System and method of graphically managing and monitoring a compute environment

• US 7,356,770 B1
• Filed: 11/08/2005
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adaptive Computing Enterprises, Inc. (Ala Services LLC)
• Original Assignee: Cluster Resources, Inc. (Ala Services LLC)
• Inventors: Jackson, David Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Heffington, John M
• Application Number:
  US11/268,857
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 718/104, 715/738, 715/736, 715/963, 715/965, 715/966, 715/969, 715/771, 715/772, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5014 Reservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/503 Resource availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/969 Network layout and operation interface

Abstract

Presented is a graphical interface for managing at least reservations and jobs within a compute environment such as a cluster or a grid. A user can graphically view reservations and jobs in the environment and interact with the interface to modify and create reservations with a view of the current status of the resources, available resources and graphically see how proposed changes, additions or modifications of reservations would affect the environment. The invention may comprise a graphical user interface, a computing device for operating the graphical user interface, a computer-readable medium storing instructions for controlling a computing device to utilize the run the graphical interface, and methods of interacting with the user through the graphical user interface. Disclosed are various graphical windows that present in different ways past resource consumption, a current time and future resource predicted usage based on at least one of jobs running and reservations. The interface also includes a window that shows user credentials and dependencies between users, administrators and policies.

Claims

1. A tangible computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for implementing a graphical user interface for managing compute resources within a compute environment, the graphical user interface comprising:

a presentation of a window having a plurality of nodes on a first axis and a time frame on a second axis; and

a presentation of selectable options within the window, the selectable options including at least current time, reservations, jobs and empty space, wherein the window presents consumed compute resources in a past time and user-selected options in a future time.

2. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein if a user selects jobs for display, the interface presents in the future time reserved resources to allow jobs to process.

3. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein if a user selects reservations for display, the interface presents in the future time reserved resources.

4. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein if a user selects empty space for display, the interface presents empty space with a visual queue that represents at least one of unused and unreserved resources.

5. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein different visual queues are presented for different display options.

6. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the time value presents options modifiable by a user.

7. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, the graphical user interface further comprising:

a module configured to receive from a user a request for a reservation utilizing empty space within the window.

8. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the module configured to receive a request for a reservation further receives a drag and drop operation from the user.

9. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the module configured to receive a request for a reservation further receives a right-click operation from the user.

10. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising a module configured to receive and modify a presented reservation while an associated job is being processed.

11. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising a module configured to receive a selection of a presented feature within the window and import the presented feature graphically into a processor usage graphical interface.

12. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising a module configured to receive a selection of a feature by a user and presenting information associated with the selected feature.

13. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein upon selection of a reservation by a user, the interface presents at least one of the following options for modification of the reservation;

cancel the reservation, query for information about the reservation, modify attributes associated with the reservation, modify a timeframe associated with the reservation and modify an allocation of resources associated with the reservation.

14. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein if a reservation is selected and dragged to a new location within the window, the interface presents an indicator of whether the reservation modification is acceptable.

15. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein if a reservation is selected and dragged to a new location within the window, the interface presents a shadow of a reservation original location and presents an option to the user to restore the reservation to the original location.

16. The tangible computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for implementing a graphical user interface for managing compute resources within a compute environment, the graphical user interface comprising:

a presentation of a window having resources on a first axis and time on a second axis; and

a presentation of a current time, consumed resources in a past time and reserved resources in a future time;

a presentation of a reservation selected by a user for modification within available resource space; and

a module configured to receive modifications of the reservation from the user and to present changes to the resources in the future time according to the modifications.

17. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the selected reservation is subtracted from reported resource usage within the window.

18. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the window is presented to the user upon the user selecting a reservation from a visual reservations window.

19. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the window only presents resources on the first axis which satisfy the selected reservation.

20. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising presenting with a visual queue other resources on the first axis which are not necessary for satisfying the selected reservation.

21. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising a module configured to dialog with the user to perform one of:

confirm creation of the reservation, negotiate a parameter associated with a proposed change in the reservation.

22. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein modifications to the reservation may be at least one of:

start time, end time, duration and resource allocation quantity.

23. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein modifications to the reservation are automatically bounded by user credentials.

24. A system for implementing a graphical user interface for managing compute resources within a compute environment, the system comprising:

a hardware module configured to present a window having a plurality of nodes on a first access and a timeframe on a second axis; and

a hardware module configured to present selectable options within the window, the selectable options including at least current time, reservations, jobs and empty space, wherein the window presents consumed compute resources in a past time and user-selected options in a future time.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein if the system receives a user selection of jobs for display, the interface presents in the future time reserved resources to allow jobs to process.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein if the system receives a user selection of empty space for display, the interface presents empty space with a visual queue that represents at least one of unused and unreserved resources.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a module configured to receive from a user a request for a reservation utilizing empty space within the window.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the module configured to receive a request for a reservation further receives a drag and drop operation from the user.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein upon selection of a reservation by a user, the interface presents at least one of the following options for modification of the reservation:

cancel the reservation, query for information about the reservation, modify attributes associated with the reservation, modify a timeframe associated with the reservation and modify an allocation of resources associated with the reservation.

30. A method of implementing a graphical user interface for managing compute resources within a compute environment, the method comprising:

presenting a window having a plurality of nodes on a first axis and a timeframe on a second axis; and

presenting selectable options within the window, the selectable options including at least current time, reservations, jobs and empty space, wherein the window presents consumed compute resources in a past time and user-selected options in a future time.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein if a user selects jobs for display, the interface presents in the future time reserved resources to allow jobs to process.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

receiving from a user a request for a reservation utilizing empty space within the window.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein receiving a request for a reservation further receives a drag and drop operation from the user.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein upon selection of a reservation by a user, the method further comprises presenting at least one of the following options for modification of the reservation:

cancel the reservation, query for information about the reservation, modify attributes associated with the reservation, modify a timeframe associated with the reservation and modify an allocation of resources associated with the reservation.