JP2005266841A - A computer system with a dedicated processor - Google Patents

Abstract

【Task】
In a multiprocessor system having a plurality of general-purpose processors, a processor that specially processes a program arbitrarily designated by a user is provided.
[Solution]
One or more general-purpose processors are used as dedicated processors, the hardware has dedicated processor attributes, and the dedicated processor attributes are stored in the management table at the time of initial setting. A flag is set in the management table of the address space executing the program requested by the user to operate on the dedicated processor. When executing a program, the dispatcher compares the processor attribute with the dedicated processor request flag in the address space, and dispatches only when the condition is met.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a computer system including a plurality of general-purpose processors, and relates to a processor allocation control method in an operating system.

  As described in Patent Document 1, a processor that allows a user to operate a specific program from two or more processors connected to a network as a computer system that operates a program specified by the user on a processor different from other programs There is a processor designation method that can be selected.

JP-A-7-311743

  The processor designation method described in the background art is a method for selecting one processor from two or more processors connected via a network with a program designated by a user, and has the following problems.

  First, when it is desired to operate a specific program by a plurality of processors, this is not possible because each processor is an independent computer in the above-described processor selection method.

  Next, when one processor is added, one computer is added. Therefore, management and operation of the entire computer system become complicated, and system expandability is impaired.

  In addition, when a specific program exchanges information with other programs, since it is via a network, it takes time for communication, and this overhead cannot be ignored.

  Furthermore, in order to shorten the total execution time of a specific program, it is impossible to operate using all processors.

  An object of the present invention is to assign one or more processors among the general-purpose processors as dedicated processors for operating only a program arbitrarily designated by a user in a single multiprocessor computer system having a plurality of general-purpose processors. It is to provide a method.

  Generally, when a program runs on a processor, a dispatcher that exists for each processor and allocates processor resources to each program searches for a ready address space, and if a ready address space is found, it operates within that address space. Allocate (dispatch) processor resources to ready processes.

  In the present invention, a flag indicating whether or not the processor is a dedicated processor is provided in the processor logical information table for managing the processor so that the dispatcher can identify whether or not the processor is the dedicated processor.

  In addition, a flag indicating that the dedicated processor is used is provided in a table for managing the address space in which the program operates so that the program that the user wants to operate on the dedicated processor is dispatched by the dedicated processor.

  The dispatcher dispatches when the processor is a dedicated processor and a flag for using the dedicated processor is set in the address space to be dispatched. If the processor is a normal processor that is not a dedicated processor, and the flag for using the dedicated processor is not set in the address space to be dispatched, the dispatch is performed.

  According to the present invention, in one multiprocessor system including a plurality of general-purpose processors, one or more of the processors can be dedicated processors that execute only a program arbitrarily designated by the user. When a user wants to execute a program with a very high processor load in a computer system without affecting the processor load, the processor load of a normal processor that is not a dedicated processor is executed by operating the program with a high processor load on a dedicated processor. It is possible to execute a program with a high processor load without affecting the processing. At that time, since the dedicated processor is realized by one computer system, there is no need to change a specific program designated by the user, and when a specific program exchanges information with other programs, The overhead such as communication does not occur, and it can be realized with the same performance as a conventional multiprocessor system.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, where 100 is a normal CPU (processor) and 101 is a CPU dedicated to specific processing. Reference numerals 116 and 117 denote CPU identification units, whereby the software identifies whether the CPU is a CPU dedicated to a specific process. CPU physical information 102 and 103 are tables storing physical information of each CPU, and CPU logical information 104 and 105 are tables storing logical information of each CPU (these information are stored in the CPU management tables 99a and 99b). The system common area 106 is a table for storing information common to the computer system, the dispatchers 107a and 107b are means for allocating CPU resources to each process, the initial setting control 108 is a means for initial setting of the computer system, and the job management 109 is Means for managing from job input to execution, address space management tables 110, 111, and 112 are tables for managing the address space in which each job operates. Tasks 113, 114, and 115 are each process group that constitutes a job. is there. Information that the CPU 101 is a dedicated CPU is held by hardware. When the initial setting control 108 inquires CPU information to the hardware at the time of initial setting, the software recognizes whether or not the CPU is a dedicated CPU. Allocating the resources of the CPUs 100 and 101 to the address spaces 110a, 111a, and 112a is called dispatch. This corresponds to the means 107.

