Computer allocation method

Abstract

A rule evaluation unit classifies users into users of fixed PC allocation and users of dynamic allocation according to the user utilization characteristic and stores the classification result in a user classification table. When a user makes a PC utilization request, a PC allocation unit allocates a predetermined PC to a user of fixed PC allocation and allocates an empty PC in the PC pool to a user of dynamic allocation. Moreover, a volume rearrangement unit executes volume migration so as to equalize the I/O performance of the physical disks in the storage device according to the user utilization characteristic.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing brief configuration of a computer system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing brief configuration of a typical computer used in the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows an example of table structure of a PC management table.

FIG. 4 shows an example of table structure of a user classification table.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a policy rule.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a processing flow of evaluation of the policy rule.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a processing flow performed when the user allocation state is switched from dynamic allocation to fixed allocation.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a processing flow performed when the user allocation state is switched from fixed allocation to dynamic allocation.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a processing flow of synchronization between a cache and a storage device.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a processing flow performed when a user makes a PC use request.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a function of volume migration in accordance with the user utilization characteristic.

FIG. 12 shows an example of data structure used in the volume migration.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising a plurality of servers, a client operating the servers, a managing server for managing the servers, and a storage system, wherein the managing server includes:information table indicating correspondence between an user identifier and a server allocation method, anda server allocation unit for selecting a server to be allocated to a client who has transmitted a utilization request, according to a user identifier contained in the utilization request received from the client and the information table indicating the correspondence, transmitting a start request to the selected server, and transmitting address information on the selected server to the client who has transmitted the utilization request;the client includes:a transmission/reception unit for transmitting the server utilization request containing the user identifier to the managing server and receiving the address information from the managing server, anda remote operation unit for remote-operating the server having the address information received from the managing server; andthe server includes:a reception unit for receiving a start request from the managing server,a control unit for acquiring information required for start from the storage device according to the start request received from the managing server and starting the server by using the information required for the start, anda remote operation reception unit for receiving a remote operation from the client.

2. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server allocation method stored in the information table is either one of fixed allocation and dynamic allocation, the server allocation unit of the managing server decides the allocation method of the selected server according to the correspondence,when the server allocation unit decides to use the fixed allocation, the server allocation unit transmits a start request to employ the storage device of the selected server as the storage device for acquiring information required for the start,when the server allocation unit decides to use the dynamic allocation, the server allocation unit transmits a start request to employ the storage device of the storage system as the storage device for acquiring information required for the start, andthe control unit of the server acquires the information required for the start from the storage device of the selected server or the storage device of the storage system according to the start request received from the managing server.

3. The computer system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the information required for the start is an OS image.

4. The computer system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the managing server includes an evaluation unit for judging whether to employ the fixed allocation method or the dynamic allocation method as the server allocation method according to server utilization amount corresponding to the user identifier and modifying the information table indicating the correspondence according to the judgment result.

5. The computer system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the managing server includes:a storage unit for accumulating server utilization history information corresponding to each of the user identifiers linking with the user identifier, andan evaluation unit for ranking the servers in the descending order of the server utilization time length according to the utilization history information accumulated in the storage unit, setting fixed allocation for a predetermined number of servers counted from the one having the longest utilization time, and modifying the information table indicating the correspondence by associating the server with the corresponding user identifier.

6. The computer system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the server includes an evaluation unit for judging whether to employ the fixed allocation method or the dynamic allocation method as the server allocation method according to user profile information corresponding to the user identifier and modifying the information table indicating the correspondence according to the judgment result.

7. The computer system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the managing server includes a cache control unit for deleting the information stored in the storage device of the allocated server, according to a utilization end request received from the client when the server allocation method is the dynamic allocation method.

8. The computer system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the storage device of the storage system includes fixed server areas to be used by servers of fixed allocation and dynamic server areas to be used by servers of dynamic allocation,a storage management unit for moving the fixed server areas and the dynamic server areas according to an instruction of rearrangement from the managing server, andthe managing server has a volume rearrangement unit for issuing an instruction of rearrangement to the storage system so that the fixed server areas and the dynamic server areas are dispersed in the storage device of the storage system.

9. The computer system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the storage device of the storage system is a physical volume,the fixed server areas and the dynamic server areas correspond to logical volumes in the physical volume, andthe storage management unit moves the logical volumes of the fixed server areas and the logical volumes of the dynamic server areas so that the logical volumes of the fixed server areas and the logical volumes of the dynamic server areas are dispersed in the physical volume.

10. A server allocation method for use in a system comprising a plurality of servers, a client operating the servers, a managing server for managing the plurality of servers, and a storage system, wherein the client transmits a server utilization request containing the user identifier to the managing server,the managing server selects a server to be allocated for the client who has transmitted the utilization request, according to the user identifier contained in the server utilization request and information table indicating correspondence between an user identifier and a server allocation method, and transmits a start request to the selected server,the server acquires information required for start from the storage device according to the start request received from the managing server and starts the server by using the information required for the start,the managing server transmits the address information on the started server to the client who has transmitted the utilization request, andthe client transmits a processing request to the server corresponding to the address information transmitted from the managing server.

11. The server allocation method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the server allocation method stored in the information table is ether one of fixed allocation and dynamic allocation, a server allocation unit of the managing server decides the allocation method of the selected server according to the correspondence table,when the server allocation unit decides to use the fixed allocation, the server allocation unit transmits a start request to employ the storage device of the selected server as the storage device for acquiring information required for the start,when the server allocation unit decides to use the dynamic allocation, the server allocation unit transmits a start request to employ the storage device of the storage system as the storage device for acquiring information required for the start, anda control unit of the server acquires the information required for the start from the storage device of the selected server or the storage device of the storage system according to the start request received from the managing server.

12. The server allocation method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the information required for the start is an OS image.

13. The server allocation method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the managing server includes an evaluation unit for judging whether to employ the fixed allocation method or the dynamic allocation method as the server allocation method according to a server utilization amount corresponding to the user identifier and modifying the information table indicating the correspondence according to the judgment result.

14. The server allocation method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the managing server includes: a storage unit for accumulating server utilization history information corresponding to each of the user identifiers linking with the user identifier, andthe managing server ranks the servers in the descending order of the server utilization time length according to the utilization history information accumulated in the storage unit, sets fixed allocation for a predetermined number of servers counted from the one having the longest utilization time, and modifies the information table indicating the correspondence by associating the server with the corresponding user identifier.

15. The server allocation method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the managing server judges whether to employ the fixed allocation method or the dynamic allocation method as the server allocation method according to user profile information corresponding to the user identifier and modifies the information table indicating the correspondence according to the judgment result.

16. The server allocation method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the managing server deletes the information stored in the storage device of the allocated server, according to a utilization end request received from the client when the server allocation method is the dynamic allocation method.

17. The server allocation method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the storage device of the storage system includes fixed server areas to be used by servers of fixed allocation and dynamic server areas to be used by servers of dynamic allocation, and the managing server transmits an instruction of rearrangement to disperse the fixed server areas and the dynamic server areas in the in the storage device, to the storage system, andthe storage system moves the fixed server areas and the dynamic server areas according to the instruction of rearrangement from the managing server.

18. The server allocation method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the storage device of the storage system is a physical volume, the fixed server areas and the dynamic server areas correspond to logical volumes in the physical volume, andthe storage management unit moves the logical volumes of the fixed server areas and the logical volumes of the dynamic server areas so that the logical volumes of the fixed server areas and the logical volumes of the dynamic server areas are dispersed in the physical volume.