MULTIPROCESSING SYSTEM WITH AUTOMATED PROPAGATION OF CHANGES TO CENTRALLY MAINTAINED CONFIGURATION SETTINGS

In a multiprocessing system, hierarchically superior configuration managers maintain profiles of operating characteristics to which subordinate managed units selectively subscribe. If the profiles or operating characteristics change, the configuration managers propagate the changes to all managed units. Each configuration manager stores a record of operating characteristics and multiple server profiles, each profile specifying one or more operating characteristics. A subscription list identifies one or more managed units, each associated with one or more server profiles. Each managed unit acts according to its current operating characteristics, stored locally at the managed unit. If the managed unit receives a profile subscription request from a system administrator, the managed unit sends a subscription message to the configuration manager to subscribe to that input profile. Receiving the subscription, the configuration manager enters the subscribing managed unit and the associated profile into the subscription list, and returns the profiled operating characteristics to the subscribing managed unit. The subscribing managed unit stores these operating characteristics in its record of current operating characteristics. If there is a change to the operating characteristics (or to the profiles), the configuration manager transmits the changed matter to all managed units with affected subscriptions. Upon receipt of this data, each subscribing managed units stores the changed operating characteristics in its record of current operating characteristics.