Distributed processing system for system booting and shutdown in distributed processing environment

• US 5,794,031 A
• Filed: 12/27/1994
• Issued: 08/11/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nakadai, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corcoran, III, Peter J.
• Application Number:
  US08/363,829
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 395/700, 395/651, 395/652, 395/611, 395/614, 395/615, 395/952, 370/58.1
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/442 Shutdown

Abstract

A distributed processing system which performs cooperative processing by client processes and server processes in a plurality of systems interconnected through a network. The distributed processing system comprises a system supervisor which controls the booting and shutdown of the respective systems and is connected to the network. Connected to the system supervisor is a client-server database which accumulates information related to the clients and servers for determination of systems to be booted or shut down and their booting or shutdown sequence.

The system supervisor comprises a recognition unit which recognizes the status of and a boot or shutdown request for each system; a boot request controller which determines systems to be booted and the their booting sequence and requests booting; a boot request send unit which sends the boot request to the system concerned; a shutdown request controller which determines systems to be shut down and their shutdown sequence and requests shutdown; a shutdown request send unit which sends the shutdown request to the system concerned; and a status information collection unit which collects information from each system.

Each system comprises a boot request receive unit which receives a boot request, a boot execution unit which executes the booting of the system in response to the boot request, a shutdown request receive unit which receives a shutdown request, a shutdown execution unit which executes the shutdown of the system in response to the shutdown request, and a status information provision unit which informs the system supervisor of the booting and shutdown of the systems and the status of the clients and servers.

Claims

1. A distributed processing system comprising:

a plurality of systems on which zero or more server processes or zero or more client processes are scheduled to be run;

a database for storing information indicating which of said zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes are to be run on each of said systems; and

a system supervisor for determining a booting order or a shutdown order of said systems based on said information stored in said database,

wherein said system supervisor includes;

a unit for recognizing the information on the booting of the system from said system;

a unit for requesting the booting of a system which is selected based on the dependency relationships between the zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes stored in said database when said recognizing unit recognizes the booting of the system; and

a status information collection unit for collecting information on the status of the system from said status information provision unit of a system and for updating said database.

2. The distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein the booting comprises a routine for starting-up of a system of said systems.

3. The distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein the booting comprises a routine for applying power to a system of said systems,

wherein said dependency relationships include information indicating which process is executed on each system, and information indicating whether each system is used by each process as a client machine or as a server machine.

4. The distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein said database stores information indicating which process is executed on each system, and information indicating whether each system is used by each process as a client machine or as a server machine.

5. The distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein said system supervisor comprises a boot request controller for controlling a booting order of systems of said plurality of systems and a shutdown order among systems, by referring to the database, and

wherein said boot request controller, in response to a booting request to a first system, when a process, which uses the first system as a client machine, uses a second system as a server machine, the boot request controller boots the second system in advance of the booting of the first system,

wherein said boot request controller includes a unit for determining systems to be booted based on information stored in said database.

6. The distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein said system supervisor comprises a boot request controller and a shutdown request controller,

wherein, in response to a booting request to a first system, when a process, which uses the first system as a client machine, uses a second system as a server machine, the boot request controller boots the second system in advance of the booting of the first system,

wherein said shutdown request controller controls a shutdown order among systems, by referring to the database, and

wherein, in response to the shutdown request to a first system, when a process, which uses the first system as a server machine, uses a second system as a client machine, the shutdown request controller shutdowns the second system in advance of the shutdown of the first system.

7. The distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein when a system is being shutdown in a shutdown mode, the shutdown of the system is postponed until service to a client is completed, and

wherein when the shutdown mode is in a multi-user mode, said system is run in a multi-user mode and allows another user to log-in so long as the shutdown of the system is suspended,

wherein when the shutdown mode is in a single-user mode, said system preventing another user from logging-in regardless of whether the shutdown of the system is suspended or not.

8. A distributed processing system comprising:

a plurality of systems interconnected through a network which execute either or both of zero or more server processes and zero or more client processes;

a database for storing information indicating which of said zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes are to be run on each of said systems; and

a system supervisor provided separately from said systems, but connected thereto through said network, for determining a booting order of said systems based on said information stored in said database,

wherein each of said systems includes;

a unit for booting the system upon receipt of a request for a boot from said system supervisor; and

a status information provision unit which informs said system supervisor of the booting of the system, and further informs said system supervisor of a status of the zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes in the system, and

wherein said system supervisor includes;

a unit for recognizing the information on the booting of the system from said system;

a unit for requesting the booting of a system which is selected based on the dependency relationships between the zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes stored in said database when said recognizing unit recognizes the booting of the system; and

a status information collection unit for collecting information on the status of the system from said status information provision unit of a system and for updating said database.

9. The distributed processing system according to claim 8, wherein the booting comprises a routine for starting-up of a system of said systems.

