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Method-for-managing-multiple-versions-of-multiple-subsystems-in-a-distributed-computing-environment

Method for managing multiple versions of multiple subsystems in a distributed computing environment

Details

Inventors: Beals, Stephanie A.; Briskey, Kenneth C.; Russell, Richard C.;
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY)
Primary Examiner: Lim; Krisna
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Gonzalez; Floyd A.

A method for use in a parallel distributed computing system having a plurality of processors connected in a network of nodes, each node having software installed thereon, and a control workstation controlling the nodes in the network. A list of the levels of the software installed at each node is stored at the control workstation. A list of software subsystems affected by a command to be executed is stored at the nodes of the network, including the control workstation. In addition, a control script for each of said software subsystems is stored at the nodes, including the control workstation. Each control script provides a routine to be followed for the associated subsystem on the associated node or control workstation during the execution of the command. Since the control scripts are compatible with the level of software installed on the target node, the command will be performed such as to be compatible with the software installed on the target node.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The disclosed embodiment involves three parts: recording the software level information, reporting (retrieving) that level information, and uniform management of a subsystem regardless of the operating system, support software or subsystem level.
To facilitate overall system management of the individual nodes, the operating system level and support software level are recorded in a central repository for general access throughout the system.
This information is placed in the central repository via user-executed commands.
In order to effectively manage the system partition which may include nodes running multiple levels of the operating system and support software, a new command called "splst.
sub.
-- versions" is provided to analyze the software level information about one or more nodes in the system partition as recorded in the central repository, and report that information to the requester.
This command will optionally list: the operating system level of one or more nodes, the support software level of one or more nodes, the lowest (earliest) operating system level running within the system partition, the lowest (earliest) support software level running within the system partition, the highest (latest) operating system level running within the system partition, and the highest (latest) support software level running within the system partition.
Support subsystems running within a system partition typically require the running of one or more subsystem daemons on each node to provide services to/from that node to/from the other nodes in the system partition.
The software level of the subsystem daemon is usually dictated by a combination of the level of operating system and support software running on the node.
On the control node, a subsystem daemon for each different level or subsystem daemon supporting different levels, must be run in order to communicate with the different levels of subsystem daemons running throughout the system partitions.
A new command called the "Syspar Controller" (syspar

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