An interesting story over at The Register talks about Google's new Omega cluster management software which will replace the current Borg software in the near future. The topic is one that many are likely familiar with from Science Fiction and biology; emergent behaviour in complex systems. It seems that 10,000 servers Omega controls are displaying even more than Borg did, with opportunistic usage of resources for tasks based on priority, run time and the processing power required to complete the tasks. This behaviour was not specifically programmed, it has come about thanks to some overarching rules which has lead to unexpected benefits. There are links to Google papers in the article if you wish to dig deeper into this topic.
""Emergent" behaviors have been appearing in prototypes of Google's Omega cluster management and application scheduling technology since its inception, and similar behaviors are regularly glimpsed in its "Borg" predecessor, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to The Register."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- WTF is … 802.15.4e? @ The Register
- Motorola's Project Ara Builds On Open Hardware Success, One Phoneblok at a Time @ Linux.com
- NZXT Phantom 530 Red Chassis + Respire T20 CPU Cooler Giveaway @ eTeknix
Interesting article! I must
Interesting article! I must say I find it funny how they act like if they discovered the wheel, OK chaos arise from complex systems, nothing new really.
And I think you can only stretch so far the comparison with biology. they say “Just as biology emerges from the laws of chemistry; ants give rise to ant colonies” Well there is that… and 3.8 BILLION years of evolution 😀
Thanks for reporting that though, interesting read