Method and system for effective management of client and server processes

• US 20030225870A1
• Filed: 05/28/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sandadi, Upender, Sauntry, David, Shepard, Marc, Bakin, David, Nicholson, Andrew L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods, functional components and structures are disclosed for carrying out management of client/server processes operating within separate process spaces within a computer system. The disclosed methods, functional components facilitate and carry out management of client and server processes within a computer system such that a greater degree of control can be exhibited over their execution. An active server component process maintains a list structure identifying each client process that is currently using one of the server component process'"'"'s interfaces. When a new client references a server, the list structure is augmented to include the system identification (e.g., handle) assigned by the operating system to the client process. A thread within the server process blocks while awaiting a triggering event (e.g., a client process in the list terminates). When the client process terminates, the block on the thread releases and the thread processes the change in client references. If the list of clients within the structure reaches zero, then the server process can immediately terminate.

Claims

1. A method for managing client processes and a server process referenced by the client processes, wherein the server process maintains a list including client identifications corresponding to the client processes, the method comprising:

first receiving an initial request from a client process for a service provided by the server process, and in response;

adding a client process identification corresponding to the client process to the list;

second receiving a notification that the client process has terminated, and in response;

removing the client process identification corresponding to the client process from the list; and

performing a process management operation in response to a change to the list.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the change to the list comprises removing a last client process identification, and wherein the performing a process management operation comprises initiating shutting down the server process.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the change to the list comprises adding a new client process identification, and wherein the performing a process management operation comprises enforcing a concurrent user license limitation upon the number of client processes that concurrently reference the server process.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in association with the fist receiving step, the step of:

obtaining, from an operating system, the client process identification corresponding to the client process.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the client process identification comprises a handle.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the notification that the client process has terminated comprises an event message including the handle.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the list comprises an event list including the handle corresponding to the client process.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the performing step is carried out by a thread within the server process that waits upon events identified within the event list.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the events comprise a new client process event associated with adding a new client process handle to the event list.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the events comprise a shutdown event that is triggered after all client processes release their references to the server process.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

inserting a client handler component into the client process;

issuing, by the client handler component, a message to the server process including a client process identification; and

issuing a request to the operating system for a notification message corresponding to a change in status of the client process, and in response receiving the client process identification.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

detecting that the client process has already established an interface to the server process and in response by-passing the adding step.

13. A computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions for managing client processes and a server process referenced by the client processes, wherein the server process maintains a list including client identifications corresponding to the client processes, the computer-executable instructions facilitating executing the steps of:

first receiving an initial request from a client process for a service provided by the server process, and in response;

adding a client process identification corresponding to the client process to the list;

second receiving a notification that the client process has terminated, and in response;

removing the client process identification corresponding to the client process from the list; and

performing a process management operation in response to a change to the list.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the change to the list comprises removing a last client process identification, and wherein the performing a process management operation comprises initiating shutting down the server process.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the change to the list comprises adding a new client process identification, and wherein the performing a process management operation comprises enforcing a concurrent user license limitation upon the number of client processes that concurrently reference the server process.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 further comprising computer-executable instructions facilitating executing, in association with the fist receiving step, the step of:

obtaining, from an operating system, the client process identification corresponding to the client process.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the client process identification comprises a handle.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the notification that the client process has terminated comprises an event message including the handle.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the list comprises an event list including the handle corresponding to the client process.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the performing step is carried out by a thread within the server process that waits upon events identified within the event list.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the events comprise a new client process event associated with adding a new client process handle to the event list.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the events comprise a shutdown event that is triggered after all client processes release their references to the server process.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 further comprising computer-executable instructions facilitating executing the steps of:

inserting a client handler component into the client process;

issuing, by the client handler component, a message to the server process including a client process identification; and

issuing a request to the operating system for a notification message corresponding to a change in status of the client process, and in response receiving the client process identification.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 further comprising computer-executable instructions facilitating executing the steps of:

detecting that the client process has already established an interface to the server process and in response by-passing the adding step.

25. A computer system application program execution infrastructure facilitating managing execution of client processes and a referenced server process comprising:

a server component including;

a list for storing at least client identifications corresponding to client processes;

a new client procedure for adding, to the list, a client process identification corresponding to a client process referencing the server process;

a removed client procedure for deleting, from the list, the client process identification in response to receiving a notification that the client process has terminated; and

an event processor that executes at least one process management operation in response to a change to the list.

26. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 25 wherein the change to the list comprises removing a last client process identification, and wherein the process management operation comprises initiating shutting down the referenced server process.

27. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 25 wherein the change to the list comprises adding a new client process identification, and wherein the performing at least one process management operation comprises enforcing a concurrent user license limitation upon the number of client processes that concurrently reference the server process.

28. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 25 wherein the new client procedure includes a call to an operating system to obtain the client process identification corresponding to the client process.

29. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 28 wherein the client process identification comprises a handle.

30. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 29 wherein the notification that the client process has terminated comprises an event message including the handle.

31. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 29 wherein the list comprises an event list including the handle corresponding to the client process.

32. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 31 wherein the event processor comprises a thread that waits upon events identified within the event list.

33. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 32 wherein the events comprise a new client process event associated with adding a new client process handle to the event list.

34. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 32 wherein the events comprise a shutdown event that is triggered after all client processes release their references to the server process.

35. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 25 further comprising:

a server/client set-up procedure for inserting a client handler component into the client process, and wherein the client handler includes a call to an interface of the referenced server process providing a client process identification to the referenced server process, and

wherein the server component includes a call requesting the operating system for a notification message corresponding to a change in status of the client process, and in response receiving the client process identification.

36. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 25 further comprising a client proxy incorporated into the client process and a server stub incorporated into the referenced server process facilitating communication between the client process and referenced server process.

37. The computer system application program execution infrastructure of claim 25 wherein the client process and the referenced server process reside upon a single local computer.