Provision of resource allocation information

• US 20050259581A1
• Filed: 03/16/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Murray, Paul, Guijarro, Julio Cesar, Goldsack, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/232
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

A system is provided for disseminating resource allocation information from system resources to state-information observers comprising resource users and typically also at least one system resource manager. Each resource maintains state information about its identity and its allocation to one or more resource users. Each resource provides this information to a state-dissemination arrangement which disseminates it to each state-information observer. Each resource user uses the state information it receives from the state-dissemination arrangement to ascertain the resources allocated to it. Similarly, a system resource manager, when present, uses the state information it receives from the state-dissemination arrangement to ascertain the allocation of those resources that are of interest to the manager. A resource, resource user and resource manager for use in such a system are also provided.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of resources each arranged to maintain and provide state information about its allocation to one or more resource users and its identity;

a state-dissemination arrangement for disseminating the state information provided by the resources; and

at least one state-information observer arranged to receive state information from the state-dissemination arrangement, said at least one state-information observer comprising at least one resource user arranged to use the state information it receives to ascertain which of the resources, if any, have been allocated to it

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the said at least one state-information observer further comprises at least one resource manager arranged to receive state information from the state-dissemination arrangement whereby to ascertain the allocation of the resources of interest to the manager.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the state-dissemination arrangement is arranged to deliver the state information provided by all the resources to the or each state-information observer.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the or each state-information observer with an interest in respective particular state information is arranged to register with the state-dissemination arrangement to indicate its interest in that information;

the state-dissemination arrangement being arranged to use these registered interests to manage the dissemination of state information.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the or each state-information observer is arranged to register its interest in particular state information by registering a state-information indicator indicative of the state information it wishes to receive, and each resource is arranged to provide state information identified by a state-information identifier;

the state-dissemination arrangement including association means for matching state-information identifiers with registered state-information indicators whereby to enable the dissemination of state information to be managed by the state-dissemination arrangement according to the registered interest of the or each state-information observer.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein each resource is arranged to register with the state-dissemination arrangement a state-information identifier for state information to be provided by the resource, the association means of the state dissemination arrangement being arranged to match registered state-information identifiers with registered state-information indicators and to store association data associating each registered state-information identifier with data for managing the dissemination of the state information identified by that identifier, the state dissemination arrangement being arranged to use the association data in disseminating said state information.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the state-dissemination arrangement comprises multiple state-dissemination servers arranged to communicate with each other;

each resource and the or each state-information observer being operatively associated with a respective said state-dissemination server, and said association data serving to associate each registered state-information identifier with the or each state-dissemination server operatively associated with any said state-information observer that has registered a state-information indicator matching the identifier;

each state-dissemination server being arranged to use the association data to disseminate the state information it receives from a resource, to the or each server indicated by the association data as being associated with the identifier with the latter server being arranged to pass on the state information to the or each state-information observer operatively associated with it that has registered a state-information indicator matching the identifier of the state information concerned.

8. A system according to claim 7, comprising processing nodes interconnected by a communications network;

the resources and the said at least one state-information observer being distributed between the processing nodes as part of the latter, and each processing node being provided with a respective said state-dissemination server with the servers being arranged to communicate with each other over the communications network.

9. A system according to claim 7, wherein each state-dissemination server is arranged to tore registration data indicative, for the or each resource and state-information observer with which it is operatively associated, of any state-information identifiers and indicators registered by the resource or state-information observer concerned.

10. A system according to claim 7, wherein the association means comprises a respective component forming part of each said state-dissemination server, each such component being arranged to store said association data in respect of the state-information identifiers registered by any resources operatively associated with the server of which the component forms a part.

11. A system according to claim 7, wherein each said state-dissemination server is arranged to store source data indicative, for the state-information indicators registered by any state-information observer operatively associated with the server, of the or each state-dissemination server that is operatively associated with a said resource registered to provide state information corresponding to said indicators.

12. A system according to claim 7, wherein the association means comprises a respective state manager forming part of each said state-dissemination server, the state manager of each state-dissemination server comprising a local registry which in turn comprises:

a local register arranged to store the association data related to the server, and registration data indicative, for the or each resource and state-information observer operatively associated with the server, of any state-information identifiers and indicators registered by the resource or state-information observer concerned;

first update means arranged to register a state-information identifier for a said resource operatively associated with the server, by updating the registration data in the local register accordingly; and

second update means arranged to register a state-information indicator for a said state-information observer operatively associated with the server, by updating the registration data accordingly.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the association means further comprises a global registry;

the first update means of each local registry being arranged when registering a new state-information identifier to send a first message including that identifier to the global registry, and the second update means of each local registry being arranged when registering a new state-information indicator to send a second message including that indicator to the global registry;

the global registry comprising;

a global register arranged to store, for each said state-information identifier and indicator, data indicative of the or each state-dissemination server where that identifier or indicator has been registered;

first update means responsive to receipt of a said first message to update the global register regarding the identifier in the message, find any matching state-information indicator in the global register, and return to the server that sent the message association-update data indicative of the or each state-dissemination server where a matching indicator was registered; and

second update means responsive to receipt of a said second message to update the global register regarding the indicator in the message, find any matching state-information identifier in the global register, and send to the or each state-dissemination server where that identifier was registered, association-update data indicative of the state-dissemination server that sent the second message;

each local registry further comprising third update means for updating the said association data held by the local register in response to receipt of said association-update data from the global registry.

