Data processing device management apparatus, management system, and data processing device management method

Abstract

This data processing device management apparatus comprises: a preparation instruction generation unit that, when a processing margin of a main signal by a data processing device is equal to or less than a preparation reference margin, generates a preparation instruction for causing a data processing device different from said data processing device to perform processing preparation for the main signal; and an output unit that outputs the preparation instruction to said different data processing device.

Description

Data processing device management device, management system and data processing device management method

[0001] The present invention relates to a data processing device management device, a management system, and a data processing device management method.

[0002] There is a system that manages data processing devices that transfer main signals. Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a network management system. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a management system 9-a that manages data processing devices. The management system 9-a includes an NMS (Network Management System) 91, an EMS (Element Management System) 92, and a data processing device 93. The management system 9-a is a three-tiered system consisting of the NMS 91, the EMS 92, and the data processing device 93. The management system 9-a may include multiple EMSs 92 and data processing devices 93. The data processing device 93 transfers main signals to other data processing devices, etc. When an overload or a fault occurs in the data processing device 93, the EMS 92 controls the data processing device 93 to distribute the load and recover from the fault.

[0003] The NMS 91 manages the connection between the data processing device 93 and the EMS 92. When an inquiry is received from the EMS 92, the NMS 91 instructs the EMS 92 to allocate processing for the data processing device 93, and the EMS 92 allocates the processing for the data processing device 93.

[0004] The flow of management of the data processing device 93 in the management system 9-a is as follows: First, when an overload or failure occurs in the data processing device 93, a notification is output to the EMS 92. Upon receiving the notification, the EMS 92 inquires of the NMS 91 as to the destination for switching data processing. The NMS 91 outputs information about the destination for switching to the EMS 92. The EMS 92 switches the processing by the data processing device 93 to another device based on the information about the destination for switching. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of processing by the data processing device that has become overloaded or has a failure.

[0005] FUJITSU Magazine Vol.62, No.4 (07, 2011)

[0006] However, if the load on the data processing device 93 increases suddenly, a notification must be sent to the NMS, and therefore it takes time from the time the load increases until the load is switched to another process.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can shorten the time until processing starts when the processing of a main signal is switched from one data processing device to another data processing device.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a data processing device management device comprising: a preparation instruction generation unit that generates a preparation instruction to cause a data processing device other than the data processing device to prepare for processing of the main signal when the processing margin of the main signal by the data processing device is less than a preparation reference margin; and an output unit that outputs the preparation instruction to the other data processing device.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is a management system comprising a plurality of data processing devices for processing a main signal, and a data processing device management device, wherein the data processing device management device comprises: a preparation instruction generation unit that generates a preparation instruction to cause a high-margin data processing device whose processing margin is equal to or greater than the preparation standard margin to prepare for processing the main signal when the processing margin of the main signal by the data processing devices is equal to or less than the preparation standard margin; and an output unit that outputs the preparation instruction to the high-margin data processing device.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention is a data processing device management method comprising: a preparation instruction generation step of generating a preparation instruction for causing a data processing device other than the data processing device to prepare for processing of the main signal when the processing margin of the main signal by the data processing device is equal to or less than a preparation reference margin; and an output step of outputting the preparation instruction to the other data processing device.

[0011] According to the present invention, when the processing of a main signal is switched from one data processing device to another data processing device, the time until the processing starts can be reduced.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management system in this embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a data processing device; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a data processing device management device; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a distribution management device; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a distribution device; FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by a management system; and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a management system that manages data processing devices.

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management system 1 according to this embodiment. The management system 1 includes a data processing device 11, a data processing device management device 12, a distribution management device 13, and a distribution device 14. The data processing device 11 transmits and receives main signals to other devices (not shown). The data processing device management device 12 manages the data processing device 11. The data processing device management device 12 acquires data indicating the processing margin of the data processing device 11 and outputs a processing distribution instruction to the distribution device 14. The distribution management device 13 determines the distribution of processing by the data processing device 11. The distribution device 14 controls the data processing device 11 and distributes processing by the data processing device 11.

[0014] (Data Processing Device) Each device in the management system 1 will now be described in detail. The management system 1 is equipped with a plurality of data processing devices 11-1 to 11-N. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the data processing device 11. The data processing device 11 is equipped with a main signal processing unit 111, a processing margin data output unit 112, a processing preparation instruction acquisition unit 113, a processing preparation unit 114, a processing start instruction acquisition unit 115, and a processing start unit 116.

[0015] The main signal processing unit 111 transmits and receives main signals to and from other data processing devices 11 and other devices not shown, and processes the main signals.

