Tracing with a workload distributor

• US 8,954,546 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Concurix Corporation
• Inventors: Krajec, Russell S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bengzon, Greg C
• Application Number:
  US13/751,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers

Abstract

A load balanced system may incorporate instrumented systems within a group of managed devices and distribute workload among the devices to meet both load balancing and data collection. A workload distributor may communicate with and configure several managed devices, some of which may have instrumentation that may collect trace data for workload run on those devices. Authentication may be performed between the managed devices and the workload distributor to verify that the managed devices are able to receive the workloads and to verify the workloads prior to execution. The workload distributor may increase or decrease the amount of instrumentation in relation to the workload experienced at any given time.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computer processor device, said method comprising:

receiving an input stream for an application, said application being executed on a plurality of execution environments, said input stream comprising work elements being discrete units of work for said application;

receiving a status from each of plurality of said execution environments, said status comprising availability to perform work;

receiving a configuration definition defining conditions for executing said discrete units of work on a second execution environment, said configuration definition comprising a load balancing objective and a data gathering objective; and

parsing said input stream to identify said discrete units of work during execution of said application, determining a first data gathering objective for a first work unit, and causing said first work unit to be executed on a first execution environment with said first data gathering objective;

transmitting said first data gathering objective to said first execution environment;

determining a second data gathering objective for a second work unit, said second data gathering objective;

determining that said plurality of execution environments are near capacity;

changing said second data gathering objective to a limited second data gathering objective; and

causing said second work unit to be executed with said limited second data gathering objective.

2. The method of claim 1, said second work unit being executed by said first execution environment.

3. The method of claim 2, said first data gathering objective being different from said limited second data gathering objective.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

transmitting a first authentication mechanism to said first execution environment.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

receiving a second authentication mechanism from said first execution environment.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

said second authentication mechanism being received as part of said status.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a second data gathering objective for a second work unit, said second data gathering objective;

determining that said plurality of execution environments have excess capacity;

changing said second data gathering objective to an extensive second data gathering objective; and

causing said second work unit to be executed with said extensive second data gathering objective.

8. The method of claim 7, said second work unit being executed by said first execution environment.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

causing said first work unit to be executed on a second execution environment with a second data gathering objective.

10. The method of claim 9, said second data gathering objective being different from said first data gathering objective.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that said first execution environment has preconfigured data gathering capabilities that are within said first data gathering objective.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

determining that a second execution environment does not have said preconfigured data gathering capabilities and determining that said second execution environment will not execute said first work item.

13. The method of claim 12, said status for said first execution comprising an indicator for said preconfigured data gathering capabilities.

14. The method of claim 1, said configuration definition comprising a target quality of service.

15. A system comprising:

a hardware processor;

a load receiver that receives an application workload to execute, said application workload comprising work units;

a worker status collector that receives status information from a plurality of execution environments;

a distributor executing on said processor that;

receives a configuration definition defining conditions for executing said discrete units of work on a second execution environment, said configuration definition comprising a load balancing objective and a data gathering objective;

parses said input stream to identify said discrete units of work during execution of said application;

determines a first data gathering objective for a first work unit; and

causes said first work unit to be executed on a first execution environment with said first data gathering objective;

transmits said first data gathering objective to said first execution environment;

determines a second data gathering objective for a second work unit, said second data gathering objective;

determines that said plurality of execution environments are near capacity;

changes said second data gathering objective to a limited second data gathering objective; and

causes said second work unit to be executed with said limited second data gathering objective.

16. The system of claim 15, said second work unit being executed by said first execution environment.

17. The system of claim 16, said first data gathering objective being different from said limited second data gathering objective.

18. The system of claim 17, said distributor that further:

transmits a first authentication mechanism to said first execution environment.

19. The system of claim 18, said distributor that further:

receives a second authentication mechanism from said first execution environment.

20. The system of claim 19, said second authentication mechanism being received as part of said status.

21. The system of claim 15, said distributor that further:

determines a second data gathering objective for a second work unit, said second data gathering objective;

determines that said plurality of execution environments have excess capacity;

changes said second data gathering objective to an extensive second data gathering objective; and

causes said second work unit to be executed with said extensive second data gathering objective.

22. The system of claim 21, said second work unit being executed by said first execution environment.

23. The system of claim 15, said distributor that further:

causes said first work unit to be executed on a second execution environment with a second data gathering objective.

24. The system of claim 23, said second data gathering objective being different from said first data gathering objective.

25. The system of claim 15, said distributor that further:

determines that said first execution environment has preconfigured data gathering capabilities that are within said first data gathering objective.

26. The system of claim 25, said distributor that further:

determines that a second execution environment does not have said preconfigured data gathering capabilities and determines that said second execution environment will not execute said first work item.

27. The system of claim 26 said status for said first execution comprising an indicator for said preconfigured data gathering capabilities.

28. The system of claim 15, said configuration definition comprising a target quality of service.