  FIG. 2 shows details of the logical information tables 104 and 105 of the CPUs 100 and 101, and a flag 200 indicates whether the CPU is a dedicated CPU. This flag 200 is set when the initial setting control 108 is a system initial setting and the CPU is a dedicated CPU. The dispatcher 107 refers to the flag 200 to determine whether the CPU to be assigned is a normal CPU or a dedicated CPU.

  FIG. 3 shows details of the address space management tables 110, 111, and 112. 300 is a flag indicating that there is a request for the address space to operate only by the dedicated CPU, 301 is the normal CPU or dedicated CPU. This flag indicates that there is a request to operate. The dispatcher 107 refers to the operation flag 300 only with the dedicated CPU in the address space to be dispatched, and determines whether the CPU of each of the normal CPU or the dedicated CPU may be assigned to the address space. In addition, the dispatcher performs similar dispatch control by referring to the operation flag 301 in all CPUs. However, if the operation flag 301 is set in all CPUs, the address of either the normal CPU or the dedicated CPU is the address. Dispatch space.

  FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of the present invention. When the system is started, the initial setting control 108 shown in FIG. 4 operates. The initial setting control 108 stores the CPU number in the CPU physical information tables 102 and 103 and the CPU logical information tables 104 and 105 (step 401), and determines whether the CPU is a dedicated CPU by hardware, that is, the identification unit 116 of each CPU. 117 (step 402). If it is reported from the hardware that the CPU is a dedicated CPU (step 403), the dedicated CPU flag 200 of the CPU logical information table 105 is set (step 404). The processing so far (from step 401 to step 404) is repeated by the number of CPUs (loop 400). When the processing of the initial setting control 108 is completed, it can be determined from the logical information tables 104 and 105 of each CPU which CPU is the dedicated CPU. Thereafter, the dedicated CPU flag 200 is not changed.

  When the user inputs a job, the job management 109 in FIG. 5 operates. The job management 109 accepts an input job (step 500), assigns an address space to the job (step 501), and executes the job (step 502).

  FIG. 6 shows an example of job execution. That is, it is a detailed flow of step 502 in FIG. If the user job requests that the address spaces 110a, 111a, and 112a operate only by the dedicated CPU (step 600), the operation flag 300 is set only by the dedicated CPUs of the address space management tables 110, 111, and 112. (Step 601). Further, when the address space 110a, 111a, 112a is requested to operate on all CPUs including a normal CPU and a dedicated CPU (step 602), it operates on all CPUs of the address space management tables 110, 111, 112. The flag 301 is set (step 603). Here, the operation flag 300 is exclusive only for the dedicated CPUs of the address space management tables 110, 111, and 112, and the operation flag 301 is exclusive for all the CPUs. Is one of the flags set in one address space? Both are not standing. That is, it is impossible to request both the operation with only the dedicated CPU and the operation with all CPUs. When the processing related to the request from the dedicated CPU is completed, the dispatcher 107 is called. Here, once the control is explicitly transferred to the dispatcher, the next user process (step 604) is always dispatched by the requesting CPU.

  FIG. 7 shows a flow in which the dispatcher 107 dispatches the address spaces 110a, 111a, and 112a from the viewpoint of the OS. First, the dispatch tester 700 is executed that compares a request for a dedicated CPU in the address space with an attribute indicating whether the CPU is a dedicated CPU. FIG. 8 shows the flow of the dispatch tester. The dispatch tester 700 determines whether or not the CPU is a dedicated CPU by referring to the dedicated CPU flag 200 in the CPU logical information tables 104 and 105 (step 800).

  If the CPU is a dedicated CPU, is the next address space to be dispatched designated to use the dedicated CPU (whether the operation flag 300 is set only for the dedicated CPU or the operation flag 301 is set for all CPUs) Is determined (step 801). If it is designated to use a dedicated CPU, it is determined that dispatch is possible (step 803). If it is not designated to use the dedicated CPU, it is determined that dispatching is impossible (step 804).

