Maintenance of free resource information in a distributed system
First Claim
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1. A method for managing a shared resource that is allocated among nodes in a distributed computing system, the method comprising:
- selecting one of the nodes to serve as a coordinating node;
receiving periodic reports at the coordinating node from the other nodes regarding their respective allocations of the resource, independently of any scanning of the other nodes by the coordinating node; and
responsive to the periodic reports, determining at the coordinating node an approximate amount of the resource that is free for further allocation.
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Abstract
A method for managing a shared resource that is allocated among nodes in a distributed computing system includes receiving periodic reports from the nodes regarding their respective allocations of the resource. Responsive to the periodic reports, an approximate amount of the resource that is free for further allocation is determined. Typically, the shared resource is a data storage resource, such as a plurality of disks linked to the nodes by a network, which disks are commonly accessible to multiple ones of the nodes.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method for managing a shared resource that is allocated among nodes in a distributed computing system, the method comprising:
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selecting one of the nodes to serve as a coordinating node;
receiving periodic reports at the coordinating node from the other nodes regarding their respective allocations of the resource, independently of any scanning of the other nodes by the coordinating node; and
responsive to the periodic reports, determining at the coordinating node an approximate amount of the resource that is free for further allocation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. Apparatus for managing a shared resource that is allocated among nodes in a distributed computing system, comprising a processor, which is configured to communicate with the nodes in the distributed computing system so as to receive periodic reports from the nodes regarding their respective allocations of the resource independently of any scanning of the other nodes by the processor, and responsive to the periodic reports, to determine an approximate amount of the resource that is free for further allocation.
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16. A distributed computing system, comprising:
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a plurality of processors, configured to serve as nodes of the system;
a communication network, linking the processors; and
a shared resource, accessible by the nodes via the network, wherein one of the nodes is selected to act as a coordinating node, and wherein the other nodes periodically report on their respective allocations of the resource independently of any scanning of the other nodes by the coordinating node, and wherein the coordinating node is adapted, responsive to the reported allocations, to determine an approximate amount of the resource that is free for further allocation. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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- 25. A computer software product, comprising a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer in a distributed computing system in which a shared resource is allocated among multiple nodes, cause the computer to receive periodic reports from the nodes regarding their respective allocations of the resource independently of any scanning of the other nodes by the computer, and responsive to the periodic reports, to determine an approximate amount of the resource that is free for further allocation.
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30. A method for managing a shared resource that is allocated among nodes in a distributed computing system, the method comprising:
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receiving periodic reports from the nodes, at intervals that vary from one node to another in the system, regarding their respective allocations of the shared resource; and
responsive to the periodic reports, determining an approximate amount of the shared resource that is free for further allocation. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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Specification