Patent ID: 7299466

Claim:
A computer implemented method for managing execution of work in a networked multi-processor computing environment in which work is distributed between multiple processors, comprising: a work management layer receiving a work request, said work request specifying a first job, said first job comprising a first task, wherein said first task has a parent-child relationship with said first job such that said first task is a child of said first job, said work request further indicating an association between said first job and a first workspace definition, wherein said first workspace definition defines a first execution environment for use in executing said first job, said first execution environment comprising a working directory in which information generated by executing said first job may be stored, said work request comprising no explicit directive to execute said first task using said first execution environment; wherein said first job comprises an aggregation of executable commands and wherein said first task comprises at least one of said executable commands; wherein relationships among jobs and tasks are specified in a corresponding work request by a job aggregation hierarchy; wherein said first execution environment comprises runtime resources available for use by a plurality of processors independent of a respective operating system controlling each respective processor of said plurality of processors; said work management layer interpreting said work request to automatically determine, based at least in part on said first task and said first job being hierarchically related in said job aggregation hierarchy specified in said work request, that said first task, as a result of being a child of said first job, inherits said association with said first workspace definition and should be executed using said first execution environment; said work management layer causing said first execution environment to be created on one or more first computers; and said work management layer causing a distributed resource management application to cause execution of said first task using said first execution environment.