Workload Ownership-Based Compute Node Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

In shared computing systems, existing system management tools lack the ability to accurately identify and manage workload ownership across multiple users, leading to potential interference and unauthorized access to other users' workloads, which complicates efficient resource management and security.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system management tool that identifies workload ownership and enables users to perform management functions based on their ownership, allowing access and control only to their owned workloads, while preventing unauthorized access and interference, through a database tracking workload instances and their owners, and dynamic migration of workloads for load balancing and resource optimization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If system management tools provide centralized management of computing system hardware, then management efficiency is improved, but user visibility into other users' workloads increases leading to security risks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanagement efficiencyVSAvoidunauthorized access risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments management permissions by creating user-specific views that display only workloads owned by each user. The management interface is divided into isolated segments where User A can only see and manage their own workloads, while User B can only see and manage theirs, eliminating cross-user visibility while maintaining centralized management capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary layer (the workload ownership identification module) that sits between the centralized management tools and the users. This intermediary automatically identifies which user owns each workload and filters the display accordingly, allowing centralized management functionality while preventing direct user access to other users' workloads.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple users share a computing system, then resource utilization is improved, but the complexity of managing workload ownership and access control increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource sharing capabilityVSAvoidaccess control management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service access control where each user automatically sees and can manage only their own workloads through the management interface. The workload ownership identification automatically associates each workload with its owner, and the interface adapts to show only relevant workloads to each user without requiring manual configuration or complex permission settings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of user visibility from a static global view to a dynamic user-specific view based on workload ownership. The management interface dynamically adjusts which workloads are displayed to each user based on the ownership parameter, automatically adapting to multi-user environments without increasing operational complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If system management tools allow users to manage workloads, then user control is improved, but the risk of users taking actions that impact other users' workloads increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser control capabilityVSAvoidworkload interference risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the management capability by user ownership, creating isolated management environments where each user can perform management actions only on their own workloads. This segmentation prevents users from accidentally or intentionally impacting other users' workloads while maintaining full management control for each user's assigned workloads.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies preliminary anti-action by pre-filtering the management interface to exclude workloads owned by other users before users can take any actions. The workload ownership identification module proactively prevents potential harmful actions by ensuring users can only interact with their own workloads, eliminating the risk of interference before it can occur.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Data Source

PatentUS11221871B2Enabling a management function on a compute node in response to a user workload ownership level

Publication Date: 2022.01.11 LENOVO GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH

AI summary

An apparatus and a computer program product include program instructions configured to be executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include managing workload instances running on a computing system that includes a plurality of compute nodes, wherein the workload instances include at least one workload instance owned by each of a plurality of users. The operations further include identifying, for each workload instance, which user among the plurality of users owns the workload instance and which compute node among the plurality of compute nodes is running the workload instance. Additionally, the operations further include enabling, for any given compute node among the plurality of compute nodes, a particular user among the plurality of users to perform a management function on the given compute node in response to all of the workloads running on the given compute node being owned by the particular user.