Processor Virualization and Migration for PVM
Steve W. Otto · 1994
This paper presents an algorithm for scheduling parallel applications in large-scale, multi-user, heterogeneous distributed systems. The approach is primarily targeted at systems that harvest idle cycles in general-purpose workstation networks, but is also applicable to clustered computer systems and massively parallel processors. The algorithm handles unequal processor capacities, multiple architecture types and dynamic variations in the number of processes and available processors. Scheduling decisions are driven by the desire to minimize turn around time while maintaining fairness among competing applications. For efficiency, the virtual processors (VPs) of each application are gang scheduled on some subset of the available physical processors. Scheduling, distributed systems, heterogeneity, process migration, concurrent processing, idle cycle stealing.