Resource Broker for Heterogeneous Hardware Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Distributed computing environments face challenges in resource consolidation and utilization due to specialized hardware and resources being underutilized, leading to higher system costs and low average resource utilization, as these resources are often only accessible to a single computer system and cannot be shared effectively across distributed environments.
Innovation Solution
A stateful resource database is maintained to track and manage heterogeneous resources, allowing for efficient sharing across client systems by searching for available resources that match client requests, considering factors like priority, latency, cost, and availability, and encapsulating requests for transparent access and routing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If specialized hardware resources are dedicated to a single computer system, then reliability and performance for that system are improved, but resource utilization deteriorates and system costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a resource broker system that enables specialized hardware resources to serve multiple client systems across a distributed network. The broker receives requests from multiple clients, matches them with available specialized resources, and manages resource allocation dynamically. This transforms dedicated resources into shared universal resources, improving utilization while maintaining reliability through the broker's coordination layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The resource broker acts as an intermediary between client systems and specialized hardware resources. It maintains a resource database tracking availability and characteristics of specialized resources, receives requests from clients, and facilitates matching without requiring direct client-resource connections. This mediator approach enables reliable resource access while improving overall utilization through centralized management.
2Productivity
If specialized hardware resources are consolidated into a distributed environment, then resource utilization is improved, but system complexity increases due to management overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The resource broker serves as a centralized intermediary that simplifies management of distributed specialized resources. It maintains a resource database with availability and characteristic information, handles request routing, and manages allocation decisions. This single point of control reduces management complexity compared to distributed peer-to-peer resource sharing, while still enabling consolidated resource utilization across the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a homogeneous interface layer through the resource broker that abstracts the heterogeneity of various specialized resources. Clients interact with a standardized request-submission mechanism regardless of the underlying resource types (encryption hardware, compression devices, etc.). The broker handles the complexity of resource-specific protocols and interfaces, presenting a uniform access model to all clients.
3Reliability
If computer systems are over-provisioned to ensure access to specialized resources, then reliability is improved, but system costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The resource broker enables specialized resources to serve multiple client systems universally, eliminating the need for each system to maintain its own dedicated resources. Clients can access specialized hardware (encryption accelerators, compression devices, etc.) on-demand through the broker, allowing systems to be under-provisioned for specialized capabilities while maintaining reliable access when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service resource allocation where clients autonomously submit requests to the resource broker without requiring pre-configured dedicated resources. The broker automatically matches requests with available resources and manages allocation. This eliminates the need for systems to over-provision for rare or occasional specialized resource needs, reducing overall system costs while maintaining accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that provides heterogeneous resources for client systems. During operation, the system maintains a stateful resource database that tracks heterogeneous resources in a given environment. The system receives requests from client systems, and in response to the requests searches for a heterogeneous resource in the stateful resource database that matches the request. If the system finds an available heterogeneous resource that matches the request, it proceeds to submit the request to the resource. Maintaining and using the stateful resource database facilitates efficiently sharing scarce heterogeneous resources across a number of client systems.