Abstract: The present invention provides a file system capable of reducing time taken to switch I/O paths, and hiding the process of switching the I/O paths from the user. In a system of the present invention in which a file ID is defined for each file, upon receiving a request for accessing a file specifying a file ID from a user, a file server refers to a file management table to obtain a logical disk ID for accessing the file. The file server then refers to a logical disk management table to obtain an I/O path corresponding to the logical disk ID, and accesses a physical disk device by use of the obtained I/O path. When a fault has occurred in an operational I/O path, a file server rewrites the logical disk management tables in all nodes to change the I/O path.

Abstract: In a system of the present invention in which a file ID is defined for each file, upon receiving a request for accessing a file specifying a file ID from a user, a file server refers to a file management table to obtain a logical disk ID for accessing the file. The file server then refers to a logical disk management table to obtain an I/O path corresponding to the logical disk ID, and accesses a physical disk device by use of the obtained I/O path. When a fault has occurred in an operational I/O path, a file server rewrites the logical disk management tables in all nodes to change the I/O path. This reduces the time taken to switch I/O paths, and hiding the process of switching the I/O paths from the user.

Abstract: This invention relates to modifying hardware and program configuration of a computer. In one embodiment, a computer configuration modification method comprises, upon reception of a configuration modification request for the hardware configuration and program configuration of the computer to be modified, transmitting the information regarding the hardware configuration to be modified to a hardware contract renewal notification destination in order to modify the fee to be paid for the modified hardware, and transmitting the information regarding the hardware configuration to be modified and the information regarding the program configuration to be modified to a program contract renewal notification destination in order to modify the fee to be paid for the modified program.

Abstract: The present invention provides a file system capable of reducing time taken to switch I/O paths, and hiding the process of switching the I/O paths from the user.

Abstract: A storage medium for a file input/output control system having a plurality of first computers each having a plurality of disks and connected to a network and at least one second computer connected to the network for accessing the disks connected to the first computers. The storage medium includes a data code section storing a step of retrieving a plurality of first data access requests issued from a plurality of processes of an application and comparing the first data access requests with correspondence relation defining information to confirm that the first data access requests are accesses to the disks, a data code section storing a step of creating a plurality of second data access requests to the disks from the first data access requests confirmed to be accesses to the disks and transmitting the second data access requests to the network, and a data code section storing a step of, in each first computer, rearranging the second data access requests for each disk in the order of block numbers in each disk.

Abstract: In collective I/O processing in which a plurality of processes access the same file in a shared manner, when each user process issues an I/O request, the user process notifies the system of information on a file region accessed by all the processes; information for specifying whether or not a prefetch is performed, and information for specifying whether or not a disk preallocate is performed, together with the I/O requests issued by all associated processes, as hint information. The system provides a buffer for storing data in a file region accessed by all the processes based on the hint information, such that the I/O processing for all the processes is performed using this buffer.

Abstract: An illustrative embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein includes a file server having a file management table to obtain a logical disk ID for accessing files. A logical disk management table is consulted to obtain an I/O path corresponding to the logical disk ID, thus accessing the physical device. When a fault occurs along an I/O path, the appropriate tables are altered accordingly to reflect a new I/O path.

Abstract: In collective I/O processing in which a plurality of processes access the same file in a shared manner, when each user process issues an I/O request, the user process notifies the system of information on a file region accessed by all the processes; information for specifying whether or not a prefetch is performed, and information for specifying whether or not a disk preallocate is performed, together with the I/O requests issued by all associated processes, as hint information. The system provides a buffer for storing data in a file region accessed by all the processes based on the hint information, such that the I/O processing for all the processes is performed using this buffer.

Abstract: A file input/output control system has first computers each having disks and connected to a network; and at least one second computer connected to the network for accessing the disks connected to the plurality of first computers, the second computer having: a retriever for retrieving first data access requests issued from a plurality of processes of an application and comparing the first data access requests with correspondence relation defining information to thereby confirm that the first data access requests are accesses to disks, the correspondence relation defining information being entered by a user in advance and indicating a correspondence relation between the disks and each of regions in a file stored in disks of the first computers; and a scheduler for creating second data access requests to the disks from first data access requests confirmed to be accesses to disks, in accordance with the correspondence relation defining information between the disks and each of the regions in a file stored in the

Abstract: A storage medium for a file input/output control system having a plurality of first computers each having a plurality of disks and connected to a network and at least one second computer connected to the network for accessing the disks connected to the first computers. The storage medium includes a data code section storing a step of retrieving a plurality of first data access requests issued from a plurality of processes of an application and comparing the first data access requests with correspondence relation defining information to confirm that the first data access requests are accesses to the disks, a data code section storing a step of creating a plurality of second data access requests to the disks from the first data access requests confirmed to be accesses to the disks and transmitting the second data access requests to the network, and a data code section storing a step of, in each first computer, rearranging the second data access requests for each disk in the order of block numbers in each disk.

Abstract: The present invention provides a file system capable of reducing time taken to switch I/O paths, and hiding the process of switching the I/O paths from the user.

Abstract: The parallel processes run scheduling method, disclosed herein, reduces the overhead due to scheduling by coordinating the processing steps of the processors, not requiring explicit processor-to-processor communication. When being requested to activate or deactivate a parallel program, the parallel program manager commands the process queue managers on the processors to generate or remove the allocated process of the program. On each processor, in obedience to the command, the process queue manager enqueues or remove the process into or from the process queue. Each processor is equipped with a processes number counter to store the number of processes to run on the processor, corresponding to the number of parallel programs activated and an integrating counter that increments over time in synchronization with all other processors.

Abstract: A file input/output control system has first computers each having disks and connected to a network; and at least one second computer connected to the network for accessing the disks connected to the plurality of first computers, the second computer having: a retriever for retrieving first data access requests issued from a plurality of processes of an application and comparing the first data access requests with correspondence relation defining information to thereby confirm that the first data access requests are accesses to disks, the correspondence relation defining information being entered by a user in advance and indicating a correspondence relation between the disks and each of regions in a file stored in disks of the first computers; and a scheduler for creating second data access requests to the disks from first data access requests confirmed to be accesses to disks, in accordance with the correspondence relation defining information between the disks and each of the regions in a file stored in the

Abstract: Multiple parallel-job scheduling method and apparatus are provided which can improve the utilization of all processors in a system when a plurality of parallel jobs are executed concurrently. A plurality of processors constituting a computer system and each having the equal function are logically categorized into serial processors for executing a serial computing part or a parallel computing part of a parallel job and a parallel processor group consisting of multiple processors for executing the parallel computing part of the parallel job in parallel. In order that the parallel processors are shared by a plurality of parallel jobs, a synchronization range indicator is provided which can control by program whether the parallel processors are available in correspondence to the respective serial processors.

Abstract: A method and system for reducing overhead time required to search for memory blocks having programmed executable tasks. The system includes a memory control block queue for managing all memory control blocks, and an executable task control block queue which is a subset of the memory control block queue and which is regularly updated to include memory control blocks having pointers to only programmed currently-executing tasks and programmed executable tasks. When a search for executable tasks is initialized, only the executable task control block queue need be searched. Unnecessary overhead time needed to search memory control blocks having only unexecutable tasks is eliminated.