Hitachi has been granted a patent for a computer system that allows for easy and fast scaling up of servers executing a single application. The system includes compute servers, storage servers, and execution units that run specific applications. A management server manages the allocation of execution units and is able to determine when additional instances of an execution unit are needed. It then replicates the necessary data and creates the additional instance on another compute server. GlobalData’s report on Hitachi gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Hitachi, M2M communication interfaces was a key innovation area identified from patents. Hitachi's grant share as of September 2023 was 23%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Scalable server system for executing applications with replicated logic units
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11778020B2) describes a computer system that includes multiple compute servers, storage servers, and execution units. The system is managed by a management server that allocates the execution units among the compute servers based on the requirements of specific applications.
When the management server determines that an additional instance of a particular execution unit is needed to execute a specific application, it follows a series of steps. First, it identifies a logic unit that stores the necessary data for the application on a specific storage server. Then, it replicates this logic unit onto another storage server to create a replicated logic unit. Next, the management server creates the additional instance of the execution unit on another compute server. Finally, it sets the additional instance to refer to the replicated logic unit.
The selection of the storage server for replication is determined by a predetermined algorithm, which includes a hash value related to the information containing the name of the logic unit. This algorithm ensures an efficient and systematic approach to selecting the appropriate storage server.
The execution units in the computer system are configured as containers on the operating system of the compute servers. The management server is responsible for allocating multiple logic units to a single block device and generating these logic units in a way that ensures their data volume is less than a predetermined volume. This helps optimize the system's performance and resource utilization.
The management server also provides valuable information to the user. It outputs load information or performance information on the resources of the compute servers that execute the specific execution unit. Additionally, it outputs information indicating the performance of all compute servers before and after creating the additional instance of the execution unit.
In addition to the computer system, the patent also describes a scale-up management method. This method involves the same steps as mentioned earlier, where the management server determines the need for an additional instance of an execution unit, replicates the logic unit, creates the additional instance, and sets it to refer to the replicated logic unit.
Overall, this patent presents a computer system and management method that efficiently allocate execution units and replicate logic units to meet the requirements of specific applications, optimizing performance and resource utilization.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
