Background task resource control

• US 9,164,803 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2012
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kishan, Arun, Pulapaka, Hari, Gefflaut, Alain, Bendetov, Alex, Justo Teixeira, Pedro Miguel Sequeira de
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US13/355,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20130191541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5011 Pool
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/504 Resource capping
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems are provided for controlling resource access for background tasks. For example, a background task created by an application may utilize a resource (e.g., CPU cycles, bandwidth usage, etc.) by consuming resource allotment units from an application resource pool. Once the application resource pool is exhausted, the background task is generally restricted from utilizing the resource. However, the background task may also utilize global resource allotment units from a global resource pool shared by a plurality of applications to access the resource. Once the global resource pool is exhausted, unless the background task is a guaranteed background task which can consume resources regardless of resource allotment states of resource pools, the background task may be restricted from utilizing the resource until global resource allotment units within the global resource pool and/or resource allotment units within the application resource pool are replenished.

Claims

1. A method for controlling resource access for background tasks, comprising:

assigning an initial resource allotment comprising resource allotment units to an application resource pool associated with an application, the initial resource allotment based upon a power state of a device within which the background task is executing;

allowing a background task of the application to utilize a resource by consuming resource allotment units from the application resource pool; and

upon exhaustion of the application resource pool, restricting the background task from utilizing the resource.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

upon exhaustion of the application resource pool, allowing the background task to utilize the resource by consuming global resource allotment units from a global resource pool associated with a plurality of applications.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

upon exhaustion of the global resource pool, restricting the background task from utilizing the resource via the global resource pool unless the background task comprises a guaranteed background task, and if the background task comprises the guaranteed background task, then allowing the background task to utilize the resource.

4. The method of claim 2, the allowing the background task to utilize the resource by consuming global resource allotment units comprising:

allowing the background task to consume, per consumption request, a number of global resource allotment units corresponding to a maximum value of resource allotment units for the application resource pool.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

upon occurrence of a replenishment event, assigning a replenishment resource allotment comprising resource allotment units to the application resource pool without surpassing a maximum value of resource allotment units for the application resource pool.

6. The method of claim 5, the assigning a replenishment resource allotment, comprising:

upon determining a surplus of resource allotment units after replenishment of the application resource pool, assigning the surplus of resource allotment units to a global resource pool associated with a plurality of applications.

7. The method of claim 5, comprising:

adjusting a replenishment timer associated with the replenishment event based upon whether the application is a first class application or a second class application, the maximum value of resource allotment units for the application resource pool a function of whether the application is a first class application or a second class application.

8. The method of claim 2, comprising:

upon occurrence of a replenishment event, assigning a global replenishment resource allotment comprising global resource allotment units to the global resource pool without surpassing a maximum value of global resource allotment units for the global resource pool.

9. The method of claim 5, comprising:

adjusting a replenishment timer associated with the replenishment event based upon the power state.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

maintaining a first class global resource pool associated with a plurality of first class applications; and

upon a first class background task of a first class application exhausting a first class application resource pool, allowing the first class background task to utilize the resource by consuming global resource allotment units from the first class global resource pool.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising:

maintaining a second class global resource pool associated with a plurality of second class applications; and

upon a second class background task of a second class application exhausting a second class application resource pool, allowing the second class background task to utilize the resource by consuming global resource allotment units from the second class global resource pool.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising:

upon the first class background task exhausting the first class global resource pool, allowing the first class background task to utilize the resource by consuming global resource allotments units from a second class global resource pool associated with a plurality of second class applications.

13. The method of claim 11, at least one of:

the first class global resource pool assigned a first maximum value of global resource allotment units greater than a second maximum value of global resource allotment units for the second class global resource pool, or

a first class replenishment timer of the first class global resource pool comprising a first replenishment time span smaller than a second replenishment time span of a second class replenishment timer of the second class global resource pool.

14. The method of claim 8, comprising:

adjusting a quantity of global resource allotment units within the global replenishment resource allotment based upon the power state.

15. The method of claim 1, comprising:

upon detecting a transition of the application from a suspended state to an execution state, unrestricting the background task from accessing the resource; and

saving a state of the application resource pool until the application transitions into the suspended state.

16. A system for controlling resource access for background tasks, comprising:

a resource allocation component configured to;

assign an initial resource allotment comprising resource allotment units to an application resource pool associated with an application;

allow a background task of the application to utilize a resource by consuming resource allotment units from the application resource pool;

upon exhaustion of the application resource pool, restrict the background task from utilizing the resource via the application resource pool; and

upon occurrence of a replenishment event, assigning a replenishment resource allotment comprising resource allotment units to the application resource pool, the replenishment resource allotment equal to the initial resource allotment if exhaustion of the application resource pool occurred and the replenishment resource allotment less than the initial resource allotment if exhaustion of the application resource pool did not occur.

17. The system of claim 16, the resource allocation component configured to:

upon exhaustion of the application resource pool, allow the background task to utilize the resource by consuming global resource allotment units from a global resource pool associated with a plurality of applications.

18. The system of claim 17, the resource allocation component configured to:

upon exhaustion of the global resource pool, restrict the background task from utilizing the resource via the global resource pool unless the background task comprises a guaranteed background task, and if the background task comprises the guaranteed background task, then allow the background task to utilize the resource by charging the global resource pool into a negative global resource allotment state.

19. The system of claim 16, the

replenishment resource allotment not surpassing a maximum value of resource allotment units for the application resource pool.

20. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed via a processing unit perform a method for controlling resource access for background tasks, comprising:

assigning an initial resource allotment comprising resource allotment units to an application resource pool associated with an application;

allowing a background task of the application to utilize a resource by consuming resource allotment units from the application resource pool;

upon exhaustion of the application resource pool, restricting the background task from utilizing the resource via the application resource pool and allowing the background task to utilize the resource by consuming global resource allotment units from a global resource pool associated with a plurality of applications until the global resource pool is exhausted; and

upon occurrence of a replenishment event, assigning a replenishment resource allotment comprising resource allotment units to the application resource pool without surpassing a maximum value of resource allotment units for the application resource pool.