10. The distributed processing system according to claim 8, wherein the booting comprises a routine for applying power to a system of said systems,

wherein said dependency relationships include information indicating which process is executed on each system, and information indicating whether each system is used by each process as a client machine or as a server machine.

11. A distributed processing system comprising:

a plurality of systems interconnected through a network which execute either or both of zero or more server processes and zero or more client processes;

a database for storing information indicating which of said zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes are to be run on each of said systems; and

a system supervisor provided separately from said systems, but connected thereto through said network, for determining a booting order or a shutdown order of said systems based on said information stored in said database,

wherein each of said systems includes;

a unit for booting the system upon receipt of a request for a boot from said system supervisor; and

a status information provision unit which informs said system supervisor of the booting of the system, and further informs said system supervisor of the status of the zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes in the system, and

wherein said system supervisor includes;

a unit for recognizing the information on the shutdown of the system from said system;

a unit for requesting the shutdown of a system which is selected based on the dependency relationships between the zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes stored in said database when said recognizing unit recognizes the shutdown of the system; and

a status information collection unit for collecting information on the status of the system from said status information provision unit of a system and updating said database.

12. The distributed processing system according to claim 11, wherein the booting comprises a routine for starting-up of a system of said systems.

13. The distributed processing system according to claim 11, wherein the booting comprises a routine for applying power to a system of said systems,

wherein said dependency relationships include information indicating which process is executed on each system, and information indicating whether each system is used by each process as a client machine or as a server machine.

14. A distributed processing system comprising:

a plurality of systems interconnected through a network which execute either or both of zero or more server processes and zero or more client processes;

a database for storing information indicating which of said zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes are to be run on each of said systems; and

a system supervisor provided separately from said systems, but connected thereto through said network, for determining a booting order or a shutdown order of said systems based on said information stored in said database,

wherein each of said systems includes;

a unit for booting the system upon receipt of a request for a boot from said system supervisor;

a unit for performing the shutdown of the system upon receipt of a request for shutdown from said system supervisor; and

a status information provision unit which informs said system supervisor of the booting or shutdown of the system, and further informs said system supervisor of a status of the zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes in the system, and

wherein said system supervisor includes;

a unit for recognizing the information on the booting or shutdown of the system from said system;

a unit for requesting the booting of a system which is selected based on the dependency relationships between the zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes stored in said database when said recognizing unit recognizes the booting of the system;

a unit for requesting the shutdown of a system which is selected based on the dependency relationships between the zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes stored in said database when said recognizing unit recognizes the shutdown of the system; and

a status information collection unit for collecting information on a status of the system from said status information provision unit of a system and updating said database.

15. The distributed processing system according to claim 14, wherein the booting comprises a routine for starting-up of a system of said systems.

16. The distributed processing system according to claim 14, wherein the booting comprises a routine for applying power to a system of said systems,

wherein said dependency relationships include information indicating which process is executed on each system, and information indicating whether each system is used by each process as a client machine or as a server machine.

17. A distributed processing system comprising:

a plurality of systems interconnected through a network which execute either or both of zero or more server processes and zero or more client processes;

a database for storing information indicating which of said zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes are to be run on each of said systems;

a system supervisor provided separately from said systems, but connected thereto through said network, for determining a booting order of said systems based on said information stored in said database; and

an input device for directing the booting and shutdown of said systems and directing collection of information,

wherein each of said systems includes;

a unit for booting the system upon receipt of a request for a boot from said system supervisor; and

a status information provision unit which informs said system supervisor of the booting of the system, and further informs said system supervisor of the status of the zero or more server processes and zero or more client processes in the system, and

wherein said system supervisor includes;

a unit for recognizing the information on the booting or shutdown of the system from said system, or a request for a boot or shutdown of a system from said input unit;

a unit for requesting the booting of a system which is selected based on the dependency relationships between the zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes stored in said database when said recognizing unit recognizes the booting of the system, or receives a request for booting the system from said input unit;

a unit for requesting the shutdown of a system which is selected based on the dependency relationships between the zero or more server processes and the zero or more client processes stored in said database when said recognizing unit recognizes the shutdown of the system, or receives a request for shutdown of the system from said input unit; and

a status information collection unit for collecting information on the status of the system from said status information provision unit of a system and updating said database.

18. The distributed processing system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said input unit specifies the booting mode or the shutdown mode when it directs the booting or shutdown of a system,

wherein said booting unit boots the system in said booting mode when it boots the system, and said shutdown unit shuts down the system in said shutdown mode when it shuts down the system.

19. The distributed processing system according to claim 17, wherein the booting comprises a routine for starting-up of a system of said systems.

20. The distributed processing system according to claim 17, wherein the booting comprises a routine for applying power to a system of said systems,

wherein said dependency relationships include information indicating which process is executed on each system, and information indicating whether each system is used by each process as a client machine or as a server machine.