Optimizing virtual graphics processing unit utilization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9733963-B2
Application number	US-88513210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2010
Priority date	Sep 17, 2010
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for optimizing virtual graphics processing unit utilization. Embodiments include assigning a computing intensity level to each virtual machine of a plurality of virtual machines; assigning a priority level to each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines; determining for each server of a plurality of servers whether the server includes a virtual graphics processing unit (VGPU) that is available to perform compute intensive tasks for the plurality of virtual machines; and assigning one or more VGPUs to a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines in dependence upon the computing intensity level and the priority level of the virtual machine and the number of VGPUs available to perform the compute intensive tasks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions that when executed by the computer processor cause the apparatus to carry out steps of:
assigning a computing intensity level to each virtual machine of a plurality of virtual machines, wherein the computing intensity level for each virtual machine is based on a ranking of a number of computing intensive tasks of each virtual machine relative to the number of computing intensive tasks of each of other virtual machines in the plurality of virtual machines;
assigning a priority level to each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines;
prior to moving each of the plurality of virtual machines to one of a plurality of servers for execution, determining that each of the plurality of servers includes a virtual graphics processing unit (VGPU) that is available to perform compute intensive tasks for the plurality of virtual machines including receiving, from each of the plurality of servers, information indicating available resources at the server, examining the available resources for the VGPU, and determining a workload of the VGPU; and
moving each of the plurality of virtual machines to one of the plurality of servers for execution including assigning one of the VGPUs of the plurality of servers to a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines in dependence upon the computing intensity level and the priority level of the virtual machine and a number of VGPUs available to perform the compute intensive tasks.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the priority level of the particular virtual machine indicates an importance of a workload of the particular virtual machine relative to a workload of other virtual machines.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein assigning one VGPUs to a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines in dependence upon the computing intensity level and the priority level of the virtual machine and the number of VGPUs available to perform the compute intensive tasks further comprises selecting a virtual machine with a priority level above a first predetermined threshold and compute intensity below a second predetermined threshold.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising preferentially assigning the VGPU to the selected virtual machine.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the VGPUs are assigned in further dependence upon a speed CPU and memory size of the plurality of servers.

6. A computer program product for optimizing virtual graphics processing unit utilization, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a signal, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable, when executed, of causing a computer to carry out steps of:
assigning a computing intensity level to each virtual machine of a plurality of virtual machines, wherein the computing intensity level for each virtual machine is based on a ranking of a number of computing intensive tasks of each virtual machine relative to the number of computing intensive tasks of each of other virtual machines in the plurality of virtual machines;
assigning a priority level to each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines;
prior to moving each of the plurality of virtual machines to one of a plurality of servers for execution, determining that each of a plurality of servers includes a virtual graphics processing unit (VGPU) that is available to perform compute intensive tasks for the plurality of virtual machines including receiving, from each of the plurality of servers, information indicating available resources at the server, examining the available resources for the VGPU, and determining a workload of the VGPU; and
moving each of the plurality of virtual machines to one of the plurality of servers for execution including assigning one of the VGPUs of the plurality of servers to a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines in dependence upon the computing intensity level and the priority level of the virtual machine and a number of VGPUs available to perform the compute intensive tasks.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein the priority level of the particular virtual machine indicates an importance of a workload of the particular virtual machine.

8. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein assigning one or more VGPUs to a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines in dependence upon the computing intensity level and the priority level of the virtual machine and the number of VGPUs available to perform the compute intensive tasks further comprises selecting a virtual machine with a priority level above a first predetermined threshold and compute intensity below a second predetermined threshold.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , further comprising preferentially assigning the VGPU to the selected virtual machine.

10. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein the VGPUs are assigned in further dependence upon a speed CPU and memory size of the plurality of servers.

Assignees

• Hansson Nils P
• Suffern Edward S
• Wooldridge James L
• Lenovo Entpr Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Hansson Nils P
• Suffern Edward S
• Wooldridge James L

Classifications

• G09G2370/022

  Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally · CPC title

• G09G5/363

  Graphics controllers · CPC title

• G06T1/20

  Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining · CPC title

• G06F2009/4557

  Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing · CPC title

• G06F9/45558 Primary

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title