Criticality and quality of service (QoS) based resource management

A method for managing a resource, wherein the resource executes executing sessions, wherein the resource has a resource capacity constraint, wherein the resource receives an arriving session, wherein each of the executing sessions has a QoS and a criticality level, wherein the arriving session has a QoS and a criticality level, and wherein the method comprises the following steps:

• a) shrinking the QoS's of the executing sessions and of the QoS of the arriving session;
• b1) admitting the arriving session without preemption if the executing sessions and the arriving session do not exceed the resource capacity constraint of the resource;
• b2) if the arriving session, and the executing sessions having criticality levels higher than the criticality level of the arriving session, do not exceed the resource capacity constraint of the resource, but the arriving session and all executing sessions exceed the resource capacity constraint of the resource, preempting, as necessary, the executing sessions which have criticality levels that are lower than the criticality level of the arriving session;
• b3) denying admission of the arriving session if the arriving session, and all of the executing sessions having criticality levels higher than the criticality level of the arriving session, exceed the resource capacity constraint of the resource;
• and,
• c) expanding the QoS of sessions remaining following steps b1), b2), and b3).

A system comprising:

• a plurality of resources;
• an operating system, wherein the operating system is arranged to operate the resources;
• a plurality of resource schedulers, wherein each resource scheduler schedules access to a corresponding resource;
• and,
• a resource manager, wherein the resource manager receives resource capacity constraints from the resource schedulers, wherein the resource manager manages the resources in order to execute sessions within the resource capacity constraints, and wherein the resource manager sits on top of the operating system.

A method of initiating on-line QoS negotiation and adaptation by a user comprising the following steps:

• a) specifying a criticality level for a session;
• b) specifying a timing requirement for the session;
• c) specifying a QoS for the session;
• and,
• d) after partial execution of the session, respecifying at least one of the criticality level, the timing requirement, and the QoS for the session.