Method and apparatus for performing a service operation on a computer system

• US 8,589,924 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2006
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnsen, Bjrn Dag, Huse, Lars Paul, Delfatti, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente, Emerson
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, DONG U
• Application Number:
  US11/477,241
• Time in Patent Office: 2,701 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention provides a method for performing a service operation on a computer system. The method includes submitting a request for performing a service operation on the computer system and providing an estimated duration of the service operation. The service operation is expected to render one or more resources of the computer system unavailable for the duration of the service operation. It is therefore determined whether or not to accept the requested service operation based on planned usage of the one or more resources for the duration of the service operation.

Claims

1. A method for performing a service operation on a computer system that comprises a plurality of processing modules, comprising:

receiving, at a resource manager for the computer system, a request for performing a service operation on one or more resources of the processing modules, wherein the request individually identifies each of the resources without identifying processing modules affected by the service operation;

providing an estimated duration for the requested service operation;

submitting the request to a configuration manager, wherein, for each resource in a set of resources for the processing modules, the configuration manager maintains a mapping that identifies one or more of the processing modules that are affected by a service operation performed on the resource;

using the mappings to determine a set of the processing modules that will be affected by the service operation;

receiving, at the resource manager, a second request for the service operation, wherein the second request identifies a set N of the processing modules that are affected by the service operation and includes an indication that the service operation will render unavailable M out of the set of N processing modules, wherein the set N comprises a number N of the processing modules and the set M comprises a number M of the processing modules, and wherein the resource manager does not maintain any information that identifies processing modules that are affected by a service operation on resources; and

determining whether or not to accept the request for the service operation based on the second request and a planned future usage of the one or more resources for the estimated duration of the service operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said request is submitted to a resource manager for the system, wherein said resource manager determines whether or not to accepted the requested service operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one resource is currently unavailable pending completion of the requested service operation, and providing the estimated duration for the requested service operation includes providing an estimated duration until the start of the requested service operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing an estimated duration for the service operation comprises storing the estimated duration in a database remotely accessible from the computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing an estimated duration for the service operation comprises storing the estimated duration in a field replaceable unit to be replaced during the service operation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the estimated duration for the service operation to schedule workload on the computer system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the service operation replaces a first part by a second part, and the determination whether or not to accept the requested service operation is based on the first part being available until the service operation has started, and the second part being available after the estimated duration of the service operation.

8. A method comprising:

determining that at least one component within a computer system that comprises a plurality of components is suspected of having a fault, where said at least one component provides one or more resources for the computer system;

requesting removal of the one or more resources provided by the suspected component;

including within the request for removal an indication whether or not there is a suspected fault, wherein the request is received at a resource manager for the computer system, and wherein the request identifies the suspected component without identifying resources that are affected by a service operation on the suspected component;

submitting the request to a configuration manager, wherein, for each component in the plurality of components, the configuration manager maintains a mapping that identifies one or more of the resources that are affected by a service operation performed on the component;

using the mappings to determine a set of the resources that will be affected by the service operation;

receiving, at the resource manager, a second request for the service operation, wherein the second request identifies a set N of the resources that are affected by the service operation and includes an indication that the service operation will render unavailable M out of the set of N resources, wherein the set N comprises a number N of the resources and the set M comprises a number M of the resources, and wherein the resource manager does not maintain any information that identifies components that are affected by a service operation on resources; and

deciding at a resource manager for the computer system whether or not to accept the requested removal, wherein said decision is based on the second request, the indication of the suspected fault, a planned future usage of the one or more resources, and the one or more resources that would be lost as a result of the requested removal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining that a component is suspected of having a fault is performed by a diagnosis unit within the computer system.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the removal request identifies which particular resources are provided by a component or components suspected of having a fault.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising transferring services from a resource provided by a component with a suspected fault to another resource.

12. A method for performing a service operation on a computer system that comprises a plurality of resources, comprising:

receiving, at a resource manager for a computer system, a request for performing a service operation for one or more hardware components of the resources, wherein the request individually identifies each of the hardware components without identifying the resources that are affected by the service operation;

submitting the request to a configuration manager, wherein, for each hardware component in a set of hardware components for the plurality of resources, the configuration manager maintains a mapping that identifies one or more of the resources that are affected by a service operation performed on the hardware component;

using the mappings to determine a set of the resources that will be affected by the service operation;

receiving, at the resource manager, a second request for the service operation, wherein the second request identifies a set N of the resources that are affected by the service operation, and wherein the resource manager does not maintain any information that identifies resources that are affected by a service operation on hardware components;

including within the second request an indication that of the N resources, M will be unavailable during the service operation, wherein the set N comprises a number N of the resources and the set M comprises a number M of the resources; and

determining whether or not to accept the requested service operation based on the second request and a planned future usage of one or more of the N resources.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing a reply to the request, said reply accepting the requested service operation and indicating which M of the N resources should be unavailable during the service operation.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing a reply to the request, said reply accepting the requested service operation and specifying up to N-M resources that should not be unavailable during the service operation.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said indication does not specify which M of the N resources are to be unavailable.

16. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor; and

a resource manager configured to receive a request for performing a service operation for one or more hardware components for a plurality of computers, wherein the request individually identifies each of the hardware components without identifying the computers for the hardware components;

a configuration manager configured to receive the request from the resource manager, wherein for each hardware component in a set of hardware components for the plurality of computers, the configuration manager maintains a mapping that identifies one or more of the computers that are affected by a service operation performed on the hardware component;

wherein the configuration manager is further configured to use the mappings to determine a set of the computers that will be affected by the service operation;

wherein the configuration manager is further configured to send a second request for performing the service operation on one or more resources of the computer system to the resource manager, wherein the second request includes an indication that the service operation will render M out of N of the computers that will be affected by the service operation unavailable, wherein N is a number of the computer that will be affected by the service operation and M is a number of the computers that the service operation will render unavailable; and

wherein the resource manager is configured to determine whether or not to accept the requested service operation based on information included within the second request and a planned future usage of the one or more resources, and wherein the resource manager does not maintain any information that identifies computers that are affected by a service operation on hardware components.

17. A non-transitory computer program product comprising program instructions on a medium, wherein said instructions are executable by a machine to perform a method for handling a service operation on one or more resources of a computer system that comprises a plurality of resources, the method comprising:

receiving, at a resource manager for the computer system, a first request for performing a service operation for one or more resources of the computers, wherein the first request individually identifies each of the resources without identifying computers for the resources;

submitting the first request to a configuration manager, wherein, for each resource in a set of resources for the plurality of computers, the configuration manager maintains a mapping that identifies one or more of the computers that are affected by a service operation performed on the resource;

using the mappings to determine a set of the resources that will be affected by the service operation;

receiving, at the resource manager, a second request for the service operation, wherein the second request includes an indication that the service operation will render M out of N specified resources unavailable, wherein N is a number of the resources that will be affected by the service operation and M is a number of the resources that the service operation will render unavailable;

and determining at the resource manager whether or not to accept the requested service operation based on information included within the second request and a planned future usage of the one or more resources, wherein the resource manager does not maintain any information that identifies computers that are affected by a service operation on resources.