US 11811582

Patent Overview: US11811582B2 — "Cluster computing"

Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/[US11811582](/patent/US11811582)/en

Bibliographic data (as supplied): Title, "Cluster computing." Current and original assignee, Advanced Cluster Systems Inc. Inventors, Zvi Tannenbaum and Dean E. Dauger. Priority date, 2006-06-13. Filing date, 2023-01-23 (application US18/158,283). Publication date, 2023-11-07. Status, Active; anticipated expiration 2027-05-04. Classifications include G06F9/5072 (grid computing), G06F15/76, G06F9/54, and H04L41/04.

Purpose: The disclosure addresses cluster computing and, in particular, systems and methods for adding cluster computing functionality to a computer program. Many application programs are not designed to benefit from clusters even when running on nodes that could act as one; some run on a single node because they are coded serially or designed to recognize only a single node. The disclosure notes software packages whose "kernel" (interpreter) is designed to communicate with a single node, citing Mathematica® as an example.

Plain-language scope: Embodiments adapt a software module designed for a single node (such as a Mathematica kernel) to support cluster computing without access to source code, providing parallelization for an application program. One embodiment describes a cluster with first, second, and third processors and kernels, plus cluster node modules that send commands to their respective kernels and communicate with one another; the first cluster node module stores, in a data structure, messages originating from the other modules. Another embodiment includes a user interface and single-node kernel, with a cluster node module that accepts and interprets instructions, appears as a single-node kernel to the user interface, and includes a toolkit implementing MPI calls and high-level cluster commands. Nodes may include Macs, Windows PCs, and Unix/Linux workstations.

What the excerpt does not establish: It does not provide the full claims, complete specification, detailed description, or drawings; the quoted text is explicitly excerpted and omits material. It also does not establish prosecution history, claim construction, or the content of any prior art.