Method and apparatus for relay control and computer product

• US 7,720,949 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Satoshi, Shimojima, Kazuki, Sonoda, Masataka, Sekiguchi, Atsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang; Paul H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shingles; Kristie D
• Application Number:
  US10/899,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20050193107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,122 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/226, 709/232, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources

Abstract

A relay control apparatus is arranged between clients and a CoD system. The relay control apparatus accepts process requests from the clients and stores the process requests. If the CoD system is installing a server in addition to existing servers, the relay control apparatus provides a control so that requests unprocessable with the existing servers are not passed to the CoD system until the installation of the server is completed. When the installation of the server is completed, servers that can process, within a predetermined period, a volume of requests at that time and a volume of requests retained by that time are secured.

Claims

1. A relay control method for relaying a process request to an information processing system that dynamically installs an additional server in addition to an existing server according to a volume of process requests from a client, comprising:

temporarily pooling the process requests in a pooling unit;

determining whether the information processing system is installing the additional server, wherein an indicator is set to indicate whether the information processing system is installing the additional server;

relaying the process request received from the client to the information processing system when it is determined at the determining that the information processing system is not installing the additional server and setting the indicator to a first position;

relaying only a process request processable by the existing server from among process requests received from the client to the information processing system when it is determined at the determining that the information processing system is installing the additional server and setting the indicator to a second position different from the first position;

estimating the volume of the process requests from the client;

calculating the number of the additional servers required at a specific time in future from the volume of the process requests estimated at the estimating; and

reporting the number of the additional servers calculated at the calculating to the information processing system,

wherein the calculating includes calculating the number of the additional servers as a sum of

the number of additional servers at the specific time required for processing within a predetermined period process requests received from the client, and

the number of additional servers required for processing within the predetermined period process requests received from the client and yet not relayed to the information processing system by a specific time.

2. The relay control method according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined time is shorter than a timeout time of an application on the client.

3. A relay control device that relays a process request to an information processing system that dynamically installs an additional server in addition to an existing server according to a volume of process requests from a client, comprising:

a request pool unit to temporarily pools the process requests;

a determining unit to determine whether the information processing system is installing the additional server, wherein an indicator is set to indicate whether the information processing system is installing the additional server;

a first relaying unit to relay the process request received from the client to the information processing system once it is determined by the determining unit that the information processing system is not installing the additional server and to set the indicator to a first position;

a second relaying unit to relay only a process request processable by the existing server from among process requests received from the client to the information processing system once it is determined by the determining unit that the information processing system is installing the additional server and to set the indicator to a second position different from the first position;

an estimating unit to estimate the volume of the process requests from the client;

a calculating unit to calculate the number of the additional servers required at a specific time in future from the volume of the process requests estimated at the estimating; and

a reporting unit to report the number of the additional servers calculated at the calculating to the information processing system,

wherein the calculating unit calculates the number of the additional servers as a sum of

the number of additional servers at the specific time required for processing within a predetermined period process requests received from the client, and

the number of additional servers required for processing within the predetermined period process requests received from the client and yet not relayed to the information processing system by a specific time.

4. The relay control device according to claim 3, wherein

the predetermined time is shorter than a timeout time of an application on the client.

5. A computer-readable recording medium that contains a computer program that includes instructions which when executed on a computer causes the computer to relay a process request to an information processing system that dynamically installs an additional server in addition to an existing server according to a volume of process requests from a client, the computer program causing the computer execute:

temporarily pooling the process requests;

determining whether the information processing system is installing the additional server, wherein an indicator is set to indicate whether the information processing system is installing the additional server;

relaying the process request received from the client to the information processing system when it is determined at the determining that the information processing system is not installing the additional server and setting the indicator to a first position;

relaying only a process request processable by the existing server from among process requests received from the client to the information processing system when it is determined at the determining that the information processing system is installing the additional server and setting the indicator to a second position different from the first position;

estimating the volume of the process requests from the client;

calculating the number of the additional servers required at a specific time in future from the volume of the process requests estimated at the estimating; and

reporting the number of the additional servers calculated at the calculating to the information processing system,

wherein the calculating includes calculating the number of the additional servers as a sum of

the number of additional servers at the specific time required for processing within a predetermined period process requests received from the client, and

the number of additional servers required for processing within the predetermined period process requests received from the client and yet not relayed to the information processing system by a specific time.

6. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 5, wherein

the predetermined time is shorter than a timeout time of an application on the client.