Amdahl Corporation

Amdhal Corporation

Robert Scott Ellsworth

Keith Joseph Philipp

Jonathan Russell Nolting

A multiprocessor system having a total number of available CPUs partitioned into one or more smaller pools of CPUs called servers where the number of CPUs available to a server is reduced below the total number of available CPUs. Software licensing costs are thereby reduced because the number of CPUs available to run the operating system or ISV software has been reduced to the number of CPUs in the pool of the server rather than the total number of available CPUs in the multiprocessor system. In order to enforce the isolation of CPUs required by software licensing, separate identification codes, CPUIDs, that contain unique system serial numbers are assigned to each server in the multiprocessing system. The multiprocessor system has multiple CPUIDs, one for each server (each pool of CPUs that can execute operating systems and ISV software).

Multiprocessor servers with controlled numbered of CPUs

A multiprocessor system having a plurality of CPUs that can be dynamically reconfigured between online and offline without system shutdown. The multiprocessor system includes a dynamic reconfiguration subsystem for reconfiguration without shutdown. The dynamic reconfiguration subsystem includes a service processor having a feature file for identifying a current online number corresponding to a current number of online CPUs, a current offline number corresponding to a current number of offline CPUs and an update number corresponding to changes to be made in the current online number and the current offline number. A reconfiguration control unit is provided for reconfiguring CPUs in the multiprocessor system without being shutdown that includes a store for storing configuration code in response to the feature file, a system state execution unit for executing the configuration code to form configuration control information and decoder means for decoding the control information to change the current number of online CPUs and the current number of offline CPUs by the update number.

Method and apparatus for dynamic CPU reconfiguration in a system employing logical processors

In a computer system wherein control of a processor is time multiplexed among more than one system control program, the utilization by a system control program of the processor during a predetermined time interval is determined by accumulating processor idle time for said system control program during said time interval, adjusting the processor idle time accumulated for said system control program by time periods wherein said system control program does not have control of the processor; and subtracting said real idle time from said interval time to obtain CPU busy time.

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Fall City, WA, United States of America

Robert Scott Ellsworth