Server-processor hybrid system for processing data
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to a server-processor hybrid system that comprises (among other things) a set (one or more) of front-end servers (e.g., mainframes) and a set of back-end application optimized processors. Moreover, implementations of the invention provide a server and processor hybrid system and method for distributing and managing the execution of applications at a fine-grained level via an I/O-connected hybrid system. This method allows one system to be used to manage and control the system functions, and one or more other systems to co-processor.
1. A server-processor hybrid system for processing data, comprising:
a set of front-end servers configured to receive the data from an external source;
a set of back-end application optimized processors configured to receive the data from the set of front-end servers, process the data, and return processed data to the set of front-end servers, each of the set of back-end application optimized processors comprising:
a power processing element (PPE);
an element interconnect bus (EIB) coupled to the PPE; and
a set of special purpose engines (SPEs) coupled to the EIB, wherein the set of front-end servers performs a specific processor selection function in order to select one of the set of SPEs to process the data;
a staging storage device configured to store the received data prior to the set of back-end application optimized processors processing the data;
a processed data storage device, separate from the staging storage device, configured to store the processed data from the set of back-end application optimized processors; and
an interface within at least one of the set of front-end servers having a set of network interconnects, the interface connecting the set of front-end servers with the set of back-end application optimized processors, the interface configured to:
communicate the data received from the external source, from the set of front-end servers to the set of back-end application optimized processors by selectively invoking a push model or a pull model, and
communicate the processed data from at least one of the processed data storage device and the back-end application optimized processors, to the set of front-end servers by selectively invoking the push model or the pull model,
wherein the push model is selectively invoked when the data to be transmitted: has a predefined length, has a latency bound, or is smaller than a predefined Push Threshold (PT), and
the pull model is selectively invoked when the data to be transmitted: is a stream, does not have a predefined length, exceeds the predefined PT, or does not have a latency bound.
2. The front-end server-processor hybrid system of claim 1 , the interface being an input/output (I/O) cage.
3. The front-end server-processor hybrid system of claim 1 , the interface being embodied on each of the set of front-end servers.
4. The front-end server-processor hybrid system of claim 1 , further comprising a web content server, portal, an application, an application accelerator and a database accelerator.
5. The server-processor hybrid system of claim 1 , wherein the interface is further configured to:
send a control message across a control path that is separate from a path across which the data received from the external source and the processed data are sent,
wherein a first connection ID is required for the control path and a second connection ID is required for the path across which the data received from the external source and the processed data are sent.
6. The server-processor hybrid system of claim 1 , wherein the interface is further configured to:
send a control message across a same path across which the data received from the external source and the processed data are sent,
wherein a single connection ID is used for both the control message and the data.