System for and method of uniform synchronization between multiple kernels running on single computer systems with multiple CPUs installed

• US 20090158299A1
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Exit-Cube Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Exit-Cube Incorporated
• Inventors: Carter, Ernst B.
• Application Number:
  US12/290,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158299A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

The present invention allocates resources in a multi-operating system computing system, thereby avoiding bottlenecks and other degradations that result from competition for limited resources. In one embodiment, a computer system includes resources and multiple processors executing multiple operating systems that provide access to the resources. The resources include printers, disk controllers, memory, network controllers, and other often-accessed resources. Each operating system contains a kernel scheduler. Together, the multiple kernel schedulers are configured to coordinate allocating the resources to processes executing on the computer system.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

multiple resources; and

a memory containing multiple operating systems each containing a kernel scheduler, wherein the multiple kernel schedulers are configured to coordinate allocating the resources to processes executing on the computer system.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising multiple central processing units each executing on a different one of the multiple central processing units.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the multiple resources comprise any two or more of a keyboard controller, a video controller, an audio controller, a network controller, a disk controller, a universal serial bus controller, and a printer.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the multiple kernel schedulers are configured to share resource-related information using a communications protocol.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the communications protocol is configured to access a shared memory.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the communications protocol comprises interprocess communication or protocol stacks.

7. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the communications protocol comprises Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.

8. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the communications protocol comprises accessing semaphores, pipes, signals, message queues, pointers to data, and file descriptors.

9. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the processes comprise at least three processes communicating with each other.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein each of the multiple kernel schedulers comprises a relationship manager for coordinating allocating the resources.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein each of the multiple relationship managers comprises a resource manager configured to determine resource information about one or more of the multiple resources.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the resource information comprises an estimated time until a resource becomes available.

13. A computer system comprising:

a memory containing a kernel scheduler and multiple operating system kernels configured to access multiple resources, wherein the kernel scheduler is configured to assign a process requesting a resource from the multiple resources to a corresponding one of the multiple operating system kernels.

14. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising multiple processors each executing a corresponding one of the multiple operating systems.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the kernel scheduler schedules processes on the multiple operating system kernels based on loads on the multiple processors.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the resources comprise any two or more of a keyboard controller, a video controller, an audio controller, a network controller, a disk controller, a universal serial bus controller, and a printer.

17. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising a process table that matches a request for a resource with one or more of the multiple operating system kernels.

18. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising communications channels between pairs of the multiple operating system kernels.

19. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the multiple operating system kernels are configured to exchange information about processor load, resource availability, and estimated times for resources to become available.

20. A kernel scheduling system comprising:

multiple processors, each executing an operating system kernel and configured to access one or more resources; and

an assignment module programmed to match a process requesting a resource and to dispatch the process to one of the multiple operating system kernels capable of accessing the resource.

21. The kernel scheduling system of claim 20, wherein each of the multiple processors is controlled by a corresponding processor scheduler.

22. A method of assigning a resource to an operating system kernel comprising:

selecting an operating system kernel from among multiple operating system kernels based on its ability to access the resource; and

assigning the process to the selected operating system kernel.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the multiple operating system kernels all execute within a single memory.

24. A method of sharing process execution among first and second operating systems on a memory of a single computer system comprising:

executing a process within the memory under control of the first operating system; and

transferring control of first process to a second operating system within the memory, thereby executing first process within the memory under the control of the second operating system.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein executing the process under control of the first and second operating systems both access a single resource.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising exchanging process information between the first and second operating systems using one of shared memory, inter-process communication, and semaphores.