US 9,753,773 B1Granted

Performance-based multi-mode task dispatching in a multi-processor core system for extreme temperature avoidance

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsMatthew G. Borlick, Lokesh M. Gupta, Trung N. Nguyen

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Abstract

In one embodiment of multi-mode task dispatching for extreme temperature avoidance, a performance-based dispatching mode includes a heating sub-mode in which heat generating non-system workload tasks are dispatched to idle processor cores of a set of available processor cores to raise the temperature of processing cores receiving a heat generating task. The heating sub-mode is entered if a multi-processor core temperature such as the ambient temperature of a CPU complex, for example, is below a sub-mode temperature threshold value. In this manner, the ambient temperature of the CPU complex may be prevented from reaching or maintaining a level which causes the CPU complex to fully or partially shut down due to low temperatures. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

a plurality of processor cores;
and
multi-mode task dispatching logic configured to dispatch tasks to processor cores of the plurality of processor cores in a selected one of a plurality of modes, the multi-mode task dispatching logic including set selection logic configured to select at least a portion of the plurality of processor as available to receive a dispatched task to define a first set of available processor cores, wherein the plurality of modes includes a performance-based dispatching mode in which tasks are dispatched to processor cores of the first set of available processor cores for processing primarily as a function of system performance in the performance-based dispatching mode, and a thermal-based dispatching mode in which tasks are dispatched to processor cores of the first set of available processor cores primarily as a function of processor core temperatures in the thermal-based dispatching mode, the multi-mode task dispatching logic further including:
temperature monitoring logic configured to monitor a multi-processor core temperature which is a function of temperatures of at least a portion of the plurality of the processor cores of the system;
comparator logic configured to be responsive to the temperature monitoring logic, and to compare a multi-processor core temperature to a sub-mode temperature threshold value;
and
mode selection logic configured to be responsive to the comparator and to select a sub-mode of the performance-based dispatching mode of the multi-mode task dispatching logic as a function of temperature of processor cores, wherein the mode selection logic is further configured to, if the multi-processor core temperature is below a sub-mode temperature threshold value, select a heating sub-mode of the performance-based dispatching mode and switch to the heating sub-mode of the performance-based dispatching mode of the multi-mode task dispatching logic so that heat-generating non-system workload tasks are dispatched to idle processor cores of the first set of available processor cores for processing by processor cores in the first set of processor cores to raise the temperature of processing cores receiving a heat generating task;
wherein the processing of heat-generating non-system workload tasks includes processing of pseudo data generated primarily to heat a processor core;
and
wherein the multi-processor core temperature is a temperature value that includes a monitored temperature with respect to all the processor cores.

7 more elements

A method, comprising:

selecting a plurality of processor cores of a multi-processor core system, as available to receive a dispatched task to define a first set of available processor cores in which each processor core of the first set of processor cores is selected as available to receive a dispatched task;
dispatching system workload tasks to the first set of available processor cores for processing by the processor cores in the first set of processor cores in a selected one of a plurality of modes, wherein the plurality of modes includes a performance-based dispatching mode in which tasks are dispatched to processor cores of the first set of available processor cores for processing primarily as a function of system performance in the performance-based dispatching mode, and a thermal-based dispatching mode in which tasks are dispatched to processor cores of the first set of available processor cores primarily as a function of processor core temperatures in the thermal-based dispatching mode;
monitoring a multi-processor core temperature which is a function of temperatures of a plurality of processor cores of the multi-processor core system;
comparing the multi-processor core temperature to a sub-mode temperature threshold value;
and
if the multi-processor core temperature is below a sub-mode temperature threshold value, switching to a heating sub-mode of the performance-based dispatching mode which includes dispatching a heat generating non-system workload task to idle processor cores of the first set of processor cores for processing by processor cores in the first set of processor cores to raise the temperature of processing cores receiving a heat generating task;
wherein the processing of heat-generating non-system workload tasks includes processing of pseudo data generated primarily to heat a processor core;
and
wherein the multi-processor core temperature is a temperature value that includes a monitored temperature with respect to all the processor cores.

6 more elements

A computer program product for use in a computer system having a processor comprising a plurality of processor cores, a storage drive and a storage control unit configured to control read operations from and write operations to the storage drive, wherein the computer program product comprises a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor of the computer system to cause processor operations, the processor operations comprising:

selecting a plurality of processor cores of a multi-processor core system, as available to receive a dispatched task to define a first set of available processor cores in which each processor core of the first set of processor cores is selected as available to receive a dispatched task;
dispatching system workload tasks to the first set of available processor cores for processing by the processor cores in the first set of processor cores in a selected one of a plurality of modes, wherein the plurality of modes includes a performance-based dispatching mode in which tasks are dispatched to processor cores of the first set of available processor cores for processing primarily as a function of system performance in the performance-based dispatching mode, and a thermal-based dispatching mode in which tasks are dispatched to processor cores of the first set of available processor cores primarily as a function of processor core temperatures in the thermal-based dispatching mode;
monitoring a multi-processor core temperature which is a function of temperatures of a plurality of processor cores of the multi-processor core system;
comparing the multi-processor core temperature to a sub-mode temperature threshold value;
and
if the multi-processor core temperature is below a first sub-mode temperature threshold value, switching to a heating sub-mode of the performance-based dispatching mode which includes dispatching a heat generating non-system workload task to idle processor cores of the first set of processor cores for processing by processor cores in the first set of processor cores to raise the temperature of processing cores receiving a heat generating task;
wherein the processing of heat-generating non-system workload tasks includes processing of pseudo data generated primarily to heat a processor core;
and
wherein the multi-processor core temperature is a temperature value that includes a monitored temperature with respect to all the processor cores.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.