Virtual Hadoop Manager for Resource Contention in Virtualized Clusters

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Solution Overview

Problem

Distributed computing platforms face challenges in managing resource contention across virtual machines, leading to inefficiencies and slower task execution due to inadequate workload balancing and scalability in virtualized environments.

Innovation Solution

A virtual Hadoop manager (VHM) is introduced to detect resource contention by analyzing metrics and propose remedial actions such as shrinking or expanding clusters, optimizing resource allocation and workload distribution across virtual machines without requiring changes to external schedulers, and reacting to ambient information from hosts and nodes within the Hadoop clusters.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If multiple data frameworks are deployed in a virtualized environment, then resource utilization improves, but resource contention increases leading to slower task execution

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource utilizationVSAvoidtask execution speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The virtual Hadoop manager continuously monitors performance metrics from the virtualized environment and uses this feedback to detect resource contention. When contention is detected, the system automatically proposes and implements remedial actions such as shrinking or expanding clusters, creating a closed-loop control system that dynamically adjusts resource allocation based on real-time conditions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables dynamic scalability by allowing compute clusters to be shrunk or expanded based on detected resource contention. This dynamic adjustment of cluster size allows the system to adapt to changing workload conditions and resource availability, optimizing both resource utilization and task execution speed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Productivity

If cluster size is increased to handle more workloads, then processing capacity improves, but resource contention increases causing stragglers and laggard tasks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing capacityVSAvoidtask completion consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The virtual Hadoop manager monitors performance metrics to detect resource contention that causes stragglers and laggard tasks. This feedback mechanism allows the system to identify when increased cluster size is causing task completion inconsistencies and trigger appropriate remedial actions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts cluster size by shrinking or expanding compute clusters based on detected resource contention. This dynamic scaling prevents over-provisioning that leads to stragglers while maintaining sufficient capacity for workload processing, ensuring consistent task completion

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If external schedulers are modified to improve workload balancing, then task distribution improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveworkload balancingVSAvoidscheduler complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The virtual Hadoop manager acts as an intermediary layer between the external scheduler and the virtualized environment. It monitors resource contention and proposes remedial actions without requiring modifications to the external scheduler, thereby achieving improved workload balancing while maintaining scheduler simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service by allowing the virtual Hadoop manager to autonomously detect resource contention and propose remedial actions such as cluster scaling. This self-managing approach improves workload balancing without increasing scheduler complexity, as the external scheduler remains unchanged

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3036625B1Virtual hadoop manager
Publication Date: 2018.12.05 VMWARE INC
  • EP3036625B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3036625B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3036625B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A distributed computing application is described that provides a highly elastic and multi-tenant platform for Hadoop applications and other workloads running in a virtualized environment. Multiple instances of a distributed computing framework, such as Hadoop, may be executed concurrently. A centralized manager detects when contention for computing resources, such as memory and CPU, causes tasks to run slower on VMs executing on a given host, and scales up or scales down a cluster based on the detected resource contention.