[0016] The processing margin data output unit 112 outputs processing margin data indicating the processing margin of the main signal processing unit 111 to the data processing device management device 12. The processing margin data is data indicating, for example, an available CPU load rate, the number of available logics in the FPGA, available memory, the number of available GPU cores, or available bandwidth. The processing margin data output unit 112 outputs the processing margin data to the data processing device management device 12, for example, periodically. The processing margin data output unit 112 may output the processing margin data to the data processing device management device 12, for example, when it receives a query from the data processing device management device 12.

[0017] The processing preparation instruction acquisition unit 113 acquires a processing preparation instruction from the data processing device management device 12 .

[0018] When the processing preparation instruction acquisition unit 113 acquires a processing preparation instruction, the processing preparation unit 114 prepares to process a main signal newly assigned by the main signal processing unit 111. Preparation for processing a new main signal is, for example, preparation such that the main signal processing unit 111 reads a container from a registry server and becomes capable of data processing. Preparation for processing a new main signal may be any preparation that enables processing to be performed more quickly from a state where no particular preparation is performed, such as loading a program from a repository or establishing communication with the data processing device management device 12. By loading a program from a repository, the processing preparation unit 114 can shorten the time until the main signal processing unit 111 starts processing the main signal after the processing start instruction acquisition unit 115 acquires a processing start instruction. By establishing communication with the data processing device management device 12, the processing preparation unit 114 can acquire a processing start instruction from the data processing device management device 12 without a handshake for acquiring the processing start instruction, thereby shortening the time until the main signal processing unit 111 starts processing the main signal. In addition, preparation for processing a new main signal may involve reserving part of the configuration for processing the main signal, such as reserving part of the core of a CPU or GPU, reserving part of the logic of an FPGA, reserving part of the memory capacity, or reserving part of the bandwidth.

[0019] The process start instruction acquisition unit 115 acquires a process start instruction from the data processing device management device 12 .

[0020] When the processing start instruction acquisition unit 115 acquires a processing start instruction, the processing start unit 116 causes the main signal processing unit 111 to start processing the newly assigned main signal.

[0021] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the data processing device management device 12. The data processing device management device 12 includes a data acquisition unit 121, a data output unit 122, a processing margin determination unit 123, a preparation instruction generation unit 124, a start instruction generation unit 125, and a storage unit 129. The storage unit 129 stores a margin information table that serves as a basis for determination by the processing margin determination unit 123, which will be described later.

[0022] The data acquisition unit 121 acquires data from an external device. The data acquisition unit 121 acquires processing margin data from the data processing device 11. The data acquisition unit 121 acquires an allocation instruction from the allocation management device 13.

[0023] The data output unit 122 outputs data to an external device. The data output unit 122 outputs a processing preparation instruction generated by the preparation instruction generation unit 124 to a specific data processing device 11. The data output unit 122 outputs processing margin data of the data processing device 11 to the allocation management device 13. When the data output unit 122 acquires an allocation instruction, it outputs a processing start instruction to the specific data processing device 11 and outputs an allocation instruction to the allocation device 14. The data output unit 122 may output a query to the data processing device 11 to cause it to output processing margin data.

[0024] The processing margin determination unit 123 determines whether to output a processing preparation instruction to the data processing device 11. The margin information table stored in the storage unit 129 stores a processing margin (hereinafter referred to as a preparation standard margin) that serves as a criterion for whether the data processing device 11 will prepare for processing. The processing margin determination unit 123 determines to output a processing preparation instruction to the other data processing device 11 when the processing margin of the data processing device 11 changes from equal to or greater than the preparation standard margin to equal to or less than the preparation standard margin. When the processing margin changes from equal to or greater than the preparation standard margin to equal to or less than the preparation standard margin, this refers to when the processing margin indicated by processing margin data acquired at a certain timing is equal to or greater than the preparation standard margin, and the processing margin indicated by processing margin data acquired at the timing following that timing is equal to or less than the preparation standard margin. The processing margin determination unit 123 determines not to output a processing preparation instruction to the other data processing device 11 in any case other than when the processing margin of the data processing device 11 changes from equal to or greater than the preparation standard margin to equal to or less than the preparation standard margin.

[0025] The preparation instruction generating unit 124 generates a processing preparation instruction when the processing margin determining unit 123 determines that a processing preparation instruction should be output to the data processing device 11 .

