Abstract: A distributed computing system conforms to a multi-level, hierarchical organizational model. One or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources within the distributed computing system in accordance with the organization model. The control node includes an automation subsystem having one or more rules engines that provide autonomic control of the application nodes in accordance with a set of one or more rules. A pluggable, application-specific application governor is selected and installed within the control node to provide an application-independent interface through which the rules engines interact to control the deployment, execution and monitoring of the applications within the distributed computing system. The application governor uses a set of application image objects to configure an application on an application node. Each of the application image objects share a common interface and are therefore interchangeable.

Abstract: One or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources within the distributed computing system. The distributed computing system includes a software image repository storing: (i) one or more image instances of a virtual machine manager that is executable on the application nodes, wherein when executed on the applications nodes, the image instances of the virtual machine manager provide one or more virtual machines, and (ii) one or more image instances of one or more software applications that are executable on the virtual machines. The distributed computing system also includes a control node that comprises an automation infrastructure to provide autonomic deployment of the image instances of the virtual machine manager on the application nodes and to provide autonomic deployment of the image instances of the software applications on the virtual machines.

Abstract: In general, the invention is directed to updating images running on computing nodes within a distributed computing system. For example, a distributed computing system comprises a plurality of application nodes, a software image repository and a control node interconnected via a network. The image repository stores a master software image and a plurality of software image instances generated from the master software image. The control node automatically updates each of the software image instances using an updated version of the master software image.

Abstract: In general, this disclosure describes techniques of managing resources in a service-oriented distributed computing system. As described in this disclosure, one or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of resources within the distributed computing system. In order to provide automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources, a control node uses a set of governors. This set of governors includes a set of service governors to govern services used in the distributed computing system. The set of governors also includes a set of resource governors that govern individual resources of the services in the distributed computing system. The service governors and the resource governors may be implemented using finite state machines.

Abstract: In general, this disclosure describes techniques of managing resources in a service-oriented distributed computing system. As described in this disclosure, one or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of resources within the distributed computing system. In order to provide automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources, a control node uses a set of governors. This set of governors includes a set of service governors to govern services used in the distributed computing system. The set of governors also includes a set of resource governors that govern individual resources of the services in the distributed computing system. The service governors and the resource governors may be implemented using finite state machines.

Abstract: A distributed computing system conforms to a multi-level, hierarchical organizational model. One or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources within the distributed computing system in accordance with the organization model. A user interacts with the control nodes to logically define the hierarchical organization of distributed computing system. The control node includes an automation subsystem having one or more rule engines that provide autonomic control of the application nodes in accordance with a set of one or more rules. An application governor uses a set of software image objects to configure an application on an application node. Each of the application software image objects share a common interface and are therefore interchangeable.

Abstract: In general, this disclosure describes techniques of managing resources in a service-oriented distributed computing system. As described in this disclosure, one or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of resources within the distributed computing system. In order to provide automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources, a control node uses a set of governors. This set of governors includes a set of service governors to govern services used in the distributed computing system. The set of governors also includes a set of resource governors that govern individual resources of the services in the distributed computing system. The service governors and the resource governors may be implemented using finite state machines.

Abstract: In general, this disclosure describes techniques of managing resources in a service-oriented distributed computing system. As described in this disclosure, one or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of resources within the distributed computing system. In order to provide automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources, a control node uses a set of governors. This set of governors includes a set of service governors to govern services used in the distributed computing system. The set of governors also includes a set of resource governors that govern individual resources of the services in the distributed computing system. The service governors and the resource governors may be implemented using finite state machines.

Abstract: A distributed processing system is described that employs “role-based” computing. In particular, the distributed processing system is constructed as a collection of computing nodes in which each computing node performs a particular processing role within the operation of the overall distributed processing system. Each of the computing nodes includes a conventional operating system, such as the Linux operating system, and includes a plug-in software module to provide a distributed memory operating system that employs the role-based computing techniques. The plug-in module provides seamless inter-process communication mechanisms and a distributed file system within the operating system services provided by each of the computing nodes, thereby allowing the computing nodes to cooperate and implement processing services of the overall distributed processing system.

Abstract: In general, the invention is directed to software image management within a distributed computing system. The distributed computing system includes a plurality of application nodes interconnected via a communications network, and an image repository storing a plurality of pre-generated software image instances. A control node may pre-assign a network address to each of the image instances stored within the image repository, and assigns the network addresses of the image instances to the application nodes upon subsequent deployment of the software images to the application nodes.

Abstract: In general, this disclosure describes techniques of managing resources in a service-oriented distributed computing system. As described in this disclosure, one or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of resources within the distributed computing system. In order to provide automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources, a control node uses a set of governors. This set of governors includes a set of service governors to govern services used in the distributed computing system. The set of governors also includes a set of resource governors that govern individual resources of the services in the distributed computing system. The service governors and the resource governors may be implemented using finite state machines.

Abstract: In general, this disclosure describes techniques of managing resources in a service-oriented distributed computing system. As described in this disclosure, one or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of resources within the distributed computing system. In order to provide automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources, a control node uses a set of governors. This set of governors includes a set of service governors to govern services used in the distributed computing system. The set of governors also includes a set of resource governors that govern individual resources of the services in the distributed computing system. The service governors and the resource governors may be implemented using finite state machines.