14. A system according to claim 5, wherein each said resource is arranged to register a state-information identifier comprising at least a generic portion the same for all resources, the association means being such as to detect a match between all these identifiers and a state-information indicator comprising this generic portion whereby a state-information observer can register a single state-information indicator to receive state information from all resources.

15. A system according to claim 5, wherein each said resource of a given type is arranged to register a state-information identifier comprising at least a type-generic portion the same for all resources of said type, the association means being such as to detect a match between all these identifiers and a state-information indicator comprising this type-generic portion whereby a state-information observer can register a single state-information indicator to receive state information from all resources of said type.

16. A system according to claim 5, wherein the or each resource allocated to a particular said resource user is arranged to register a state-information identifier comprising at least a user-specific portion the same for all these resources, the association means being such as to detect a match between all these identifiers and a state-information indicator comprising this user-specific portion whereby the resource user concerned can register a single state-information indicator to receive state information from all resources allocated to it.

17. A system according to claim 5, wherein the association means is arranged to detect a match between a said state-information identifier and a state-information indicator only in the event of a complete match over the full extent of both.

18. A system according to claim 5, wherein the association means is arranged to detect a match between a said state-information identifier and a state-information indicator upon at least a part of the identifier matching at least a part of the identifier

19. A system according to claim 5, wherein a said at least one state-information observer is arranged to register multiple different state-information indicators.

20. A system according to claim 5, wherein at least one resource is arranged to register multiple state-information identifiers identifying the same state information.

21. A system according to claim 5, wherein at least one resource is arranged to register a further state-information identifier identifying additional state information not including the allocation of the resource, and a said at least one state-information observer is arranged to register a further state-information indicator matching said further state-information identifier whereby to receive said additional state information.

22. A system according to claim 2, wherein the or each resource manager is arranged both to use the state information it receives to ascertain the current allocation of resources of interest to it, and to control the allocation of those resources by sending control messages to the resources.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein there are multiple resource managers, these resource managers being arranged to communicate with each other to coordinate the allocation of resources.

24. A system according to claim 1, wherein each resource is arranged to provide its state information to the state-dissemination arrangement upon a change in the allocation of the resource.

25. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one said resource is arranged to store a predetermined initial allocation whereby upon that resource becoming available to the system, it can provide state information including said initial allocation without having to wait to be allocated to a resource user by the system.

26. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one said resource is arranged to act as its own manager to dynamically change its allocation to resource users.

27. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one said resource is arranged to use a predetermined rule set to filter allocation instructions it receives from other entities of the system.

28. A system according to claim 1, wherein there are multiple resource users, at least one said resource user being arranged to transfer a resource it no longer requires to another of the resource users by instructing the resource, regarding the change in its allocation, either directly or through a resource manager of the system.

29. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one said resource user is arranged to allocate roles to generic resources allocated to it.

30. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one said resource user is arranged to act as its own resource manager to dynamically allocate resources to itself.

31. A system according to claim 1, wherein the state-dissemination arrangement includes communication timing means for monitoring the communication time taken to disseminate information from a resource to the or each state-information observer that wishes to receive state information from it, the communication timing means being arranged to cause the or each such state-information observer to be informed, upon the monitored communication time for disseminating information to them from the resource concerned exceeding a predetermined time value, that state information for the resource is no longer available.

32. A system according to claim 31, wherein the state-dissemination arrangement further includes partition means for identifying non-overlapping collections where each collection comprises at least one resource and at least one state-information observer between all of which state information can be disseminated within said predetermined time limit as monitored by the communication timing means;

the said at least one state-information observer of a said collection being arranged to take account of state information only from resources within the same collection; and

the state-dissemination arrangement being further arranged to inform the state-information observers of a collection of any disruption to collection membership whereby each such state-information observer knows that it cannot rely upon the receipt by interested state-information observers of the collection, of any item of state information which the state-information observer itself has received within an immediately preceding time period of duration corresponding to twice said predetermined time limit.

33. A system according to claim 11, wherein each state-dissemination server includes communication timing means arranged to monitor whether the server can still communicate within a communication time limit with other state-dissemination servers and, upon this limit not being met in respect of any such other server, to use the source data of the server of which it forms a part to inform any operatively-associated state-information observer that had registered to receive state information coming from a said resource associated with the server with which communication is out of time, that this state information is no longer available.

34. A system according to claim 33, wherein each state-dissemination server further includes partition means for identifying, in cooperation with the partition means of other servers, a collection of servers, including itself, between all of which state information can be disseminated within said predetermined time limit as monitored by the communication timing means of the servers, the partition means being such that each state-dissemination server only belongs to one collection;

the state-dissemination arrangement being arranged to provide the state-information observers of a said collection with state information only from resources within the same collection; and

each state-dissemination server of a collection being further arranged to inform its operatively associated state-information observers of any disruption to collection membership whereby each such state-information observer knows that it cannot rely upon the receipt by interested state-information observers of the collection, of any item of state information which the state-information observer itself has received within an immediately preceding time period of duration corresponding to twice said predetermined time limit.

35. A system according to claim 1, wherein the state-dissemination arrangement is so arranged that all components receiving a particular item of state information from it can, within a defined time, rely on all interested components having received the information.