Method, system, and program for distributing application transactions among work servers

• US 7,660,897 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2004
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hall, Harold Hershey Jr., Hsiung, Lawrence Shun-mok, Ostdiek, Luis Javier, Wadia, Noshir Cavas, Ye, Peng
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUBIN, BLAKE J
• Application Number:
  US10/911,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,016 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and program for distributing application transactions among work servers. Application transaction rates are determined for a plurality of applications supplying transactions to process. For each application, available partitions in at least one server are assigned to process the application transactions based on partition transaction rates of partitions in the servers. For each application, a determination is made of weights for each server including partitions assigned to the application based on a number of partitions in the server assigned to the application. The determined weights for each application are used to distribute application transactions among the servers including partitions assigned to the application.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining application transaction rates for a plurality of applications supplying transactions to be processed;

for each application, assigning available partitions in at least one server of a plurality of servers to process the application transactions based on partition transaction rates of partitions in the plurality of servers, wherein assigning the available partitions in the at least one server of the plurality of servers to process the application transactions comprises assigning available partitions in different servers of the plurality of servers to the application before assigning all available partitions in one server to the application, wherein a partition is a portion of processing resources in each server of the plurality of servers, wherein the partition is dynamically assigned to process one or more of the application transactions, and wherein a server transaction capability information is used to determine a transaction rate at which a server partition processes a selected application, wherein the transaction rate is a base weight divided by a number of partitions that is used for processing application transactions;

for each application, determining weights for each server including partitions assigned to the application based on a number of partitions in the server assigned to the application; and

using the determined weights for each application to distribute application transactions among the servers including the partitions assigned to the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of applications are capable of having different application transaction rates and those partitions that are in different servers are capable of having different partition transaction rates for one application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions comprises:

selecting all available partitions in one server to assign to the application before assigning partitions in another server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions further comprises:

selecting available partitions in one of the at least one server to assign the available partitions to the application until a total of the partition transaction rates of the assigned partitions is greater than or equal to the application transaction rate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight for each server comprises the number of partitions in the server assigned to the application, wherein using the determined weights for each application to distribute transactions for the application to the servers assigned to the application comprises:

determining an application ratio comprising a ratio of the weights to one another indicating how many transactions of the application are sent to the servers.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically determining current application transaction rates for the applications after determining the weights for each server;

for each application, assigning additional available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions in response to determining that the current application transaction rate for the application has increased by a threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the threshold comprises a first threshold, further comprising:

for each application, removing the assignment of at least one of the available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions in response to determining that the current application transaction rate for the application has decreased by a second threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a new application;

determining application transaction rates for the new application; and

assigning selected partitions to the new application, based on at least the determined application transaction rates for the new application.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining partitions assigned to the at least one application to reassign to one application having an application transaction rate that is greater than a total of the partition transaction rates assigned to the application;

removing the assignment of the determined partitions from the at least one application to which they are assigned; and

reassigning the determined partitions to the application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

(i) the partition is a logical division of the processing resources; and

(ii) once a selected partition is assigned to a selected application, the selected application is cloned for the selected partition to execute application transactions of the selected application in the selected partition.

31. The method of claim 10, wherein the transaction rate at which the server partition processes the selected application is a partition transaction rate, the method, the method further comprising:

for each application, maintaining an application threshold information, wherein the application threshold information includes;

(i) an upper threshold that indicates a transaction level for the application at which one or more partitions are to be added; and

(ii) a lower threshold that indicates the transaction level for the application at which one or more partitions are to be removed.

11. A system in communications with applications and work servers, wherein the system includes circuitry enabled to perform:

determining application transaction rates for a plurality of applications supplying transactions to be processed;

for each application, assigning available partitions in at least one server of a plurality of servers to process the application transactions based on partition transaction rates of partitions in the plurality of servers, wherein assigning the available partitions in the at least one server of the plurality of servers to process the application transactions comprises assigning available partitions in different servers of the plurality of servers to the application before assigning all available partitions in one server to the application, wherein a partition is a portion of processing resources in each server of the plurality of servers, wherein the partition is dynamically assigned to process one or more of the application transactions, and wherein a server transaction capability information is used to determine a transaction rate at which a server partition processes a selected application, wherein the transaction rate is a base weight divided by a number of partitions that is used for processing application transactions;

for each application, determining weights for each server including partitions assigned to the application based on a number of partitions in the server assigned to the application; and

using the determined weights for each application to distribute application transactions among the servers including the partitions assigned to the application.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of applications are capable of having different application transaction rates and those partitions that are in different servers are capable of having different partition transaction rates for one application.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein assigning the available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions comprises:

selecting all available partitions in one server to assign to the application before assigning partitions in another server.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein assigning the available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions further comprises:

selecting available partitions in one of the at least one server to assign the available partitions to the application until a total of the partition transaction rates of the assigned partitions is greater than or equal to the application transaction rate.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the weight for each server comprises the number of partitions in the server assigned to the application, wherein using the determined weights for each application to distribute transactions for the application to the servers assigned to the application comprises:

