Patent ID: 6711616
Filing Date: 2004-03-23
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
A computer-implemented method for distributing by a server data processing system a plurality of tasks for execution amongst a plurality of client data processing systems having different sets of resource characteristics, each task including one or more subtasks, and each subtask having one or more resource requirements, comprising:establishing respective allocation-portions of a total of a resource provided by the clients for a plurality of classes of tasks; tracking present levels of usage of the resource by the classes of tasks; prioritizing subtasks as a function of the present levels of usage of the resource by the classes of tasks and the respective allocation portions of the total of the resource, thereby establishing relative priorities of the subtasks; in each of the clients, requesting from the server a subtask upon occurrence of a first event; and in the server in response to a request from a client, selecting a selected subtask for execution by the client as a function of the resource requirements of the subtask, the resource characteristics of the client, and the relative priorities of the subtasks.