  If the CPU is not a dedicated CPU, it is determined by the operation flag 300 only by the dedicated CPU in the address space management table whether the address space to be dispatched is designated to operate only by the dedicated CPU (step 802). ). If it is not designated to operate only by the dedicated CPU, it is determined that dispatch is possible (step 803). If it is specified to operate only with the dedicated CPU, it is determined that dispatching is impossible (step 804).

  When the dispatch tester 700 ends, the dispatcher 107 determines whether the dispatch tester determines that the dispatch tester can dispatch the address space (step 701). If dispatchable, a ready task in the address space is searched (step 702). If dispatch is impossible, a request is made to dispatch the address space by another CPU (step 703).

  For example, when the job 110 is requested to operate only by the dedicated CPU, the operation flag 300 is set only by the dedicated CPU in the address space management table 110 in the processing related to the request of the dedicated CPU (up to step 603). During this period, only the dedicated CPU operates and the operation flag 300 and all the CPUs do not stand together, so the normal CPU 100 operates. Thereafter, the dispatcher 107 is called, but is not dispatched because the dispatch tester 700 determines that the address space 110 cannot be dispatched. Thereafter, when the dedicated CPU 101 attempts to dispatch the address space 110a, the dispatch tester 700 determines that the address space 110a can be dispatched by the dispatcher 107 of the dedicated CPU 101, and is dispatched.

  As a second example, when there is a request for a job in the address space 111a to operate on all CPUs, the address space management table 111 operates on all CPUs in the processing related to the request from the dedicated CPU (up to step 603). A flag 301 is set. During this time, the CPU 100 normally operates. Thereafter, the dispatcher 107 is called. The dispatch tester 700 determines that the address space 111a can be dispatched, and dispatches again. Thereafter, when the process is interrupted by an interrupt or the like, the dispatch tester 700 determines that the dispatcher 107 of either the normal CPU 100 or the dedicated CPU 101 can dispatch when another CPU tries to dispatch the address space 111a. Both CPUs work.

It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of a structure of this invention. It is a figure which shows the management table in the structure of this invention. It is a figure which shows the management table in the structure of this invention. It is a flowchart of the initial setting process in one Example of this invention. 4 is a flowchart from job input to job execution in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of job execution in one embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the dispatcher in one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart of the dispatcher internal process in one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

100 ... Normal CPU
101 ... Dedicated CPU
102 ... CPU physical information management table 103 ... CPU physical information management table 104 ... CPU logical information management table 105 ... CPU logical information management table 106 ... System common information management table 107 ... Dispatcher 108 ... Initial setting control unit 109 ... Job management unit 110 ... Address space management table 111 ... Address space management table 112 ... Address space management table 113 ... Address space task group 114 ... Address space task group 115 ... Address space task group 116 ... Processor identifier 117 ... Processor identifier

Claims (4)

A multiprocessor computer system including a plurality of general-purpose processors, each of which has a hardware identifier so that the software can be identified as hardware different from other general-purpose processors,
Means for setting a first flag for identifying whether or not the processor is a dedicated processor in a processor logical information table for managing the processor;
Means for setting a second flag for allocating a program to be operated by the dedicated processor to the dedicated processor in a table for managing an address space in which the program operates;
Means for allocating the dedicated processor to the address space when the first flag and the second flag are set, and when the first flag and the second flag are not set, A computer system equipped with a dedicated processor, characterized by having means for allocating the processor to the address space.   2. The computer system with a dedicated processor according to claim 1, wherein one processor group is controlled as a dedicated processor that operates only a specific program.   3. The computer system with a dedicated processor according to claim 2, wherein the specific program is operated not only by the dedicated processor but also by all processors including other general-purpose processors. In a multiprocessor computer system including a plurality of general-purpose processors, each having a hardware identifier so that the software can be identified as hardware different from other general-purpose processors,
A first flag for identifying whether or not the processor is a dedicated processor is set in a processor logical information table for managing the processor;
A second flag for allocating a program to be operated by the dedicated processor to the dedicated processor is set in a table for managing an address space in which the program operates;
If the first flag and the second flag are set, the dedicated processor is assigned to the address space;
A processor assignment control method, wherein a normal processor is assigned to the address space when the first flag and the second flag are not set.

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