Resource management device

• US 7,552,438 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Secretary of the Navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Fontenot, Larry A., Welch, Lonnie R., Werme, Paul V., Masters, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Van H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang; Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US11/650,757
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 718/104, 709223-225, 709/227, 709/202, 709/219, 710/260, 710/5, 707/3, 707101-102, 707/200, 714/100
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3433 for load management allocation of a server based on load conditions G06F9/505; load rebalancing G06F9/5083; redistributing the load in a network by a load balancer H04L67/1029
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/349 for interfaces, buses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/482 Application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/508 Monitor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 : based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 : based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2405 : Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the server, e.g. server load allocation of resources in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/50; performance measurement of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25 : Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00

Abstract

A resource manager for a distributed environment including hosts instantiating copies of a scalable application, generates signals which start up, shutdown or move a selected one of the copies responsive to first information regarding performance of all copies of the scalable application and second information regarding performance of the hosts.

Claims

1. A communication system having a resource management device, the system comprising:

a grid system comprising networked hosts instantiating M managed characteristic application computer programs;

wherein the resource management device for a host of said plurality of networked hosts further comprises;

a receiver for receiving first and second information from the host, the first information regarding performance of a plurality of application computer programs including a managed characteristic application computer program instantiated by the host, the second information regarding monitored performance history of the host, wherein the managed characteristic program is managed by at least one of the host and the resource management device;

a response manager for determining an operation responsive to the first and second information; and

a signal generator for generating response signals in response to the operation from the manage processor to the first and second information, the response signals including;

a first signal that starts a copy of the managed characteristic application computer program on one of the host and a remote platform connected by a network to the host;

a second signal that shuts down and restarts the managed characteristic application computer program on the host; and

a third signal that moves the managed characteristic application computer program to the remote platform.

2. The resource management device as recited in claim 1, wherein the managed characteristic application computer program comprises a scalable application computer program.

3. The resource management device as recited in claim 1, wherein the managed characteristic application computer program comprises a fault tolerant application computer program, where the degree of fault tolerance is selectable by a user.

4. The resource management device as recited in claim 1, wherein the managed characteristic application computer program comprises a selectable priority application computer program.

5. The resource management device as recited in claim 1, wherein the managed characteristic application computer program further responds to user initiated control actions.

6. The resource management device as recited in claim 1, wherein the resource management device generates signals instructing a program control device to modify the configuration of the managed characteristic application computer program.

7. A system having a resource management device, said system comprising:

a grid system comprising networked hosts instantiating M managed characteristic application computer programs, the resource management device being within a device host of the networked hosts further comprising;

a receiver for receiving first and second information from at least one host in the grid system;

a response manager for determining an operation responsive to the first and second information;

a signal generator for generating signals responsive to the first information regarding performance of the M managed characteristic application computer programs and to the second information regarding monitored performance history of each host of the networked hosts, where M is a positive integer, the signals including;

a first signal that controls a configuration of an M^th copy of the M managed characteristic application computer programs, each of the M managed characteristic application computer programs being managed by a program host of the networked hosts;

a second signal that controls a start of an (M+1)^th copy of the M managed characteristic application computer programs;

a third signal that controls a shutdown and restart of the M^th copy of the M managed characteristic application computer programs; and

a fourth signal that controls a movement of the M^th copy of the M managed characteristic application computer programs from a first host to a second host of the networked hosts.

8. The resource management device as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one of the M managed characteristic application computer programs comprises a scalable application computer program.

9. The resource management device as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one of the M managed characteristic application computer programs comprise a fault tolerant application computer program, where the degree of fault tolerance is selectable by a user.

10. The resource management device as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one of the M managed characteristic application computer programs comprises a selectable priority application computer program.

11. The resource management device as recited in claim 7, wherein the resource management device further generates signals responsive to third information received by the resource management device regarding the performance of hardware operatively coupling the networked hosts.

12. The resource management device as recited in claim 7, wherein the resource management device further generates signals responsive to fourth information received by the resource management device establishing one of the priority assigned to the managed characteristic application computer program and multiple copies of the managed characteristic application computer program.

13. The resource management device as recited in claim 7, wherein the resource management device further generates signals responsive to externally generated action requests received by the resource management device.

14. The resource management device as recited in claim 13, where the action requests are generated by an operator.