Offloading work from one type to another type of processor based on the count of each type of service call instructions in the work unit

• US 8,533,720 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Byrum, Wilton T., Cook, Christopher, Thackrey, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kawsar, Abdullah Al
• Assistant Examiner(s): TEETS, BRADLEY A
• Application Number:
  US13/034,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20120222033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/509 Offload
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities

Abstract

A work unit (e.g., a load module) to be executed on one processor may be eligible to be offloaded and executed on another processor that is heterogeneous from the one processor. The other processor is heterogeneous in that is has a different computing architecture and/or different instruction set from the one processor. A determination is made as to whether the work unit is eligible for offloading. The determination is based, for instance, on the particular type of instructions (e.g., particular type of service call and/or program call instructions) included in the work unit and whether those types of instructions are supported by the other processor. If the instructions of the work unit are supported by the other processor, then the work unit is eligible for offloading.

Claims

1. A computer program product for determining whether a work unit is eligible for offloading from one processor to another processor for processing, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

examining the work unit for selected instructions, the selected instructions including at least one of one or more types of service call instructions or one or more types of program call instructions, wherein the work unit includes at least one selected instruction;

determining whether the another processor supports the at least one selected instruction existing in the work unit; and

providing an indication that the work unit is eligible for offloading, based on the determining indicating the another processor supports the at least one selected instruction, and

wherein the examining is performed prior to the work unit being provided to a work dispatcher, and

wherein the examining comprises providing one or more counts, each count of the one or more counts being for a particular type of selected instruction, and

incrementing the count for a particular type of selected instruction based on encountering the particular type of selected instruction in the work unit, and

wherein the determining comprises for at least one count of a particular type of selected instruction having a value indicating at least one instruction of that particular type of selected instruction is in the work unit comparing the particular type of selected instruction associated with that count to an indication of types of instructions supported by the another processor,

wherein the work unit is eligible for offloading based on the comparing indicating that the particular types of selected instructions in the work unit are included in the indication of types of instructions supported by the another processor.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the examining comprises creating a report, the report specifying a count of each type of selected instruction in the work unit.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the examining is dynamically performed at time of dispatching the work unit for processing, and wherein the examining comprises comparing the at least one selected instruction to a list of supported instructions of the another processor.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the providing an indication comprises setting a return code specifying that the comparing indicates that the another processor supports the at least one selected instruction.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises dispatching the work unit to the another processor, based on the return code indicating support.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the one processor is based on one architecture and the another processor is based on another architecture different from the one architecture.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the one processor supports one instruction set and the another processor supports a different instruction set.

8. A computer system for determining whether a work unit is eligible for offloading from one processor to another processor for processing, said computer system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communications with the memory, wherein the computer system is configured to perform a method, said method comprising;

examining the work unit for selected instructions, the selected instructions including at least one of one or more types of service call instructions or one or more types of program call instructions, wherein the work unit includes at least one selected instruction;

determining whether the another processor supports the at least one selected instruction existing in the work unit; and

providing an indication that the work unit is eligible for offloading, based on the determining indicating the another processor supports the at least one selected instruction, and

wherein the examining is performed prior to the work unit being provided to a work dispatcher, and

wherein the examining comprises providing one or more counts, each count of the one or more counts being for a particular type of selected instruction, and

incrementing the count for a particular type of selected instruction based on encountering the particular type of selected instruction in the work unit, and

wherein the determining comprises for at least one count of a particular type of selected instruction having a value indicating at least one instruction of that particular type of selected instruction is in the work unit comparing the particular type of selected instruction associated with that count to an indication of types of instructions supported by the another processor,

wherein the work unit is eligible for offloading based on the comparing indicating that the particular types of selected instructions in the work unit are included in the indication of types of instructions supported by the another processor.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the examining comprises creating a report, the report specifying a count of each type of selected instruction in the work unit.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the examining is dynamically performed at time of dispatching the work unit for processing, and wherein the examining comprises comparing the at least one selected instruction to a list of supported instructions of the another processor.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the providing an indication comprises setting a return code specifying that the comparing indicates that the another processor supports the at least one selected instruction.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises dispatching the work unit to the another processor, based on the return code indicating support.

13. A method of determining whether a work unit is eligible for offloading from one processor to another processor for processing, said method comprising:

examining the work unit, by a processor, for selected instructions, the selected instructions including at least one of one or more types of service call instructions or one or more types of program call instructions, wherein the work unit includes at least one selected instruction;

determining whether the another processor supports the at least one selected instruction existing in the work unit; and

providing an indication that the work unit is eligible for offloading, based on the determining indicating the another processor supports the at least one selected instruction, and

wherein the examining is performed prior to the work unit being provided to a work dispatcher, and

wherein the examining comprises providing one or more counts, each count of the one or more counts being for a particular type of selected instruction, and

incrementing the count for a particular type of selected instruction based on encountering the particular type of selected instruction in the work unit, and

wherein the determining comprises for at least one count of a particular type of selected instruction having a value indicating at least one instruction of that particular type of selected instruction is in the work unit comparing the particular type of selected instruction associated with that count to an indication of types of instructions supported by the another processor,

wherein the work unit is eligible for offloading based on the comparing indicating that the particular types of selected instructions in the work unit are included in the indication of types of instructions supported by the another processor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the examining comprises creating a report, the report specifying a count of each type of selected instruction in the work unit.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the providing an indication comprises setting a return code specifying that the comparing indicates that the another processor supports the at least one selected instruction.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the examining is dynamically performed at time of dispatching the work unit for processing, and wherein the examining comprises comparing the at least one selected instruction to a list of supported instructions of the another processor.