The invention relates to database management systems and in particular to dynamic configuration and self-tuning of inter-nodal communication resources within a database management system.
In database management systems such as International Business Machine's (IBM) DB2 Version 7, parameters that govern an amount of inter-nodal communication resources cannot be configured dynamically. A user must estimate values of communication resource parameters with respect to workloads that will be run against a system prior to starting up an instance of a database management system. However, if the estimate is not accurate or the workloads change after the instance has been started, then communication resources can be exhausted, thus preventing the database management system from servicing certain database requests without delay.
When such an event occurs, the user has to either reissue the request after other workloads have diminished or force all applications, stop the database instance, and reconfigure the communication resource parameters with more optimal values. This is clearly a penalty on the usability and performance of the database management system, because recycling the instance and rerunning the workloads are extremely time-consuming.
In addition, since communication resources can occupy a significant amount of memory space, the user may want to release resources in exchange for memory for other purposes. However, current database engine designs require that the instance be stopped and restarted in order for the new parameter values to take effect.
Prior art solutions that may solve the dynamic configuration problem do not service requests asynchronously or undo asynchronous requests without delay. In addition, they do not permit the database server to transparently increase or decrease its communication resources in response to fluctuations in communication workload requirements.
There is therefore a need for a database management system that permits users to dynamically configure communications resources used by the system. There also exists a need for a database management system that adapts to fluctuations in workloads in a way that is transparent to the user.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a database management system that permits a client or an optimization algorithm to dynamically configure an amount of memory used for communications resources by the system.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a database management system that automatically adapts to fluctuations in workloads in a way that is transparent to the user.
The invention therefore provides a database management system in which a plurality of nodes form a database instance, each node including a communication manager for dynamically configuring inter-nodal communication resources. The communication manager receives communication resource allocation requests from clients or a self-tuning algorithm. A resource self-tuning mechanism allocates or de-allocates memory blocks used for communication resource elements dynamically in real time without cycling the instance. Memory blocks are de-allocated asynchronously by placing associated communication resource elements in quarantine until all communication resource elements associated with the memory block are quarantined.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.
The invention therefore provides a database management system in which a plurality of nodes form a database instance. Each node comprises a fast communications manager (FCM) for dynamically reconfiguring inter-nodal communication resources. The FCM receives requests from clients or the optimization algorithm to re-allocate communication resources. A resource self-tuning mechanism maintains a memory descriptor table that stores a plurality of memory descriptors and a quarantine, for allocating and de-allocating communication resources in response to the requests received from the clients. A free-resource pool stores available communication resources.
The invention also provides a system and medium for dynamically increasing communication resources available to the instance of the database. The system and method begin with a step of computing a number of additional memory blocks required to satisfy the request, then allocating new memory blocks to support the additional communication resources. A memory descriptor table is searched for a vacant entry. The new memory blocks are allocated and anchored by recording a pointer and a status of the memory block in the vacant entry. The communication resource elements are created from the new memory blocks and added to a free resource pool to make them available for inter-nodal communication services, until all the required additional resources have been created.
The invention also provides a two-phased method for decreasing the communication resources available to the instance of the database management system. In a first phase, the method involves searching for communication resource elements that can be de-allocated immediately, and registering those that must be de-allocated asynchronously. A second phase provides logic for moving a used resource element to a quarantine area, and de-allocating a memory block when all associated communication resource elements have been quarantined.
The second phase is invoked whenever a resource element is returned to the FCM. If the associated memory block is not marked for asynchronous de-allocation, the communication resource element is returned to the free memory pool. If the associated memory block is marked for asynchronous de-allocation, the associated communication resource element is placed in the quarantine.
An embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to International Business Machine's (IBM) DB2 Universal Database Manager (UDM) as an example of only one embodiment of a database management system. The invention is applicable to any database management system that uses inter-nodal communications resources.
Consequently, the present invention may be implemented as a computer-implemented system, a computer-implemented method, or a computer-readable medium storing computer software comprising executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, causes the computers to perform the computer-implemented method.
The invention also provides a method for dynamically increasing communication resources available to the instance 202 of the DB2.
