Method and apparatus for scheduling the execution of multiple processing tasks in a computer system

• US 4,642,756 A
• Filed: 03/15/1985
• Issued: 02/10/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Associated Business Consultants Incorporated
• Original Assignee: S & H Computer Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Sherrod, Phillip H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zache, Raulfe B.
• Application Number:
  US06/712,137
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 364/300
• US Class Current: 718/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues

Abstract

A task schedular for scheduling the execution of a plurality of tasks within a computer system. The task scheduler utilizes a combination of externally assigned priorities and internally calculated priorities to optimize the responsiveness of the computer to external interactions.

Claims

1. In a computer system comprising a memory for storing a plurality of computer programs for processing user queries to said computer system and a CPU for executing said stored programs, a method for selecting the order in which said programs are executed by said CPU, said method comprising the steps of:

examining each of said user queries to determine which of said queries can be processed in a short period of time and which of said queries require a longer period of time to process; and

giving precedence to said user queries which can be processed in a short period of time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of examining each of said user queries includes the step of selecting a first time parameter which distinguishes between user queries which require a short period of time to process and user queries which require a longer period of time to process.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of giving precedent to said user queries which can be processed in a short period of time includes the step of interrupting a longer user query currently being processed by said CPU to process a shorter user query.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of giving precedent to said user query which can be processed in a short period of time includes the steps of:

assigning to each of said user queries a predetermined external priority of processing;

assigning to each of said user queries an internal priority of processing dependent on said predetermined external priority and the status of each query; and

selecting for processing by said CPU the query with the highest said internal priority.