Metadata management for scalable process location and migration
A method for metadata management for scalable processes, involving creating a process by a first home processor, wherein the process is associated with a process identification (ID), storing the processor ID and information identifying the first home processor in a global process look-up data structure (GPLD), requesting metadata associated with the process, searching the GPLD to obtain the first home processor of the process using the process ID, and retrieving the metadata associated with the process from the first home processor.
1. A method for metadata management for scalable processes, comprising:
creating and executing a process by a first home processor, wherein the process is associated with a process identification (ID);
storing the process ID and information identifying the first home processor in a nearest physically located global process look-up data structure (GPLD) selected from a plurality of GPLDs, wherein the nearest physically located GPLD is shared among a plurality of home processors;
requesting metadata associated with the process;
searching the nearest physically located GPLD to obtain the first home processor of the process using the process ID;
retrieving the metadata associated with the process from the first home processor;
migrating the process from the first home processor to a second home processor, wherein the process is executed on the second home processor; and
updating the nearest physically located GPLD, after the migration of the process to the second home processor, to indicate that the process is associated with the second home processor.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining the process ID for the process.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein obtaining the process ID for the process comprises determining the next sequential process ID using the one of the plurality of GPLDs.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
modifying the process to obtain a modified process; and
updating the metadata associated with the modified process by the first home processor.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein retrieving the metadata associated with the process from the first home process comprises following a pointer stored in the first home processor.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of information associated with a lifetime of the process, a virtual-to-physical memory mapping for the process, and a pointer to a checkpoint associated with the process.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information identifying the first home processor is a reference to the first home processor.
8. A computer system for metadata management for scalable processes, comprising:
a processor;
a memory;
a storage device; and
software instructions stored in the memory for enabling the computer system under control of the processor, to:
create and execute a process by a first home processor, wherein the process is associated with a process identification (ID);
store the process ID and information identifying the first home processor in a nearest physically located global process look-up data structure (GPLD) selected from a plurality of GPLDs, wherein the nearest physically located GPLD is shared among a plurality of home processors;
request metadata associated with the process;
search the nearest physically located GPLD to obtain the first home processor of the process using the process ID;
retrieving the metadata associated with the process from the first home processor;
migrating the process from the first home processor to a second home processor, wherein the process is executed on the second home processor; and
updating the nearest physically located GPLD, after the migration of the process to the second home processor, to indicate that the process is associated with the second home processor.