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US 6,311,217 B1Granted
Method and apparatus for improved cluster administration
AssigneeCompaq Computer Corporation
InventorsEarly David Ehlinger, Mark F. Fletcher
Life of this patent
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AssigneeCompaq Computer Corporation
InventorsEarly David Ehlinger, Mark F. Fletcher
Estimating the term…
A cluster administration system that is capable of handling a cluster having one or more computing devices. The number of computing devices that may be included in a cluster is limited only by practical considerations rather than software or hardware limitations. A cluster administration system may include a cluster of computing devices, one of the computing devices being an owner. The cluster further includes a resource. Direct access to the resource by the computing devices is controlled by the owner of the cluster. The cluster administration system also includes an arbiter. The arbiter and the cluster are in communication with each other and a network, the cluster providing the network with access to the storage device. The arbiter controls the admission of new computing devices to the cluster when the owner of the cluster is incapable of admitting the new computing device. Having the arbiter outside the cluster provides greater reliability. The arbiter is not affected by failures within the cluster. One or more of the computing devices of the cluster may fail, but the administration of the cluster is not affected. The functions of the arbiter may also be distributed among several independent computing devices which can hand off the primary duties of the arbiter should one or more of the independent computing devices fail to satisfactorily perform the duties of arbitration.
A cluster of computing devices comprising:
A cluster administration system comprising:
A method of administering a cluster of computing devices, the cluster including a plurality of computing devices and a resource, the plurality of computing devices having direct access to the resource, wherein one of the plurality of computing devices is an owner of the resource, the owner controlling direct access to the resource by the other computing devices of the plurality of computing devices, the cluster of computing devices providing a network with access to the resource, the method comprising:
A computer program product for administering a cluster of computing devices, the cluster of computing devices including a plurality of computing devices and a resource, the plurality of computing devices having direct access to the resource, wherein one of the plurality of computing devices is an owner of the resource, the owner controlling direct access to the resource by the other computing devices of the plurality of computing devices, the cluster of computing devices providing a network with access to the resource, the computer program product comprising:
A computer program product for administering a cluster of computing devices, the cluster of computing devices including a plurality of computing devices and a resource, the plurality of computing devices having direct access to the resource, wherein one of the plurality of computing devices is an owner of the resource, the owner controlling the direct access to the resource by the other computing devices of the plurality of computing devices, the cluster of computing devices providing a network with access to the resource, the computer program product comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.