Abstract: An approach is provided for managing processes for enabling execution of applications within a user device. One or more characteristics of an application are determined by a process monitor module. A process management module then determines a process of the device for execution the application based, at least in part, on the one or more characteristics. A process allocation policy is executed for enabling process allocation decisions.

Abstract: A method and system for operating a data center. The method includes, in response to a map task distributed by a job tracker, a map task tracker executes the map task to generate a map output including version information. The map task tracker stores the generated map outputs. The map task tracker informs the job tracker of related information of the map output. In response to a reduce task distributed by the job tracker, the reduce task tracker acquires the map outputs for key names including given version information from the map task trackers, wherein the acquired map outputs include the map outputs with the given version information and historical map outputs with the version information prior to the given version information. The reduce task tracker executes the reduce task on the acquired map outputs.

Abstract: Interrupt-intensive and interrupt-driven processes are managed among a plurality of virtual processors, wherein each virtual processor is associated with a physical processor, wherein each physical processor may be associated with a plurality of virtual processors, and wherein each virtual processor is tasked to execute one or more of the processes, by determining which of a plurality of the processes executing among a plurality of virtual processors are being or have been driven by at least a minimum count of interrupts over a period of operational time; selecting a subset of the plurality of virtual processors to form a sequestration pool; migrating the interrupt-intensive processes on to the sequestration pool of virtual processors; and commanding by a computer a bias in delivery or routing of the interrupts to the sequestration pool of virtual processors.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for detecting a change in demand for server resources across a load-bearing system having one or more content servers hosting identical content, the load-bearing system being connected to a network of content servers; and automatically modifying the number of content servers on the load-bearing system in response to the change in demand.

Abstract: In one embodiment, methods and apparatus for configuring and/or monitoring a virtual machine in a resource group. In another embodiment, a method and apparatus for configuring and/or monitoring a resource group in accordance with a relocation policy that authorizes relocation of a resource from one cluster to another. In a further embodiment, a method and apparatus for configuring, monitoring and/or managing a resource group via a resource group tool having a user interface accessible via a web-services interface. In yet another embodiment, a method and apparatus for communicating between a console and at least one agent in a resource group tool via a web-services interface.

Abstract: A system and a method of bootstrapping a service in a data center, the method including, for example, deploying a service manager of a management service of the service based on a deployment profile of the service manager, the service manager configured to manage a life cycle of the management service, the service manager to deploy the management service of the service based on a deployment profile of the management service, the management service configured to be used by the service. The method also including, for example, allocating an actual instance of a resource in the data center based on a physical topology of the service, the physical topology of the service derived the deployment profile of the service. The method also including, for example, deploying the service such that the service uses the actual instance of the resource in the data center.

Abstract: Virtual machines may migrate between heterogeneous sets of implementation resources in a manner that allows the virtual machines to efficiently and effectively adapt to new implementation resources. Furthermore, virtual machines may change types during migration without terminating the virtual machines. Migration templates may be established to manage migration of sets of virtual machines between sets of implementation resources and/or virtual machine types. Migration templates may be established based at least in part on information provided by migration agents added to the virtual machines under consideration for migration. The migration agents may detect and augment relevant virtual machine capabilities, as well as trigger reconfiguration of virtual machine components in accordance with migration templates.

Abstract: A hardware control method for multitasking drivers under a user mode is provided. The control method includes steps of: receiving a request for access to a hardware device from a current process under the user mode; determining whether the current process has obtained a mutual exclusion (mutex) of the hardware device; if affirmative, determining whether an identification of the current process and an identification of a previous process accessed the hardware device are the same; if negative, performing a context switch on the current process and the previous process accessed the hardware device to allow the current process to access the hardware device. Accordingly, when accessing complicated hardware devices, the disclosure significantly enhances driver performance under a user mode while also implementing secured random access to hardware devices in a multitasking environment.

Abstract: A state of an application running in a system is monitored. The monitoring of the application states includes monitoring one or more buffers associated with the application. Dispatch of one or more threads in the system is controlled. At least one thread in the system is associated with the application. Resources in the system are managed based at least on the state of the application and the state of the one or more threads in the system.

Abstract: Techniques for minimizing coprocessor “starvation,” and for effectively scheduling processing in a coprocessor for greater efficiency and power. A run list is provided allowing a coprocessor to switch from one task to the next, without waiting for CPU intervention. A method called “surface faulting” allows a coprocessor to fault at the beginning of a large task rather than somewhere in the middle of the task. DMA control instructions, namely a “fence,” a “trap” and a “enable/disable context switching,” can be inserted into a processing stream to cause a coprocessor to perform tasks that enhance coprocessor efficiency and power. These instructions can also be used to build high-level synchronization objects. Finally, a “flip” technique is described that can switch a base reference for a display from one location to another, thereby changing the entire display surface.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method of interposing operations in a computational system that includes a virtualization system executable on an underlying hardware processor that natively supports one or more instructions that transition between host and guest execution modes.

