Supervision timer control mechanisms

• US 8,843,545 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Nader, Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Julian
• Application Number:
  US12/956,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20120136986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,393 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709223-235, 370230-231, 370/252, 370/253, 713320-324, 714/55, 718/1, 718/100, 718102-104, 718/107, 718/108
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3423 where the assessed time is active or idle time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/188 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Controlling a device having a shared processing resource includes ascertaining a supervision timer value for a client service that uses the shared processing resource. The client service is caused to make a server request and a supervision timer is set to cause a timeout after a supervision timer value time period. Ascertaining the supervision timer value includes ascertaining which of a number of use scenarios represents an operation state of the device, the use scenarios being at least in part distinguished from one another by which services are presently active, including the client service. Each of the plurality of services utilizes the shared processing resource when active. One supervision timer value is selected from a number of values each associated with the client service, selection being made at least partly as a function of the ascertained use scenario. The value is retrieved from the set of stored supervision timer values.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a device having a shared processing resource, the method comprising:

ascertaining a supervision timer value for a client service that uses the shared processing resource;

causing the client service to make a server request; and

controlling a supervision timer so as to cause the supervision timer to timeout upon expiration of a time period corresponding to the ascertained supervision timer value,

wherein ascertaining the supervision timer value for the client service that uses the shared processing resource comprises;

ascertaining which of a plurality of use scenarios presently represents an operation state of the device, wherein the use scenarios are distinguished from one another at least in part by which of a plurality of services are presently active, wherein the plurality of services include the client service and each of the plurality of services utilizes the shared processing resource when active;

selecting one supervision timer value from a set of two or more stored supervision timer values each associated with the client service, wherein said selection is made at least partly as a function of the ascertained use scenario; and

retrieving the selected supervision timer value from the set of stored supervision timer values.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the use scenarios are further distinguished from one another at least in part by a priority level assigned to each of the presently active services, wherein how much access to the shared processing resource each presently active service gets is determined by the presently active service'"'"'s assigned priority level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the use scenarios are further distinguished from one another at least in part by information about a physical environment in which the device is operating.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the physical environment information includes geographical location information.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the physical environment information includes information indicating how fast the device is moving.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

during an idle or sleep state of the device, selecting one of the use scenarios and putting the device into a state that corresponds to the selected use scenario whereby all of the services that are specified by the selected use scenario as being concurrently active are activated;

causing one of the activated services to make a client request;

measuring a latency time period for a server response to the client request to be received; and

using the measured latency time period to adjust a supervision timer value associated with the selected use scenario and storing the adjusted supervision timer value as part of the set of stored supervision timer values.

7. A method of controlling a device having a shared processing resource, the method comprising:

selecting one of a plurality of different use scenarios, wherein use scenarios are distinguished from one another at least in part by which of a plurality of services are concurrently active in the device, wherein each of the plurality of services utilizes the shared processing resource when active;

putting the device into a state that corresponds to the selected use scenario whereby all of the services that are specified by the selected use scenario as being concurrently active are activated;

causing one of the activated services to make a client request;

measuring a latency time period to receive a server response to the client request;

using the measured latency time period to adjust a supervision timer value associated with the selected use scenario; and

storing the adjusted supervision timer value in an entry of a stored set of entries, wherein each of the entries is associated with a different one of the use scenarios, and wherein the entry in which the adjusted supervision timer value is stored is associated with the selected use scenario

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

using the stored set of supervision timer values to control a supervision timer in the device.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising:

performing the method as part of a production phase of the device.

10. The method of claim 7, comprising:

performing the method when the device is in an idle or sleep state.

11. The method of claim 7, comprising:

detecting that a present state of the device does not correspond to any use scenario for which there exists an entry stored in the set of entries; and

creating a new entry for the detected present state of the device.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the use scenarios are further distinguished from one another at least in part by information about a physical environment in which the device is operating.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the physical environment information includes geographical location information.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the physical environment information includes a detected speed of movement of the device.

15. An apparatus for controlling a device having a shared processing resource, the apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to ascertain a supervision timer value for a client service that uses the shared processing resource;

circuitry configured to cause the client service to make a server request; and

circuitry configured to control a supervision timer so as to cause the supervision timer to timeout upon expiration of a time period corresponding to the ascertained supervision timer value,

wherein the circuitry configured to ascertain the supervision timer value for the client service that uses the shared processing resource comprises;

circuitry configured to ascertain which of a plurality of use scenarios presently represents an operation state of the device, wherein the use scenarios are distinguished from one another at least in part by which of a plurality of services are presently active, wherein the plurality of services include the client service and each of the plurality of services utilizes the shared processing resource when active;

circuitry configured to select one supervision timer value from a set of two or more stored supervision timer values each associated with the client service, wherein said selection is made at least partly as a function of the ascertained use scenario; and

circuitry configured to retrieve the selected supervision timer value from the set of stored supervision timer values.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the use scenarios are further distinguished from one another at least in part by a priority level assigned to each of the presently active services, wherein how much access to the shared processing resource each presently active service gets is determined by the presently active service'"'"'s assigned priority level.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the use scenarios are further distinguished from one another at least in part by information about a physical environment in which the device is operating.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the physical environment information includes geographical location information.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the physical environment information includes information indicating how fast the device is moving.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

circuitry configured to select, during an idle or sleep state of the device, one of the use scenarios and to put the device into a state that corresponds to the selected use scenario whereby all of the services that are specified by the selected use scenario as being concurrently active are activated;

circuitry configured to cause one of the activated services to make a client request;

circuitry configured to measure a latency time period for a server response to the client request to be received; and

circuitry configured to use the measured latency time period to adjust a supervision timer value associated with the selected use scenario and to store the adjusted supervision timer value as part of the set of stored supervision timer values.

21. An apparatus for controlling a device having a shared processing resource, the apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to select one of a plurality of different use scenarios, wherein use scenarios are distinguished from one another at least in part by which of a plurality of services are concurrently active in the device, wherein each of the plurality of services utilizes the shared processing resource when active;

circuitry configured to put the device into a state that corresponds to the selected use scenario whereby all of the services that are specified by the selected use scenario as being concurrently active are activated;

circuitry configured to cause one of the activated services to make a client request;

circuitry configured to measure a latency time period to receive a server response to the client request;

circuitry configured to use the measured latency time period to adjust a supervision timer value associated with the selected use scenario; and

circuitry configured to store the adjusted supervision timer value in an entry of a stored set of entries, wherein each of the entries is associated with a different one of the use scenarios, and wherein the entry in which the adjusted supervision timer value is stored is associated with the selected use scenario

22. The apparatus of claim 21, comprising:

circuitry configured to use the stored set of supervision timer values to control a supervision timer in the device.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, comprising

circuitry configured to activate one or more of the circuitry of claim 21 when the device is an idle or sleep state.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, comprising:

circuitry configured to detect that a present state of the device does not correspond to any use scenario for which there exists an entry stored in the set of entries; and

circuitry configured to create a new entry for the detected present state of the device.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the use scenarios are further distinguished from one another at least in part by information about a physical environment in which the device is operating.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the physical environment information includes geographical location information.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the physical environment information includes a detected speed of movement of the device.