Kernel event subscription and publication system and method

• US 20040064759A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: McGuire, Cynthia, Gilliam, Jerry
• Granted Patent: US 7,028,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/543 Local
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space

Abstract

An event subscription and publication system for dynamically notifying user level applications of kernel level events. The kernel level events may include hardware and software events as well as system level errors that occur in the kernel. User level applications that need information on these kernel level events subscribe to the event monitoring and publication framework of the present invention and are notified of these kernel level events when they occur. Upon notification of an event, the user application also is provided with specific information classifying the nature and details of the event. The kernel event monitoring and publication system of the present invention allows user level applications to be dynamically notified of kernel level events without requiring the user level application to interrupt the normal processing states to identify these events when the events occur.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory storage unit;

an operating system comprising a kernel, said kernel comprising a kernel system event monitoring and publishing system for detecting and reporting kernel system events in said kernel;

a plurality of subscribing user application programs communicatively coupled to said kernel to subscribe to receive said kernel system events; and

an event subscription module for enabling said user applications programs to subscribe to said kernel system events.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising an event notification module for notifying said plurality of subscribing user application programs on the occurrence of said kernel system events.

3. The computer system of claim 2, further comprising an event publication module for publishing the occurrence of said kernel system events to said plurality of subscribing user application programs.

4. The computer system of claim 3, further comprising a system daemon for accepting event objects from the kernel.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said system daemon is multi-threaded to allow per-client event dispatching to said plurality of subscribing user application programs.

6. The computer system of claim 3, further comprising a system event queue for storing event occurrences generated by said kernel.

7. The computer system of claim 6, further comprising a system event buffer for storing a plurality of system event data, each representing a specific system event occurrence in said kernel.

8. The computer system of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of programmable system loadable modules for performing a dynamic add-on event notification and publication for said plurality of subscribing user application programs.

9. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said system daemon comprises a system signal handling thread for controlling the operations of said system daemon.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein said system daemon further comprises an event dispatching thread for selectively dispatching system events to a corresponding ones of said plurality of subscribing user application programs as said events occur.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said system daemon further comprises an event completion thread for releasing event queues by said kernel after said plurality of subscribing user application programs have completed processing said events.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein said system daemon further comprises an event delivery thread for delivering said kernel system events to each of said plurality of subscribing user applications programs as said events occur.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein said kernel system events comprise kernel level hardware events.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said kernel system events further comprise kernel level software events.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein said kernel system events further comprise kernel level system errors and faults.

16. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said event subscription module comprises event disabling logic for disabling delivery of system event notifications according to a plurality of user application program'"'"'s event type list.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein said event subscription module further comprises system event unbinding logic for closing connections between said plurality of user application programs and a system event daemon to free up system event handles previously allocated to particular ones of said user application programs.

18. A computer operating system comprising:

a kernel comprising a plurality of subsystems; and

a system event monitoring and notification system for monitoring and notifying user application programs subscribing to said kernel regarding the occurrence of kernel level system events.

19. The computer operating system of claim 18, wherein said system event monitoring and notification system comprises an event publication logic for publishing occurrence of said kernel level system events to said user application programs subscribing to said kernel level system events.

20. The computer operating system of claim 19, wherein said system event monitoring and notification system further comprises event data logic for storing event specific information regarding said kernel level system events.

21. The computer operating system of claim 18, wherein said system event monitoring and notification system comprises a programmable system event loadable module for performing dynamic add-on event notification and publication for said user application programs.

22. The computer operating system of claim 18, wherein said system event monitoring and notification system further comprises a system daemon for accepting of event objects from the kernel.

23. The computer operating system of claim 22, wherein said system daemon is multi-threaded to allow per-client event dispatching to said subscribing user application programs

24. The computer operating system of claim 23, wherein said system event monitoring and notification system further comprises a system event queue for tracking system event buffers in said kernel.

25. The computer operating system of claim 24, wherein said kernel system event monitoring and notification system further comprises system event post event logic for enabling user applications to directly publish kernel level events from the computer operating system.

26. The computer operating system of claim 21, wherein said kernel system event monitoring and notification system further comprises a set of application interfaces for extracting event data representing said kernel level system events from said kernel.

27. In an operating system, a kernel event publication system, comprising:

a kernel;

a system event notification module for notifying user application programs of kernel level system events;

a plurality of kernel drivers;

a kernel system event log;

a kernel system event buffer;

a system daemon; and

a plurality of system event loadable modules.

28. The kernel event publication system of claim 27, further comprising a system event configuration file for enabling user level applications and users to specify applications and scripts to be invoked in response to particular system events.

29. The kernel event publication system of claim 28, further comprising a system event configuration daemon for controlling the operations of said event configuration file.

30. The kernel event publication system of claim 29, further comprising system event detection logic for detecting system events occurrences in said kernel.

31. The kernel event publication system of claim 30, further comprising a system event post event logic for enabling said user level applications to generate said system events.

32. The kernel event publication system of claim 31, wherein said system daemon comprises a system signal handling thread for controlling the operations of said system daemon.

33. The kernel event publication system of claim 32, wherein said system daemon further comprises an event dispatching thread for selectively dispatching said system events to said user level applications as said system events occur.

34. The kernel event publication system of claim 33, wherein said system daemon further comprises an event completion thread for releasing event queues by said kernel after said user level applications have completed processing said system events.

35. In a computer system, a computer implemented kernel event publication system comprising:

kernel event detection logic for detecting kernel events subscribed by user application programs in the computer system;

kernel event publication logic for publishing the occurrence to said kernel events to said user application programs; and

kernel event dispatching logic for dispatching kernel data associated with said kernel events to said user application programs subscribing to said kernel events.

36. A system as described in claim 35 wherein said kernel event publication logic further comprises event queuing logic for queuing said kernel events in event buffers designated for each of said user application programs subscribing to said kernel events.

37. A system as described in claim 36 wherein said kernel events define changes in hardware configurations to a kernel in said computer system.

38. A system as described in claim 37 wherein said kernel events also define changes in software configurations to said kernel.

39. A system as described in claim 38 wherein said kernel events also define errors occurring in said kernel.

40. A method of publishing system kernel level events of a computer operating system to user level applications, said method comprising:

defining a set of kernel level events for monitoring;

subscribing user level applications to said kernel level events;

detecting the occurrence of kernel level events; and

publishing said kernel level events to said user level applications.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein said publishing said kernel level events comprises determining event specific characteristics defining said kernel level events.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said publishing said kernel level events further comprises invoking a kernel system call to an event system queue to extract respective event specific information of each of said kernel level events.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said publishing said kernel level events further comprises buffering said event specific information prior to delivering said event specific information to said user level applications.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein said event specific information comprises a unique identifier defining the user level applications designated to receive said kernel level events.