[0026] The preparation instruction generation unit 124 determines the data processing device 11 to which a processing preparation instruction is to be output based on the processing margin data acquired from each data processing device 11. For example, the preparation instruction generation unit 124 determines to output a processing preparation instruction to the data processing device 11 having the largest processing margin indicated by the processing margin data. A group of data processing devices 11 that complement each other in data processing may be determined in advance, and when the processing margin of a data processing device 11 falls from equal to or greater than the preparation standard margin to equal to or less than the preparation standard margin, the preparation instruction generation unit 124 may determine to output a processing preparation instruction to other data processing devices 11 that belong to the group to which the data processing device 11 belongs.

[0027] The start instruction generation unit 125 generates a processing start instruction when the data acquisition unit 121 acquires an allocation instruction. Based on the allocation instruction, the start instruction generation unit 125 determines to output a processing start instruction to a data processing device 11 whose main signal processing capacity will increase. The processing start instruction is output by the data output unit 122 to the determined data processing device 11.

[0028] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the allocation management device 13. The allocation management device 13 includes a processing margin data acquisition unit 131, a processing margin determination unit 132, an allocation instruction generation unit 133, an allocation instruction output unit 134, and a storage unit 139.

[0029] The processing margin data acquisition unit 131 acquires processing margin data of the data processing device 11 from the data processing device management device 12 .

[0030] The processing margin determination unit 132 determines whether to output an allocation instruction to the data processing device management device 12. The margin information table stored in the storage unit 139 stores a processing margin (hereinafter referred to as an allocation standard margin) that serves as a standard for whether the data processing device 11 allocates the processing margin. When the processing margin of the data processing device 11 falls from equal to or greater than the allocation standard margin to equal to or less than the allocation standard margin, the processing margin determination unit 132 determines to output an allocation instruction for data processing to the data processing device 11 to the allocation device 14. The preparation standard margin is greater than the allocation standard margin.

[0031] The allocation instruction generation unit 133 generates an allocation instruction when the processing margin determination unit 132 determines that an allocation instruction should be output to the data processing device management device 12. The allocation instruction is an instruction indicating the allocation of main signals to the data processing devices 11. The allocation instruction generation unit 133 generates an allocation instruction based on processing margin data acquired from each data processing device 11. For example, the allocation instruction generation unit 133 generates an instruction to allocate a main signal to be processed from a data processing device 11 whose processing margin is equal to or less than the allocation reference margin to a data processing device 11 whose processing margin is greater. Groups of data processing devices 11 that complement each other in data processing may be predetermined, and a data processing device 11 whose processing margin is equal to or less than the allocation reference margin may generate an instruction to allocate a main signal to be processed to another data processing device 11 belonging to the group to which the data processing device 11 belongs.

[0032] The distribution instruction output unit 134 outputs the distribution instruction generated by the distribution instruction generation unit 133 to the data processing device management device 12 .

[0033] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the distribution device 14. The distribution device 14 includes a distribution instruction acquisition unit 141 and a main signal distribution unit 142.

[0034] The distribution instruction acquisition unit 141 acquires a distribution instruction from the data processing device management device 12 .

[0035] When the allocation instruction acquisition unit 141 acquires an allocation instruction, the main signal allocation unit 142 determines the main signals to be allocated to the data processing device 11 in accordance with the allocation instruction.

[0036] (Processing Procedure) FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the management system 1. In the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 6, the management system 1 includes two data processing devices 11. Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, the data processing device 11 with a high processing margin will be referred to as the high-margin data processing device 11-1, and the data processing device 11 with an even lower processing margin will be referred to as the low-margin data processing device 11-2. It is assumed that the processing margin indicated by the processing margin data first output by the low-margin data processing device 11-2 is equal to or greater than the preparation standard margin and the allocation standard margin. It is also assumed that the processing margin indicated by the processing margin data second output by the low-margin data processing device 11-2 is equal to or less than the preparation standard margin and the allocation standard margin. It is also assumed that the processing margin indicated by the processing margin data third output by the low-margin data processing device 11-2 is equal to or less than the preparation standard margin and the allocation standard margin. It is also assumed that the processing margin indicated by the processing margin data output by the high-margin data processing device 11-1 is equal to or greater than the preparation standard margin and the allocation standard margin. In other words, in the sequence diagram shown in Figure 6, after the two data processing devices 11 output the processing margin data second, the high margin data processing device 11-1 prepares for processing, and after the two data processing devices 11 output the processing margin data third, the main signals to be processed by the two data processing devices 11 are allocated.