Abstract: A system for on-demand cloning of virtual machines (VMs) includes a virtual server to host a number of VMs, the virtual server including at least one master VM. The system also includes a Web server to authenticate a user in response to a request for online access to a new VM on the virtual server. In addition, the system includes a cloning module, in communication with the Web server and the virtual server, to automatically clone the master VM to create a unique VM clone for the user on the virtual server responsive to the request.

Abstract: A method for using standards-based functionality to provide unified management for a plurality of remote desktop sessions includes executing an enhanced management access point on a first physical machine. The method includes monitoring a plurality of desktop sessions including a desktop session executing on one of a second physical machine and a virtual machine executing on the second physical machine. The desktop session provides access to at least one application or file. The method includes determining a first level of activity of the desktop session. A level of activity may be one of: active, inactive, hibernating and standby. The method includes receiving a notification of a migration of the desktop session to a third physical machine, the migrated desktop session maintaining the first level of activity. The method includes instructing a management component on the third physical machine to modify the migrated desktop session to a second level of activity.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment that includes detecting a migration of a virtual machine from an origination host to a destination host and comparing a first root bridge to a second root bridge to verify data link layer continuity of the virtual network on the destination host. The virtual machine is connected to a virtual network, the first root bridge is associated with the virtual network on the origination host and the second root bridge is associated with the virtual network on the destination host. The method may further include blocking the migration if the first root bridge and the second root bridge are not the same.

Abstract: A virtual computer system includes virtualization software, and one or more physical network interfaces for connecting to one or more computer networks. The virtualization software supports one or more virtual machines (VMs), and exports one or more virtual network interfaces to the VM(s) to enable the VM(s) to access the computer network(s) through the physical network interface(s). The virtualization software modifies and filters network data frames from the VM(s) and from the physical network interface(s) to restrict one or more VMs to one or more virtual local area networks (VLANs) that are implemented within a VLAN topology. Restricting a VM to a VLAN limits the broadcast domain to which the VM belongs, which may reduce security risks facing the VM. Implementing the VLAN functionality within the virtualization software provides the functionality to every VM in the computer system, without requiring every VM to provide the functionality.

Abstract: In general, techniques of this disclosure relate to measuring scheduling performance of monitored threads in an operating system with improved precision. In one example, a method includes inserting, by an operating system kernel, a monitored thread into a queue comprising one or more threads and recording an insertion time that the monitored thread is inserted into the run queue; receiving, by the kernel, an event to remove the monitored thread from the run queue; responsive to receiving the event, determining, by the kernel, an amount of time that the monitored thread is stored on the run queue based on the insertion time and a removal time at which the monitored thread was removed from the run queue; and when the amount of time the monitored thread is stored on the run queue is greater than or equal to a specified threshold, sending a notification to a notification listener.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for controlling and managing virtual machines and other such virtual systems. VM execution approval is based on compliance with policies controlling various aspects of VM. The techniques can be employed to benefit all virtual environments, such as virtual machines, virtual appliances, and virtual applications. For ease of discussion herein, assume that a virtual machine (VM) represents each of these environments. In one particular embodiment, a systems management partition (SMP) is created inside the VM to provide a persistent and resilient storage for management information (e.g., logical and physical VM metadata). The SMP can also be used as a staging area for installing additional content or agentry on the VM when the VM is executed. Remote storage of management information can also be used. The VM management information can then be made available for pre-execution processing, including policy-based compliance testing.

Abstract: A dependency datastructure represents a processing task. The dependency datastructure comprising a plurality of components, each component encapsulating a code unit. The dependency datastructure may include dependency arcs to inter-component dependencies. Dependencies that are not satisfied by components within the dependency datastructure may be represented as pseudo-components. An execution environment identifies components that can be executed (e.g., have satisfied dependencies), using the dependency datastructure and/or concurrency state metadata. The execution environment may identify and exploit concurrencies in the processing task, allowing for multiple components to be executed in parallel.

Abstract: A digital broadcast receiver schedules the startup of its software on the basis of the number of data transfer channels and core processing units available to transfer the necessary programs into main storage and execute them, the execution priority order of the programs, the time required to transfer each necessary program into main storage, and the time required to initialize each program. If a snapshot startup option exists for a program, the initialization time is compared with the time required for transferring the snapshot of the program's working data and for further post-processing. Consideration of the data transfer times and initialization times as well as execution priority enables the shortest schedule to be determined.

Abstract: A method for altering an operating frequency of a processor. The method includes monitoring a real-time performance indicator of a system, and determining a desired frequency in response to the indicator. The indicator may be an amount of idle time of a processor of the system. The method also includes selectively altering an operating frequency of the processor in response to a comparison of the desired frequency and the operating frequency, including increasing the operating frequency in response to the desired frequency being greater than the operating frequency, and decreasing the operating frequency only in response to the desired frequency being less than the operating frequency by more than a predetermined value.