INCORPORATING STATE MACHINE CONTROLS INTO EXISTING NON-STATE MACHINE ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20090217238A1
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tomaselli, R. Timothy, Errickson, Richard K., Houston, John S., Verdibello, Ambrose A. JR., Helmer, Leonard W. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,225,280 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/110
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/548 Queue
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

A computer program product for incorporating state machine controls into existing non-state machine environments includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes determining a state machine representation for an existing environment, assigning state indicators to each state of the state machine, transcoding existing software flags of the environment into modifier values associated with the state indicators, assigning state values based on the modifier values and the state indicators, assigning event identifiers for transitions from the state values, and creating a tabular representation of the determined state machine, the tabular representation providing next state information based on the event identifiers and the state values.

Claims

1. A computer program product for incorporating state machine controls into existing non-state machine environments, the computer program product comprising:

a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

determining a state machine representation for an existing environment;

assigning state indicators to each state of the state machine;

transcoding existing software flags of the environment into modifier values associated with the state indicators;

assigning state values based on the modifier values and the state indicators;

assigning event identifiers for transitions from the state values; and

creating a tabular representation of the determined state machine, the tabular representation providing next state information based on the event identifiers and the state values.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

retrieving a state indicator and state modifier mask;

determining a state value based on the state indicator and state modifier mask; and

determining a next state value based on the current state value and an event.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the state modifier mask includes modifier values.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein determining the state value includes combining the state indicator and the modifier mask.

5. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein determining the next state value includes indexing a value from the tabular representation using the state value and the event.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein transcoding existing software flags includes assigning modifier values to each existing software flag and organizing the modifier values.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein assigning state values includes combining the modifier values and state indicators.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein assigning state values includes combining the modifier values and state indicators.

9. A multitasking multiprocessor environment, the environment comprising:

a plurality of processors configured to execute portions of existing software and a method of incorporating state machine control into the existing software, the method comprising;

determining a state machine representation for the environment;

assigning state indicators to each state of the state machine;

transcoding existing software flags of the environment into modifier values associated with the state indicators;

assigning state values based on the modifier values and the state indicators;

assigning event identifiers for transitions from the state values; and

creating a tabular representation of the determined state machine, the tabular representation providing next state information based on the event identifiers and the state values.

10. A method for incorporating state machine controls into existing non-state machine environments, the method comprising:

determining a state machine representation for an existing environment;

assigning state indicators to each state of the state machine;

transcoding existing software flags of the environment into modifier values for the state indicators;

assigning state values based on the modifier values and the state indicators;

assigning event identifiers for transitions from the state values; and

creating a tabular representation of the determined state machine, the tabular representation providing next state information based on the event identifiers and the state values.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

retrieving a state indicator and state modifier mask;

determining a state value based on the state indicator and state modifier mask; and

determining a next state value based on the current state value and an event.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the state modifier mask includes modifier values.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the state value includes combining the state indicator and the modifier mask.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the next state value includes indexing a value from the tabular representation using the state value and the event.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein transcoding existing software flags includes assigning modifier values to each existing software flag and organizing the modifier values.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein assigning state values includes combining the modifier values and state indicators.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein assigning state values includes combining the modifier values and state indicators.