Patent ID: 6658448
Filing Date: 2003-12-02
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
In a multi-processor system the combination comprising:an operating system; a plurality of CPUs coupled to said operating system for performing processes initiated thereby; a user interface including a GUI for displaying associations between said CPUs and said processes; a process manager coupled to said user interface and said operating system for creating associations of processes and CPUs in response to inputs from said user interface; said process manager including an affinity module responsive to said user interface for defining logical groupings of said CPUs, hereinafter affinity groups, and for also providing an associated affinity mask for each affinity group indicating the one or more CPUs included in its respective group; said process manager also including a rules module responsive to said user interface for providing user-changeable processor-association rules for assigning infinity groups to processes such that, when a process is initiated during operation of said system, a selected affinity mask will automatically be assigned to the process so as to cause execution of the process by CPUs in the affinity group associated with the selected affinity mask, said rules also providing that no two CPUs will be assigned to the same process simultaneously.