[0037] The processing margin data output units 112 of the two data processing devices 11 each output processing margin data to the data processing device management device 12, and the data acquisition unit 121 of the data processing device management device 12 acquires the processing margin data (step S11). The data output unit 122 of the data processing device management device 12 outputs the two processing margin data to the allocation management device 13, and the processing margin data acquisition unit 131 of the allocation management device 13 acquires the processing margin data (step S12). The processing margin determination unit 123 of the data processing device management device 12 determines whether to output a processing preparation instruction to the data processing device 11 (step S13). Here, the processing margin indicated by the processing margin data is equal to or greater than the preparation reference margin, so the processing margin determination unit 123 determines not to output a processing preparation instruction. The processing margin determination unit 132 of the allocation management device 13 determines whether to output an allocation instruction to the data processing device management device 12 (step S14). Here, the processing margin indicated by the processing margin data is equal to or greater than the allocation reference margin, so it determines not to output an allocation instruction.

[0038] The processing margin data output units 112 of the two data processing devices 11 each output processing margin data to the data processing device management device 12, and the data acquisition unit 121 of the data processing device management device 12 acquires the processing margin data (step S21). The data output unit 122 of the data processing device management device 12 outputs the two processing margin data to the allocation management device 13, and the processing margin data acquisition unit 131 of the allocation management device 13 acquires the processing margin data (step S22). The processing margin determination unit 123 of the data processing device management device 12 determines whether to output a processing preparation instruction to the data processing device 11 (step S23). Here, the processing margin indicated by the processing margin data acquired from the low-margin data processing device 11-2 is equal to or smaller than the preparation reference margin, so the processing margin determination unit 123 determines to output a processing preparation instruction. Here, the processing margin determination unit 123 decides to output a processing preparation instruction to the high-margin data processing device 11-1, which has a large processing margin. Thereafter, the data output unit 122 outputs a processing preparation instruction to the high-margin data processing device 11-1, and the processing preparation instruction acquisition unit 113-1 of the high-margin data processing device 11-1 acquires the processing preparation instruction (step S24). Thereafter, the processing preparation unit 114-1 of the high-margin data processing device 11-1 prepares for the main signal processing unit 111-1 to process a new main signal (step S25).

[0039] The processing margin determination unit 132 of the allocation management device 13 determines whether or not to output an allocation instruction to the data processing device management device 12 (step S26). Here, since the processing margin indicated by the processing margin data is equal to or greater than the allocation reference margin, the processing margin determination unit 132 determines not to output an allocation instruction.

[0040] The processing margin data output units 112 of the two data processing devices 11 each output processing margin data to the data processing device management device 12, and the data acquisition unit 121 of the data processing device management device 12 acquires the processing margin data (step S31). The data output unit 122 of the data processing device management device 12 outputs the two processing margin data to the allocation management device 13, and the processing margin data acquisition unit 131 of the allocation management device 13 acquires the processing margin data (step S32). The processing margin determination unit 123 of the data processing device management device 12 determines whether to output a processing preparation instruction to the data processing device 11 (step S33). Here, the processing margin indicated by the processing margin data acquired from the low-margin data processing device 11-2 is less than or equal to the preparation reference margin, but the processing margin indicated by the processing margin data in the determination of step S23 is also less than or equal to the preparation reference margin, so the processing margin determination unit 123 determines not to output a processing preparation instruction.

[0041] Thereafter, the processing margin determination unit 132 determines whether to output an allocation instruction to the data processing device management device 12 (step S34). Here, the processing margin indicated by the processing margin data acquired from the low-margin data processing device 11-2 is equal to or less than the allocation reference margin, so the processing margin determination unit 132 determines to output an allocation instruction. The allocation instruction generation unit 133 generates an allocation instruction (step S35). The allocation instruction output unit 134 outputs the allocation instruction to the data processing device management device 12 (step S36).

[0042] The data processing device control device 12 generates a processing start instruction based on the allocation instruction and outputs it to a specific data processing device 11 (step S37). In this case, the allocation instruction is to allocate more main signals to the high-margin data processing device 11-1, so the data processing device control device 12 outputs the processing start instruction to the high-margin data processing device 11-1. The data processing device control device 12 outputs the allocation instruction to the allocation device 14 (step S38). The allocation device 14 allocates the main signals to the two data processing devices in accordance with the allocation instruction (step S39).

[0043] In this embodiment, the data processing device management device 12 can cause the data processing device 11 to prepare for processing according to the processing margin of the data processing device 11. Thereafter, when the data processing device 11 that has been made to prepare for processing is to process a main signal due to the allocation of the main signal, it can start processing the main signal earlier because it has already prepared for processing. This makes it possible to prevent the main signal processed by the data processing device 11 from being overloaded, resulting in increased packet loss and delay, compared to conventional systems.

