System Control Processor Bare-Metal Resource Partitioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computing systems face challenges in efficiently allocating and managing hardware resources to provide computer implemented services, often resulting in either over-allocation leading to inefficiency or under-allocation leading to poor service quality.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a system control processor that receives partitioning requests, identifies capable physical partitions in a bare-metal system, updates a partitioning configuration data structure, and implements virtual partitions based on the allocated resources, allowing for dynamic and efficient resource allocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If hardware resources are statically allocated in traditional computing systems, then resource allocation is simple to manage, but it leads to either over-allocation causing inefficiency or under-allocation causing poor service quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments hardware resources into discrete physical partitions that can be independently managed and allocated. Each physical partition represents a manageable unit of computing resources (CPU, memory, storage, I/O) that can be dynamically assigned to different workloads or virtual machines, enabling efficient resource utilization without requiring complete static allocation of entire hardware systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic resource allocation where the system control processor can reallocate physical partitions between workloads based on changing demands. The allocation is not fixed but can be adjusted in real-time, allowing the system to optimize resource utilization dynamically while maintaining service quality, resolving the contradiction between efficiency and service quality that plagues static allocation systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system dynamically partitions and allocates hardware resources, then resource utilization efficiency improves, but the complexity of resource management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system control processor acts as an intermediary between the hardware resources and the workloads/virtual machines. It manages the partitioning and allocation of physical partitions, handling the complexity of resource management internally while presenting a simplified interface to users and applications. This mediator approach enables dynamic and flexible resource allocation without exposing the full complexity of partitioning management to external entities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system control processor is designed as a universal resource manager that can handle multiple types of hardware resources (CPU, memory, storage, I/O) and multiple workloads simultaneously. It provides a unified mechanism for dynamic partitioning and allocation that works across different resource types and workload scenarios, reducing the need for separate management systems for each resource type and thereby managing complexity more effectively.
3Reliability
If physical partitions are created to match specific workload requirements, then service quality improves, but the time and complexity of resource configuration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing the framework for dynamic partitioning and allocation in the system control processor. The capability to create and manage physical partitions is built into the system architecture in advance, allowing rapid configuration when workloads arrive. This preliminary preparation enables the system to quickly match resources to workload requirements without lengthy configuration processes, maintaining both service quality and fast deployment.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for providing bare-metal (BMS) resources includes receiving, by a system control processor, a partitioning request from a system control processor manager that specify a quantity of physical partitions, in response to the partitioning request: identifying a set of physical partitions of a bare-metal system (BMS) that are capable of servicing the partitioning request based on the quantity of physical partitions, updating a partitioning configuration data structure based on the set of physical partitions and the virtual partition, and implementing the virtual partition based on the set of resources using the partitioning configuration data structure.