US 8,572,611 B2Granted

Managing conflicts between multiple users accessing a computer system having shared resources assigned to one or more logical partitions and one or more appliance partitions

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsCurtis S. Eide, Aditya Kumar, Steven E. Vaughan, Bradley J. Vette, Kevin Wendzel

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Abstract

A management system for managing computer resources assigned by a hypervisor to one or more logical partitions and/or one or more appliance partitions in a multi-user computer system receives login information from a new user logging into the computer system through a service interface (e.g. a hardware management console) or a non-service interface, builds a conflict list, and sends the conflict list for presentation to the new user. The new user is notified of any users that are logged into any part of the computer system that could conflict with the new user's actions. Such users may be logged into the computer system through service and/or non-service interfaces. In one embodiment, the new user can choose to continue logging in irrespective of any conflicts shown. After choosing to continue, the new user is preferably requested to input an end-time. This end-time may be displayed, in turn, to all subsequent users that log into any part of the computer system that could cause conflict. The management system is preferably a component of the hypervisor.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A computer system, comprising:

at least one processor;
a memory coupled to the at least one processor;
a hypervisor executed by one or more of the at least one processor, wherein the hypervisor assigns computer resources of the computer system to at least one of one or more logical partitions and one or more appliance partitions, and wherein the hypervisor controls access to the computer resources;
a management system executed by one or more of the at least one processor,
wherein the management system receives login information from a new user who is logging into the computer system through a first interface, wherein, upon being logged into the computer system, the new user will have access to a logical partition to which is assigned at least one shared resource or to which is assigned a logical device associated with at least one shared resource, and wherein each shared resource is one of the computer resources,
wherein the management system builds a conflict list of one or more users, each who is currently logged into the computer system though a respective interface and having access to a respective logical partition to which is assigned one or more of the at least one shared resource or to which is assigned a logical device associated with one or more of the at least one shared resource, wherein each of the one or more of the at least one shared resource presents a possibility of conflict between a respective user currently logged into the computer system and the new user as a result of shared ownership of that shared resource, wherein the management system builds the conflict list by:
checking if any user is currently logged into the computer system through a service interface, and adding an entry to the conflict list for each user currently logged into the computer system through a corresponding service interface;
and
checking if any user is currently logged into the computer system through a non-service interface, checking to determine, for each user currently logged into the computer system through a corresponding non-service interface, if that user has access to a respective logical partition to which is assigned one or more of the at least one shared resource or to which is assigned a logical device associated with one or more of the at least one shared resource, and adding an entry to the conflict list for each user currently logged into the computer system through the corresponding non-service interface and having said access, and
wherein the management system sends the conflict list for presentation to the new user.

7 more elements

A computer-implemented method of managing computer resources assigned by a hypervisor to at least one of one or more logical partitions and one or more appliance partitions in a multi-user computer system, comprising the steps of:

receiving login information from a new user who is logging into the computer system through a first interface, wherein, upon being logged into the computer system, the new user will have access to a logical partition to which is assigned at least one shared resource or to which is assigned a logical device associated with at least one shared resource, and wherein each shared resource is one of the computer resources,
building a conflict list of one or more users, each who is currently logged into the computer system though a respective interface and having access to a respective logical partition to which is assigned one or more of the at least one shared resource or to which is assigned a logical device associated with one or more of the at least one shared resource, wherein each of the one or more of the at least one shared resource presents a possibility of conflict between a respective user currently logged into the computer system and the new user as a result of shared ownership of that shared resource, wherein the management system builds the conflict list by:
checking if any user is currently logged into the computer system through a service interface, and adding an entry to the conflict list for each user currently logged into the computer system through a corresponding service interface;
and
checking if any user is currently logged into the computer system through a non-service interface, checking to determine, for each user currently logged into the computer system through a corresponding non-service interface, if that user has access to a respective logical partition to which is assigned one or more of the at least one shared resource or to which is assigned a logical device associated with one or more of the at least one shared resource, and adding an entry to the conflict list for each user currently logged into the computer system through the corresponding non-service interface and having said access, and
sending the conflict list for presentation to the new user.

3 more elements

A computer program product for managing computer resources assigned by a hypervisor to at least one of one or more logical partitions and one or more appliance partitions in a multi-user computer system, comprising:

a plurality of executable instructions provided on a non-transitory computer-readable media comprising a recordable type media, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by at least one processor in a digital computing device, cause the digital computing device to perform the steps of:
receiving login information from a new user who is logging into the computer system through a first interface, wherein, upon being logged into the computer system, the new user will have access to a logical partition to which is assigned at least one shared resource or to which is assigned a logical device associated with at least one shared resource, and wherein each shared resource is one of the computer resources,
building a conflict list of one or more users, each who is currently logged into the computer system though a respective interface and having access to a respective logical partition to which is assigned one or more of the at least one shared resource or to which is assigned a logical device associated with one or more of the at least one shared resource, wherein each of the one or more of the at least one shared resource presents a possibility of conflict between a respective user currently logged into the computer system and the new user as a result of shared ownership of that shared resource, wherein the management system builds the conflict list by:
checking if any user is currently logged into the computer system through a service interface, and adding an entry to the conflict list for each user currently logged into the computer system through a corresponding service interface;
and
checking if any user is currently logged into the computer system through a non-service interface, checking to determine, for each user currently logged into the computer system through a corresponding non-service interface, if that user has access to a respective logical partition to which is assigned one or more of the at least one shared resource or to which is assigned a logical device associated with one or more of the at least one shared resource, and adding an entry to the conflict list for each user currently logged into the computer system through the corresponding non-service interface and having said access, and
sending the conflict list for presentation to the new user.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/716,413Filed 3 Mar 2010
Published: US 2011/0219371 A18 Sep 2011
Granted: 29 Oct 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G06F 9/455
Arrangements for executing specific programs: emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or…
G06F 9/45558
Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors: hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
G06F 9/46
Using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs: multiprogramming arrangements
G06F 9/5077
Partitioning or combining of resources: logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources

Family

US 2011/0219371 A1Pre-grant publication · published 8 Sep 2011
US 8,572,611 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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