determining an application ratio comprising a ratio of the weights to one another indicating how many transactions of the application are sent to the servers.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is further enabled to:

periodically determining current application transaction rates for the applications after determining the weights for each server;

for each application, assigning additional available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions in response to determining that the current application transaction rate for the application has increased by a threshold.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the threshold comprises a first threshold, further comprising:

for each application, removing the assignment of at least one of the available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions in response to determining that the current application transaction rate for the application has decreased by a second threshold.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is further enabled to:

receiving a new application;

determining application transaction rates for the new application; and

assigning selected partitions to the new application, based on at least the determined application transaction rates for the new application.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is further enabled to:

determining partitions assigned to the at least one application to reassign to one application having an application transaction rate that is greater than a total of the partition transaction rates assigned to the application;

removing the assignment of the determined partitions from the at least one application to which they are assigned; and

reassigning the determined partitions to the application.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein:

(i) the partition is a logical division of the processing resources; and

(ii) once a selected partition is assigned to a selected application, the selected application is cloned for the selected partition to execute application transactions of the selected application in the selected partition.

32. The system of claim 20, wherein the transaction rate at which the server partition processes the selected application is a partition transaction rate, wherein the system is further enabled to perform:

for each application, maintaining an application threshold information, wherein the application threshold information includes;

(i) an upper threshold that indicates a transaction level for the application at which one or more partitions are to be added; and

(ii) a lower threshold that indicates the transaction level for the application at which one or more partitions are to be removed.

21. A computer readable storage medium, wherein code stored in the computer readable storage medium when executed by a processor causes operations, the operations comprising:

determining application transaction rates for a plurality of applications supplying transactions to be processed;

for each application, assigning available partitions in at least one server of a plurality of servers to process the application transactions based on partition transaction rates of partitions in the plurality of servers, wherein assigning the available partitions in the at least one server of the plurality of servers to process the application transactions comprises assigning available partitions in different servers of the plurality of servers to the application before assigning all available partitions in one server to the application, wherein a partition is a portion of processing resources in each server of the plurality of servers, wherein the partition is dynamically assigned to process one or more of the application transactions, and wherein a server transaction capability information is used to determine a transaction rate at which a server partition processes a selected application, wherein the transaction rate is a base weight divided by a number of partitions that is used for processing application transactions;

for each application, determining weights for each server including partitions assigned to the application based on a number of partitions in the server assigned to the application; and

using the determined weights for each application to distribute application transactions among the servers including the partitions assigned to the application.

22. The computer storage readable medium of claim 21, wherein the plurality of

applications are capable of having different application transaction rates and those partitions that are in different servers are capable of having different partition transaction rates for one application.

23. The computer storage readable medium of claim 21, wherein assigning the available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions comprises:

selecting all available partitions in one server to assign to the application before assigning partitions in another server.

24. The computer storage readable medium of claim 21, wherein assigning the available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions further comprises:

selecting available partitions in one of the at least one server to assign the available partitions to the application until a total of the partition transaction rates of the assigned partitions is greater than or equal to the application transaction rate.

25. The computer storage readable medium of claim 21, wherein the weight for each server comprises the number of partitions in the server assigned to the application, wherein using the determined weights for each application to distribute transactions for the application to the servers assigned to the application comprises:

determining an application ratio comprising a ratio of the weights to one another indicating how many transactions of the application are sent to the servers.

26. The computer storage readable medium of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

periodically determining current application transaction rates for the applications after determining the weights for each server;

for each application, assigning additional available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions in response to determining that the current application transaction rate for the application has increased by a threshold.

27. The computer storage readable medium of claim 26, wherein the threshold comprises a first threshold, the operations further comprising:

for each application, removing the assignment of at least one of the available partitions in the at least one server to process the application transactions in response to determining that the current application transaction rate for the application has decreased by a second threshold.

28. The computer storage readable medium of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

receiving a new application;

determining application transaction rates for the new application; and

assigning selected partitions to the new application, based on at least the determined application transaction rates for the new application.

29. The computer storage readable medium of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

determining partitions assigned to the at least one application to reassign to one application having an application transaction rate that is greater than a total of the partition transaction rates assigned to the application;

removing the assignment of the determined partitions from the at least one application to which they are assigned; and

reassigning the determined partitions to the application.

30. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein:

(i) the partition is a logical division of the processing resources; and

(ii) once a selected partition is assigned to a selected application, the selected application is cloned for the selected partition to execute application transactions of the selected application in the selected partition.

33. The computer readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the transaction rate at which the server partition processes the selected application is a partition transaction rate, the operations further comprising:

for each application, maintaining an application threshold information, wherein the application threshold information includes;

(i) an upper threshold that indicates a transaction level for the application at which one or more partitions are to be added; and

(ii) a lower threshold that indicates the transaction level for the application at which one or more partitions are to be removed.