Service Manager Acceleration Component Role Reassignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Data center providers face challenges in increasing processing capabilities and efficiency due to limitations in general purpose computing devices, with specialization leading to management issues and non-programmable hardware features becoming impractical.

Innovation Solution

A service manager monitors acceleration components in a hardware acceleration plane, detecting degraded performance and reassigned roles to alternate components to restore service acceleration by recomposing a graph, utilizing characteristics such as hot spares, reconfiguration, and image loading.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Power

If general purpose computing devices are used to increase processing capabilities, then computing power is improved, but device complexity and management overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing capabilitiesVSAvoidmanagement overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments computing resources into specialized acceleration components (FPGAs, GPUs, ASICs) that can be independently managed and allocated. Each acceleration component handles specific processing tasks, allowing the system to achieve high processing power without proportionally increasing overall management complexity through modular architecture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The service manager provides a universal management platform that can allocate and manage multiple types of acceleration components (FPGAs, GPUs, ASICs) through a common interface. This multi-functional management system handles diverse hardware types without requiring separate management systems for each device type, reducing overall management overhead

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Productivity

If specialized hardware is used to improve processing efficiency, then productivity is improved, but adaptability decreases due to non-programmable features

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing efficiencyVSAvoidprogrammability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically allocates and reconfigures acceleration components based on service requirements. The service manager can assign different services to different acceleration components or reassign the same component to different services over time, providing adaptability while maintaining the processing efficiency of specialized hardware

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes operational parameters by configuring acceleration components with different service logic and parameters as needed. The service manager can modify the configuration and operational parameters of acceleration components to adapt to different service requirements without changing the physical hardware

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Speed

If acceleration components are deployed to provide service acceleration, then processing speed is improved, but system reliability decreases due to potential failures

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice accelerationVSAvoidsystem stability
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The service manager implements monitoring and alert mechanisms that detect performance degradation in acceleration components before complete failure occurs. By identifying issues early through continuous monitoring of service performance metrics, the system can take preventive actions such as reallocating services or replacing failing components, thus maintaining reliability while preserving service acceleration capabilities

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

4Reliability

If service acceleration is restored by reassigning roles to alternate components, then reliability is improved, but processing speed may decrease due to reconfiguration overhead

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice continuityVSAvoidservice performance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The service manager maintains a pool of pre-configured acceleration components that are ready to assume service roles immediately when needed. By pre-configuring alternate components with necessary service logic and parameters in advance, the system can perform rapid failover without significant reconfiguration overhead, maintaining both reliability and processing speed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3283954B1Restoring service acceleration
Publication Date: 2020.06.10 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3283954B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3283954B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3283954B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

Aspects extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for reassigning service functionality between acceleration components. Reassigning service functionality can be used to recover service acceleration for a service. Service acceleration can exhibit operate improperly caused by performance degradation at an acceleration component. A role at the acceleration component having degrade performance can be assigned to another acceleration component to restore service acceleration for the service.