International Business Machines Corporation

Christopher Francois

Naresh Nayar

Karthick Rajamani

Randal Craig Swanberg

Freeman Leigh Rawson, Iii

Kenneth Charles Vossen

Mark Robert Funk

Richard Karl Kirkman

Don Darrell Reed

Lynn Keat Chung

William Joseph Armstrong

Todd Jon Rosedahl

Henry Joseph May

Patrick Joseph McCarthy

Philip Lee Vitale

Allan E Johnson

Giles R Frazier

Michael Stephen Floyd

Malcolm Scott Ware

Bruce Gerard Mealey

Richard Louis Arndt

Richard Loise Arndt

Suresh Eswara Warrier

Robert J Battista

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and technique for task priority boost management is disclosed. The method includes: responsive to a thread executing in user mode an instruction to boost a priority of the thread, accessing a boost register, the boost register accessible in kernel mode; determining a value of the boost register; and responsive to determining that the boost register holds a non-zero value, boosting the priority of the thread.

Time-based task priority boost management using boost register values

A mechanism is provided in a logically partitioned data processing system for controlling depth and latency of exit of a virtual processor's idle state. A virtualization layer generates a cede latency setting information (CLSI) data. Responsive to booting a logical partition, the virtualization layer communicates the CLSI data to an operating system (OS) of the logical partition. The OS determines, based on the CLSI data, a particular idle state of a virtual processor under a control of the OS. Responsive to the OS calling the virtualization layer, the OS communicates the particular idle state of the virtual processor to the virtualization layer for assigning the particular idle state and wake-up characteristics to the virtual processor.

Controlling depth and latency of exit of a virtual processor's idle state in a power management environment

A computer configuration utility automatically alters system configuration parameters to sample multiple different configurations. At least one workrate metric is measured at each sampled configuration. The workrate measurements for the multiple different configurations are compared to determine the effect of different configurations with respect to at least one optimization criterion. System configuration is automatically adjusted to the optimum configuration. Preferably, the workrate metric is (non-idle) instructions executed per unit of time.

Automatic configuration sampling for managing configuration parameters of a computer system

A mechanism is provided for directed resource folding for power management. The mechanism receives a set of static platform characteristics and a set of dynamic platform characteristics for a set of resources associated with the data processing system thereby forming characteristic information. The mechanism determines whether one or more conditions have been met for each resource in the set of resources using the characteristic information. Responsive to the one or more conditions being met, the mechanism performs a resource optimization to determine at least one of a first subset of resources in the set of resources to keep active and a second subset of resources in the set of resources to dynamically fold. Based on the resource optimization, the mechanism performs either a virtual resource optimization to optimally schedule the first subset of resources or a physical resource optimization to dynamically fold the second subset of resources.

Performing virtual and/or physical resource management for power management

An apparatus, program product and method distributes work within a logically partitioned computer system by binding a virtual processor or other resource of a hypervisor partition to a partition or physical resource. The partition or physical resource to which the virtual resource is bound is the same partition or physical resource upon whose behalf the hypervisor resource does work. The partition requesting work of the hypervisor partition is thus penalized by virtue the virtual resource using a physical resource owned by the requesting partition.

System for correct distribution of hypervisor work

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for allowing an update to an executable component, such as a logical partitioning operating system, running on a computer system without requiring a reboot (or IPL) of the computer system are provided. Processors or tasks executing in a portion of code being updated may be forced to a known or 'quiesced' state (e.g., designated wait points) before applying the update. If any of the processors or tasks are not in their quiesced state, the update is not applied or may be rescheduled for a later time, in an effort to allow the system to reach the quiesced state.

System quiesce for concurrent code updates

Disclosed is an apparatus, method, and program product that enables distribution of operating system resources on a nodal basis in the same proportions as the expected system workload. The preferred embodiment of the present invention accomplishes this by assigning various types of weights to each node to represent their proportion of the overall balance within the system. Target Weights represent the desired distribution of the workload based on the existing proportions of processor and memory resources on each node. The actual workload balance on the system is represented by Current Weights, which the operating system strives to keep as close to the Target Weights as possible, on an ongoing basis. When the system is started, operating system services distribute their resources nodally in the same proportions as the Target Weights, and can request to be notified if the Target Weights ever change. If processors and/or memory are subsequently added or removed, new Target Weights are calculated at that time, and all services which requested notification are notified so they can redistribute their resources according to the new Target Weights or a stepwise refinement thereof.

Mechanism for enabling the distribution of operating system resources in a multi-node computer system

An apparatus, program product and method in which application program-specified resource allocation and allocation strength preferences are used to allocate hardware resources from a computer for that application program. The resource allocation preference is used to allocate hardware resources for the application program, while the allocation strength preference is used to determine whether to allocate alternate hardware resources when the resource allocation preference specified by the application program cannot be met.

Resource allocation in a NUMA architecture based on separate application specified resource and strength preferences for processor and memory resources

Disclosed is an apparatus, method, and program product for observing the nodal workload balance of the system on an ongoing basis, and for dynamically changing the preferred nodes of existing threads in order to improve nodal balance. Workload balance is ascertained on a nodal basis and then thread-based workload information is collected. If the detected imbalance persists, the thread-based information is used to change the assignment of preferred nodes to threads to improve nodal workload balance.

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Shakopee, MN, United States of America

Christopher Francois