Cluster Node Health Testing via Scheduler-Controlled Idle Node Checks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for ensuring the integrity and performance of computer clusters rely heavily on self-reporting mechanisms from hardware components, which fail to detect silent failures and overlook network interconnect issues, leading to undiagnosed problems that degrade cluster performance.
Innovation Solution
A robust health check framework that actively tests computing nodes bi-directionally against their peers within the cluster, using a scheduler to identify idle nodes, perform health assessments, and reallocate nodes based on assessment results, ensuring comprehensive evaluation of the entire cluster's health, including network components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If self-reporting mechanisms from hardware components are used to monitor cluster health, then the system complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the reliability of detection deteriorates because silent failures and network interconnect issues are not detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary health check system that actively tests computing nodes and network interconnects. Instead of relying solely on hardware self-reporting, the system uses intermediate health check components to perform active testing between nodes, thereby detecting silent failures and network issues that self-reporting mechanisms miss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where health check results are continuously monitored and used to update the system's understanding of node and network health. The system receives feedback from active tests and uses this information to identify and remediate unhealthy nodes, creating a closed-loop health monitoring system that improves detection reliability.
2Reliability
If active health checks are performed on computing nodes, then the reliability of fault detection is improved, but the productivity of the cluster deteriorates because nodes are taken away from executing computing tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic health checks where nodes are selected for assessment at scheduled intervals rather than continuously. The system identifies idle nodes and performs health assessments on them periodically, ensuring that productive nodes remain available for computing tasks while still maintaining reliable fault detection through regular sampling of node health.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by performing health checks on a subset of nodes (idle nodes) rather than all nodes simultaneously. This selective approach allows the system to maintain productivity by leaving most nodes available for computing tasks while still achieving reliable fault detection through sampling and assessment of the selected subset.
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive health assessments including network interconnects are performed, then the measurement precision of cluster health evaluation is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional testing infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-functionality by designing health check components that can perform multiple types of tests through a unified interface. The same health check infrastructure tests both computing nodes and network interconnects, eliminating the need for separate dedicated testing systems for each component type and thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining comprehensive assessment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges node health testing and network interconnect testing into a single integrated health assessment framework. By combining these testing functions into one unified system that operates through standardized interfaces, the patent reduces device complexity while achieving comprehensive and precise measurement of overall cluster health including both compute and network components.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for implementing a task scheduler-controlled health tests of computing nodes includes detecting a plurality of idle nodes of a cluster of computing nodes, selecting a set of computing nodes for a node health assessment; assigning the set of computing nodes to a node health assessment queue, wherein when the assignment of the set of computing nodes to the node health assessment queues renders the set of computing nodes unavailable for executing one or more computing tasks; submitting a set of instructions for executing the node health assessment; obtaining assessment results based on the execution of the node health assessment by the set of computing nodes; determining a state of health data for the set of computing nodes based on the assessment results; and reallocating the set of computing nodes from the node health assessment queue based on the state of health data.