System and method for providing execute-in-place functionality

• US 20080127221A1
• Filed: 04/04/2006
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Otte, Carsten, Weigand, Ulrich
• Granted Patent: US 7,506,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44573 Execute-in-place [XIP]

Abstract

The present invention discloses an operating system which provides a new and inventive system and method for implementing the execute-in-place functionality.

The operating system provides the following new and inventive function components for implementing the execute-in-place functionality:

• a file system direct-access interface between the memory/file manager and the at least one file system driver, wherein the file system direct-access interface provides the functionality to retrieve the system memory address of the contents of a specified file at a specified offset, where the file resides on said memory-addressed device,
• a device direct-access interface between the at least one file system driver and the at least one device driver providing access to said at least one memory-addressed device, wherein the device direct-access interface provides the functionality to retrieve the system memory address of a specified block of at least one memory-addressed device,
• wherein the execute-in-place functionality is provided by the memory/file manager, the at least one file system driver, and the at least one device driver providing access to the at least one memory-addressed device by using the file system direct-access interface and the device direct-access interface.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A method for automatically providing an execute-in-place functionality by a system, wherein said system accepts a request for accessing a file by an application program and decides whether or nor to use the execute-in-place functionality for accessing said file, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

determining a file system holding said file;

determining whether a file system driver managing said file system provides a file system direct-access interface;

in response to determining that said file system driver provides said file system direct-access interface;

using execute-in-place functionality if said file system driver; and

determining a device on which said file resides;

determining whether a device driver managing said device provides a device direct-access interface;

using execute-in-place in response to determining that said device driver provides said device direct-access interface;

determining whether said file system is configured to enable execute-in-place functionality; and

using said file system direct-access interface to provide said execute-in-place functionality.

10. A computer program product stored in the internal memory of a digital computer, containing parts of software code to execute the method in accordance with claim 9 if the product is run on the computer.