Method for data protection in a data processing cluster with dynamic partition

A data processing accelerator (DPA), comprising:

• a link configuration module to:
• receive, from a driver of a host device, configuration instructions specific to the DPA that indicate whether to configure the DPA into, or out of, a sub-group of DPAs in a cluster from a plurality of sub-groups in the cluster, wherein the driver receives processing requests from a plurality of virtual machines and determines a configuration policy comprising the configuration instructions based on an analysis of the processing requests, and wherein the configuration policy optimizes a throughput of the cluster;
• and;
• configure the DPA according to the configuration instructions specific to the DPA, including:
• in response to the configuration instructions specific to the DPA indicating that the DPA is to join a sub-group of DPAs, generate, by the DPA, a communication link to at least one DPA in the sub-group, and
• in response to the configuration instructions specific to the DPA indicating that the DPA is to be removed from the sub-group of DPAs, break communication links between the DPA and all DPAs in the sub-group, wherein responsive to the break, the DPA enters a standby state.

A processing system having at least one hardware processor, coupled to a memory programmed with executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, causes the at least one hardware processor to perform operations of configuring a cluster of data processing accelerators (DPAs) comprising a plurality of DPAs communicatively coupled to a host device, the operations comprising:

• receiving, from a driver of the host device at a DPA in the cluster, configuration instructions specific to the DPA that indicate whether to configure the DPA into, or out of, a sub-group of a plurality of sub-groups of DPAs in the cluster, wherein the driver receives processing requests from a plurality of virtual machines and determines a configuration policy comprising the configuration instructions based on an analysis of the processing requests, and wherein the configuration policy optimizes a throughput of the cluster;
• and
• configuring, by the DPA, the DPA according to the configuration instructions specific to the DPA, including:
• in response to the configuration instructions specific to the DPA indicating that the DPA is to join a sub-group of DPAs, generating, by the DPA, a communication link to at least one DPA in the sub-group;
• in response to the configuration instructions specific to the DPA indicating that the DPA is to be removed from the sub-group of DPAs, breaking, by the DPA, communication links between the DPA and all DPAs in the sub-group, wherein responsive to the breaking, the DPA enters a standby state.