecting a second memory shortage, sending a third message to stop additional monitors to form a second set of stopped monitors.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second message starts the second set of stopped monitors.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the memory shortage is a shortage of swap space.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first memory shortage occurs when a first amount of memory is used and the second memory shortage occurs when a second amount of memory is used.

16. A distributed data processing system comprising:

a network;

a plurality of computers, wherein each of the plurality of computers includes memory resources; and

a monitoring computer, wherein the monitoring computer monitors for memory resource shortages on the plurality of computers, automatically stops execution of a first set of monitors on a computer in the plurality of computers in response to detecting a first level of memory resource shortage on the computer, stops execution of a second set of monitors on the computer in response to detecting a second level of memory resource shortage on the computer, and automatically starts all stopped monitors in response to detecting a ceasing of the memory resource shortage on the computer.

17. The distributed data processing system of claim 16, wherein the memory resources is swap space.

18. The distributed data processing system of claim 16, wherein the first set of monitors is a set of statistical monitors.

19. A distributed data processing system for managing memory in a data processing system within the distributed data processing system, the distributed data processing system comprising:

first stopping means, responsive to detecting a first level of memory shortage on the data processing system, for automatically stopping a first set of monitors on the data processing system;

second stopping means, responsive to detecting a second level of memory shortage on the data processing system, for stopping a second set of monitors on the data processing system; and

starting means, responsive to detecting a ceasing of the memory shortage, for automatically starting all stopped monitors.

20. The distributed data processing system of claim 19, wherein the first level is an eighty percent use of the memory and the second level is a ninety percent use of the memory.

21. The distributed data processing system of claim 19, wherein the memory is a swap space on the data processing system.

22. The distributed data processing system of claim 19, wherein the first set of monitors is a set of statistical monitors.

23. The distributed data processing system of claim 19 further comprising:

preventing means, responsive to detecting a first level of memory shortage on the data processing system, for preventing initiation of automated actions on the data processing system.

24. The distributed data processing system of claim 19, wherein the first level is equal to the second level.

25. The distributed data processing system of claim 19, wherein the stopping means and ceasing means are performed on a server computer.

26. A distributed data processing system for managing memory in a data processing system within the distributed data processing system, the distributed data processing system comprising:

monitoring means for monitoring the data processing system for memory resource usage at another data processing system;

first sending means, responsive to detecting a memory shortage in the data processing system, for sending a first message to the data processing system to stop monitors on the data processing system to form a set of stopped monitors; and

second sending means, responsive to detecting a ceasing of the memory shortage on the data processing system, for sending a second message to the data processing system starting the set of stopped monitors.

27. The distributed data processing system of claim 26 further comprising:

preventing means, responsive to detecting a memory shortage, for preventing initiation of a set processes on the data processing system.

28. The distributed data processing system of claim 26, wherein the memory shortage is a shortage of swap space.

29. The distributed data processing system of claim 26, wherein the memory shortage is detected by receiving events from the data processing system.

30. The distributed data processing system of claim 26, wherein the memory shortage is a first memory shortage and the set of stopped monitors is a first set of stopped monitors and further comprising:

sending means, responsive to detecting a second memory shortage, for sending a third message to stop additional monitors to form a second set of stopped monitors.

31. The distributed data processing system of claim 30, wherein the second message starts the second set of stopped monitors.

32. The distributed data processing system of claim 30, wherein the memory shortage is a shortage of swap space.

33. The distributed data processing system of claim 30, wherein the first memory shortage occurs when a first amount of memory is used and the second memory shortage occurs when a second amount of memory is used.

34. A computer program product in a compute readable medium for managing memory in a data processing system, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions, responsive to detecting a first level of memory shortage on the data process system, for automatically stopping a first set of monitors on the data processing system;

second instructions, responsive to detecting a second level of memory shortage on the data processing system, for stopping a second set of monitors on the data processing system; and

third instructions, responsive to detecting a ceasing of the memory shortages, for automatically starting all stopped monitors.

35. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for managing memory in a data processing system, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for monitoring the data processing system for memory resource usage at another data processing system;

second instructions, responsive to detecting a memory shortage in the data processing system, for sending a first message to the data processing system to stop monitors on the data processing system to form a set of stopped monitors; and

third instructions, responsive to detecting a ceasing of the memory shortage on the data processing system, for sending a second message to the data processing system starting the set of stopped monitors.

36. A method in a distributed data processing system for managing memory in a data processing system, the method comprising:

responsive to detecting a memory shortage on the data processing system, selectively stopping monitors from a set of monitors on the data processing system in a predetermined sequence; and

performing the stopping step until the memory shortage ceases.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising:

responsive to a ceasing of the memory shortage, automatically starting all stop monitors.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the memory is a swap file.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the memory is a random access memory on the data processing system.

40. A distributed data processing system for managing memory in a data processing system, the method comprising:

stopping means, responsive to detecting a memory shortage on the data processing system, for selectively stopping monitors from a set of monitors on the data processing system in a predetermined sequence; and

performing means for reinitiating the stopping means until the memory shortage ceases.

41. The distributed data processing system of claim 40 further comprising:

starting means, responsive to a ceasing of the memory shortage, for automatically starting all stopped monitors.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the memory is a swap file.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the memory is a random access memory on the data processing system.

44. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a distributed data processing system for managing memory in a data processing system, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions, responsive to detecting a memory shortage on the data processing system, for selectively stopping monitors from a set of monitors on the data processing system in a predetermined sequence; and

second instructions for reinitiating execution of the first instructions until the memory shortage ceases.