The method begins 402 with a step of computing a number of additional communication resource elements required, and the number of memory blocks that must be allocated to accommodate the communication resource elements (step 404). The number of communication resource elements required is computed, for example, by subtracting a current number of existing communication resource elements from a requested number. As is well known to persons skilled in the art, each memory block accommodates a predefined number of communication resource elements, the number being related to the operating system with which the DB2 is instantiated. Whenever a request for increasing communication resources is received, it is possible that the FCM 230 is already involved in a process of decreasing the communications resources, because the resource re-allocation requests can be sent at any time. Consequently, after the required number of additional resources has been computed, the quarantine is checked to determine if it is empty (step 405).
If the quarantine is empty, a process for decreasing communication resources, which will be explained below with reference to
If in step 405, described above, it is determined that the quarantine is not empty, a process to decrease communication resources is underway. Consequently, the process branches to step 418 (
If in step 418 it is determined that the quarantine 330 does not contain sufficient communication resource elements 214 to satisfy the request, all of the quarantined communication resource elements are released (step 436). The memory descriptor table 304 is then modified to change the status/state information 308 related to the corresponding entries from “SYNCHRONOUS DE-ALLOCATION” to “USED” (step 438). The released communication resource elements are then returned to the free resource pool 212 (step 440). The number of additional communication resources required is then computed by subtracting the number released from the quarantine in step 436 from the total number computed in step 404, and the process branches back to connector “E” (
The method and system in accordance with the invention also permits a client to request that communications resources be de-allocated (decreased). Depending on the usage level of the communication resources at the time that the client request 224 is received, a sufficient number of free communication resource elements 214 might not be available for immediate de-allocation to satisfy the request. It can potentially take a long time before adequate free communication resource elements become available to satisfy the de-allocation request 224. To avoid blocking the database management instance 202 from performing other tasks while the dynamic configuration request 224 is being serviced, the invention provides an asynchronous mechanism to handle dynamic de-allocation requests.
The invention provides a two-phased method for decreasing the communication resources available to the instance 202 of the database management system. A first phase of the method involves searching for memory blocks that can be de-allocated immediately, and registering those that must be de-allocated asynchronously. A second phase provides logic for moving a used communication resource element to a quarantine area, and performing garbage collection. The second phase is invoked whenever a communication resource element is returned to the FCM 206.
Since the process of locating and identifying memory blocks for immediate and asynchronous de-allocation can be computationally complex, the first phase of the method is optimized using the quarantine index (QI) table 316 (
If the QI table 316 indicates that more memory blocks cannot be de-allocated immediately (step 522) the process moves to step 528, described below. Otherwise, using the sorted QI table 316, a memory block for immediate de-allocation is located (step 524). The memory block can be immediately de-allocated if the number of quarantined communication resource elements 332, which is recorded in column 322 of the quarantine index table 316 is equal to the total number of communication resource elements that can be created using the raw memory block. The memory block is de-allocated and the corresponding status/state information entry 308 in the memory descriptor table 304 is changed to “VACANT” (step 526). Thereafter, the process returns to step 512.
If the process branched from step 522 to step 528, as explained above, it is determined in step 528 whether all of the required memory blocks 314 are marked for asynchronous de-allocation. If so, the process returns to step 514 (
Self-tuning of communication resources in adaptation to user workloads employs the method described above with reference to
An advantage of the invention is that it permits clients to adjust inter-nodal communication resources, in an asynchronous fashion, without having to stop all applications and recycle the instance 202. In addition, because of the memory descriptor table 304 and the quarantine area 330, users can submit new requests 224 to adjust the resources immediately even when there is a request pending completion (which could take a long time). The FCM 206 does not have to wait for a background request to be finished before servicing a new request. Advantageously, this permits users to undo submitted requests immediately. As well, the invention provides a database management system's inter-nodal communication component with an ability to self-tune its communication resources in adaptation to workload requirements, without affecting running applications or requiring manual intervention by a database administrator.
The embodiment(s) of the invention described above is intended to be exemplary only. The scope of the invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2383825 | Apr 2002 | CA | national |
Under 35 USC § 120, this application is a continuation application and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/410,856, filed Apr. 9, 2003, entitled “Dynamic Configuration and Self-Tuning of Inter-Nodal Communication Resources in a Database Management System”, and is related to application Ser. No. 10/421,178, filed on Apr. 22, 2003; application Ser. No. 10/424,201, filed on Apr. 25, 2003; and application Ser. No. 11/736,974, filed on Apr. 18, 2007, all of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application claims benefit under 35 USC 119 of Canadian Application 2,383,825 filed on Apr. 24, 2002.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10410856 | Apr 2003 | US |
Child | 12166316 | US |