[0044] In this embodiment, by setting the preparation standard margin to a value greater than the allocation standard margin, when the processing margin is less than the preparation standard margin but greater than the allocation standard margin, the data processing device 11 can prepare for processing before the allocation management device 13 generates an allocation instruction, and when the main signal is allocated, processing of the main signal can be started earlier.

[0045] In this embodiment, the preparation instruction generation unit 124 generates an instruction to make a data processing device 11 other than the data processing device 11 prepare to process the main signal only when the processing margin of the data processing device 11 falls from equal to or greater than the preparation standard margin to equal to or less than the preparation standard margin. This makes it possible to prevent the generation of an instruction to make processing preparation even when the processing margin remains equal to or less than the preparation standard margin, thereby reducing the processing in the data processing device management device 12.

[0046] In this embodiment, the preparation instruction generating unit 124 determines a data processing device to which the preparation instruction is to be output based on the processing margin of a data processing device 11 different from the data processing device 11. This makes it possible to prevent, for example, a data processing device 11 with a small processing margin from being made to prepare for processing, and to prevent a situation in which a data processing device 11 with a small processing margin remains even after the main signal has been allocated.

[0047] Other Embodiments One embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to that described above, and various design changes and the like can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0048] The processing of the data processing device 11, data processing device management device 12, distribution management device 13, or distribution device 14 in the above-described embodiments may be implemented by a computer using software. In this case, a program for implementing this function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be loaded into a computer system and executed. Note that the term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" may also include media that dynamically store programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, or media that store programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory within the computer systems that serve as servers or clients in such cases. Furthermore, the above program may be one that realizes part of the above-mentioned functions, or may be one that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system, or may be one that is realized using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0049] 1 Management system, 11 Data processing device, 111 Main signal processing unit, 112 Processing margin data output unit, 113 Processing preparation instruction acquisition unit, 114 Processing preparation unit, 115 Processing start instruction acquisition unit, 116 Processing start unit, 12 Data processing device management device, 121 Data acquisition unit, 122 Data output unit, 123 Processing margin determination unit, 124 Preparation instruction generation unit, 125 Start instruction generation unit, 129 Memory unit, 13 Allocation management device, 131 Processing margin data acquisition unit, 132 Processing margin determination unit, 133 Allocation instruction generation unit, 134 Allocation instruction output unit, 139 Memory unit, 14 Allocation device, 141 Allocation instruction acquisition unit, 142 Main signal allocation unit

Claims

1. A data processing device management device comprising: a preparation instruction generation unit that generates a preparation instruction for causing a data processing device other than the data processing device to prepare for processing of the main signal when the processing margin of the main signal by the data processing device is equal to or less than a preparation reference margin; and an output unit that outputs the preparation instruction to the other data processing device.

2. The data processing device management device according to claim 1, wherein said preparation standard margin is a value larger than an allocation standard margin which is a standard for whether or not said data processing device allocates a processing margin.

3. A data processing device management device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the preparation instruction generation unit generates an instruction to cause a data processing device other than the data processing device to prepare for processing of a main signal only when the processing margin of the data processing device falls from above the preparation standard margin to below the preparation standard margin.

4. The data processing device management device according to claim 1, wherein said preparation instruction generating section determines a data processing device to which said preparation instruction is to be outputted based on a processing margin of a data processing device different from said data processing device.

5. A management system comprising: a plurality of data processing devices for processing a main signal; and a data processing device management device, wherein the data processing device management device comprises: a preparation instruction generation unit that generates, when the processing margin of the main signal by the data processing devices is less than a preparation standard margin, a preparation instruction to cause a high-margin data processing device, whose processing margin is equal to or greater than the preparation standard margin, to prepare for processing the main signal; and an output unit that outputs the preparation instruction to the high-margin data processing device.

6. The management system according to claim 5, further comprising: an allocation management device that manages the allocation of main signals processed by the plurality of data processing devices, the allocation management device comprising: an allocation instruction generation unit that generates an allocation instruction indicating the allocation of main signals to the plurality of data processing devices when the processing margin of the main signals by the data processing devices is equal to or less than the allocation reference margin; and an allocation instruction output unit that outputs the allocation instruction to a distribution device that distributes the main signals.

7. A data processing device management method comprising: a preparation instruction generating step of generating a preparation instruction for causing a data processing device other than the data processing device to prepare for processing of the main signal when the processing margin of the main signal by the data processing device is equal to or less than a preparation reference margin; and an output step of outputting the preparation instruction to the other data processing device.

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