Firmware-Based Soft Partitioning for Server Hardware Resource Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing server systems require modifications to operating systems and suffer performance issues when allocating hardware resources to multiple soft partitions, necessitating a solution that avoids OS modifications and improves resource allocation efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of partition management programming entirely within the firmware of a server system allows for the subdivision of hard partitions into soft partitions without modifying the operating system, using firmware to allocate and manage hardware resources directly, eliminating the need for intermediate software layers and ensuring non-overlapping resource assignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If operating systems are modified to include partition management programs for soft partitioning, then soft partitions can be created and managed, but system complexity increases and performance deteriorates due to resource allocation overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces firmware as an intermediary layer between the operating system and hardware resources. The firmware contains partition management code that handles soft partitioning operations, allowing the OS to interact with partitions through standard interfaces without requiring OS modification. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by enabling soft partitioning capability while keeping the OS simple and unmodified.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of modifying operating systems with a firmware-based solution. Instead of altering OS code structures and adding partition management programs within the OS, the solution substitutes a firmware layer that performs partition management functions, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If hardware resources are allocated to multiple soft partitions with OS modifications, then resource sharing is enabled, but performance decreases due to allocation overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the firmware establish and manage resource allocation mappings before the operating system needs to access resources. The firmware creates partition-to-resource mapping tables and handles allocation decisions in advance, allowing the OS to access resources directly without runtime allocation overhead, thus maintaining high performance while enabling flexible resource sharing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating virtual representations of hardware resources in firmware memory space. Each soft partition receives a copied view of the hardware resource map through firmware, allowing multiple partitions to access resources simultaneously without conflict or overhead, thereby maintaining productivity while providing allocation flexibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If firmware and operating systems are modified simultaneously to support soft partitioning, then comprehensive partition management is achieved, but implementation complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts partition management functionality from the operating system and places it entirely in the firmware layer. This extraction allows the OS to remain unchanged and use standard interfaces, while the firmware handles all partition management complexity. This resolves the contradiction by achieving comprehensive partition management capability while simplifying implementation, as only firmware needs to be modified rather than both firmware and OS.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for allocating computer hardware resources of a hard partition of a computer server system to one or more soft partitions. In response to a partitioning request, a nucleus firmware instance of a hard partition may be configured to launch a separate firmware instance corresponding to each requested soft partition, and to allocate partitionable hardware resources of the hard partition to the soft partitions by allocating the hardware resources to each separate firmware instance.