Flexible temporary capacity upgrade/downgrade in a computer system without involvement of the operating system

US7194616B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Christine Axnix · Waldenbuch, DE
• Klaus-Jurgen Kuebl · Stuttgart, DE
• Andreas Muehlbach · Nagold, DE
• Juergen Probst · Wildberg, DE
• Carl J. Hollenback · Jessup, US
• Jeffrey P. Kubala · Poughquag, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 25, 2002
• Grant date: Mar 20, 2007
• Expiry date: Feb 15, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F9/45541
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

According to the present invention a method and a device is provided for concurrent removal of processor capacity from a running computer. The method and device may, e.g., be used for non-disruptive removal of processors from the enabled physical configuration without any involvement of the operating system. The computer comprises a resource controller configured to control a physical resource pool including the actual physical resources and a capacity virtualizer configured to provide multiple sets of virtual resources from a capacity virtualizer resource pool, whereby the provided sets of virtual resources allow to host independent operating systems concurrently. The method comprises the steps of the resource controller requesting the capacity virtualizer to reduce the capacity virtualizer resource pool, the capacity virtualizer removing resources from the capacity virtualizer resource pool, and the resource controller disabling physical resources corresponding to the resources removed from the capacity virtualizer resource pool.