The Grand CRU Challenge

One of the main objectives of any cluster management system is the maximization of cluster resource utilization (CRU). In this paper, we argue that there is a dilemma underlying the challenge of maximizing CRU, as soon as network resources enter the picture. In contrast to local resources which can be handled in a more isolated fashion, global network resources are namely shared, and their allocation is intertwined with that of local resources. For effective resource management, either applications thus have to learn more about the infrastructure, or the resource manager has to understand application semantics -- both options violate the separation of applications from the underlying infrastructure strived for by resource managers. This paper makes the case for a resource management system that addresses the dilemma, and presents first ideas.