Statically partitioning into fixed and independent systems with fixed processing core

• US 8,458,718 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hotra, Jonathan N., Luecke, Kenn R.
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhao, Bing
• Application Number:
  US12/548,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

The different advantageous embodiments provide a system for partitioning a data processing system comprising a number of cores and a partitioning process. The partitioning process is configured to assign a number of partitions to the number of cores. Each partition in the number of partitions is assigned to a separate number of cores from the number of cores.

Claims

1. A method performed by a partitioning process for partitioning a data processing system, the method comprising;

responsive to detecting a start-up of the data processing system, identifying a configuration profile for the data processing system;

partitioning the data processing system based on the configuration profile to form a number of partitions within the data processing system, wherein each of the number of partitions is a static partition that does not change during operation of the data processing system;

assigning each partition of the number of partitions exclusively to a separate number of cores from a plurality of cores of a processing unit;

allocating a number of resources of the data processing system to the number of partitions based on the configuration profile; and

releasing control of the data processing system to a communications unit process until a next system start up of the data processing system, wherein the communications unit process is configured to manage inter-partition communication between the number of partitions, and the releasing control of the data processing system results in no operating system or hypervisor scheduling activities occurring on the data processing system so that each partition operates independently as if each partition is on a separate physical computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein partitioning the system further comprises:

assigning a number of input/output devices to the number of partitions, wherein each partition in the number of partitions is assigned a different input/output device in the number of input/output devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a number of interrupt requests from an input/output device are routed to a partition in the number of partitions based on the input/output device assignment.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reserving a partition in the number of partitions for a communications unit.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the communications unit is configured to route communications between the number of partitions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein configuration of the data processing system does not occur again until one of a reboot or a cycling of power of the data processing system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of resources comprises a hypervisor and a number of virtual machines.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of partitions comprises a hypervisor and a number of virtual machines.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each partition of the number of partitions is a hardware partition.

10. A system for partitioning a data processing system, the system comprising:

a number of cores of a processing unit;

a partitioning process configured to;

responsive to detecting a start-up of the data processing system, identify a configuration profile for the data processing system;

partition the data processing system based on the configuration profile to form a number of partitions within the data processing system;

assign a number of partitions to the number of cores, each partition in the number of partitions assigned exclusively to a separate number of cores from the number of cores;

allocate a number of resources of the data processing system to the number of partitions based on the configuration profile; and

release control of the data processing system to a communications unit process until a next system start up of the data processing system, wherein the communications unit process is configured to manage inter-partition communication between the number of partitions, and the releasing control of the data processing system results in no operating system or hypervisor scheduling activities occurring on the data processing system so that each partition operates independently as if each partition is on a separate physical computer; and

the configuration profile having instructions for the partitioning of the data processing system into the number of partitions and the allocating of the number of resources of the data processing system to the number of partitions, wherein each of the number of partitions is a static partition that does not change during operation of the data processing system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the partitioning process reserves a partition in the number of partitions for the communications unit.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the partitioning process releases control of the data processing system to the communications unit process after partitioning the data processing system at startup.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the partitioning process further allocates a number of resources to the number of partitions, each partition in the number of partitions having a separate number of resources from the number of resources.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein configuration of the data processing system does not occur again until one of a reboot or a cycling of power of the data processing system.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the number of resources comprises a hypervisor and a number of virtual machines.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the number of partitions comprises a hypervisor and a number of virtual machines.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein each partition of the number of partitions is a hardware partition.

18. A method performed by a partitioning process for partitioning a data processing system having a plurality of cores of a processing unit, the method comprising:

responsive to detecting a start-up of the data processing system, identifying a configuration profile for the data processing system;

partitioning the data processing system based on a configuration profile to form a number of partitions assigned to a number of cores from the plurality of cores within the data processing system, wherein each of the number of partitions is a static partition that does not change during operation of the data processing system;

assigning a separate number of cores from the plurality of cores exclusively to each partition of the number of partitions;

allocating a number of resources of the data processing system to the number of partitions based on the configuration profile; and

releasing control of the data processing system to a communications unit process until a next system start up of the data processing system, wherein the communications unit process is configured to manage inter-partition communication between the number of partitions, and the releasing control of the data processing system results in no operating system or hypervisor scheduling activities occurring on the data processing system so that each partition operates independently as if each partition is on a separate physical computer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein each partition in the number of partitions formed is assigned to a different number of cores from the plurality of cores within the data processing system.

20. The method of claim 18,

wherein configuration of the data processing system does not occur again until one of a reboot or a cycling of power of the data processing system;

wherein the number of resources comprises a hypervisor and a number of virtual machines;

wherein the number of partitions comprises a hypervisor and a number of virtual machines; and

wherein each partition of the number of partitions is a hardware partition.