Electrical computers and digital processing systems: processing – Processing architecture – Distributed processing system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-31
2001-12-25
Eng, David Y. (Department: 2155)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: processing
Processing architecture
Distributed processing system
C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06334178
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multiprocessing systems. More particularly, the invention concerns a multiprocessing system in which hierarchically superior configuration managers maintain various profiles of operating characteristics to which subordinate managed units selectively subscribe. Whenever the profiles or operating characteristics change, the configuration managers automatically propagate the changes down to all managed units.
2. Description of the Related Art
In different forms, multiprocessing systems are in widespread use today. As one example, multiprocessing systems include “supercomputers” and other similar machines that utilize many separate high-speed processors. This arrangement is popular because, collectively, the processors provide a tremendously powerful computing engine. Multiprocessing systems also include “distributed processing systems,” which use typically multiple physically distinct computing machines to cooperatively perform a task. With this arrangement a computing task that is too intensive for any one machine can be spread out and processed in smaller parts by many different machines. In addition to these examples, multiprocessing systems can include a hybrid of the two, or a variety of other arrangements with multiple computers, microprocessors, application program instances, program threads, or other processing elements.
In one popular example of distributed processing system, many servers are networked to provide a data storage system that provides users with many sophisticated data management capabilities. This is arrangement may be called a distributed storage system; examples of this approach may be found in various known networks implementing the ADSTAR™ Distributed Storage Manager (ADSM)™ software of IBM. Although this and other similar systems constitute a significant advance and even enjoy widespread commercial success today, IBM continually seeks to improve the performance and efficiency of their multiprocessing systems. One area of focus concerns possible improvements to the ease and efficiency of configuring members of such multiprocessing systems.
Particularly, one drawback of the known arrangements is the time needed to individually configure each member of the multiprocessing system to operate as desired. In a system of networked servers, for example, configuration may involve a system administrator executing various configuration commands at a number of different networked servers to initially configure the servers, and thereby establish the servers' operating characteristics. In many cases, this is done by the system administrator individually logging-in to each desired server and then executing a command. In more advanced systems, the system administrator may remotely log-in to desired servers remotely via another, nearby server. In either case, when many different servers are involved, there is a significant time penalty, since the administrator must take steps to execute each configuration command at the desired server. Moreover, this time penalty can arise repeatedly, since the same steps are required to reconfigure a server due to any updated operating requirements.
This time inefficiency presents a number of problems. First, it burdens the system administrator with work, making the system more costly to operate. As another limitation, the manual configuration and reconfiguration technique can be too error prone for some applications. In some cases, for example, many storage servers may be configured identically and distributed throughout a large office, for reasons of performance and scalability. In this situation, it is desirable to maintain the configuration of these servers in lock step, and thus all configuration changes must be universally applied to all servers. However, this is difficult and vulnerable to error due to the lengthy and repetitive entry of configuration commands at each server. Consequently, the known techniques for configuring members of a distributed processing system are not completely adequate for some applications due to certain unsolved problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Broadly, the present invention concerns a multiprocessing system in which hierarchically superior configuration managers maintain various profiles of reference characteristics to which subordinate managed units selectively subscribe. Whenever the profiles or their constituent reference characteristics change, the configuration managers automatically propagate the changes down to all managed units.
Each configuration manager has a storage containing a list of reference characteristics and multiple reference profiles; each reference profile specifies one or more reference characteristics. Also in the storage, a subscription list names each managed unit subscribing to a reference profile, and the identity of that reference profile.
All actions of each managed unit are conducted according to its current operating characteristics, which are stored in a list at the managed unit. Each managed unit also stores a list of its subscribed-to profiles, including the identity and content of those profiles.
Whenever the managed unit receives a subscription request from a source such as a system administrator, the managed unit transmits a subscription message to the configuration manager to subscribe to a reference profile identified by the request.
Receiving the subscription, the configuration manager enters the subscribing managed unit and the requested reference profile into the configuration manager's subscription list, and returns the operating characteristics of the reference profile to the subscribing managed unit. The subscribing managed unit stores these operating characteristics in its list of current operating characteristics.
Whenever there is a change to the reference characteristics (or to the reference profiles), the configuration manager transmits the changed operating characteristics (or changed profiles) to all managed units having affected subscriptions. After receiving this new information, each managed unit stores any changed operating characteristics in its list of operating characteristics, and also stores any changed profiles in its list of subscribed-to profiles.
Accordingly, one embodiment of the invention concerns a method to operate a multiprocessing system where hierarchically superior configuration managers maintain various profiles of reference characteristics to which subordinate managed units selectively subscribe, and the configuration managers automatically propagate any profile and reference characteristic changes down to all affected managed units.
In another embodiment, the invention may be implemented to provide an apparatus such as a multiprocessing system, configuration manager, and/or managed unit, configured to operate as discussed above. In still another embodiment, the invention may be implemented to provide a signal-bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processing apparatus to perform a method to operate one or more components of a multiprocessing system, as discussed above.
The invention affords its users with a number of distinct advantages. First, the invention reduces the time needed to configure and reconfigure computers in a multiprocessing system. Instead of manually issuing commands to configure managed units, the managed units subscribe to centrally maintained configuration profiles and reference characteristics, and automatically receive any changes to the subscribed profiles and reference characteristics. Thus, instead of reconfiguring each managed unit, a system administrator enters changes once at the configuration manager; thereafter, these changes are automatically propagated down to all subscribing managed units. In addition to saving time, this reduces the potential for committing errors in the otherwise tedious work of repeatedly issuing the same configuration commands to the different nodes. Additionally, the invention still maintains the flexibi
Cannon David Maxwell
Crockett David Romney
Kaczmarski Michael Allen
Dan Hubert & Assoc.
Eng David Y.
International Business Machines - Corporation
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