Task control manager

• US 4,800,521 A
• Filed: 09/21/1982
• Issued: 01/24/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Federico, Anthony M., Carter, Jeff C., Comparetta, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Zache, Raulfe B.
• Application Number:
  US06/420,994
• Time in Patent Office: 2,317 Days
• Field of Search: 355/14 C, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine

Abstract

A multiprocessor control for a machine including a first executing portion communicating with a first processor and a second executing portion communicating with a second processor. The processors execute a plurality of tasks with each of said tasks residing in one or the other of the processors. Each of the tasks is executed in one or the other of the processors and each of the tasks comprises a block of instructions. A plurality of tasks are operated on by providing a start instruction for the execution of tasks, identifying a first task to be started by said start instruction, initiating the execution of the first task by the start instruction, identifying a second task to be started by the start instruction, and initiating the execution of the second task by the start instruction before the execution of the first task is complete.

Claims

1. In a multiprocessor control for controlling a machine, the control comprising Directives, an operating system, a memory portions of said memory being allocated for operating system information, and a plurality of processors, said operating system including Instruction Modules, said Instruction Modules decoding said Directives and communicating with said processors, the control executing a plurality of tasks, said tasks being blocks of instructions for controlling said machine, aid tasks residing in at least one of said processors, said tasks being executed by at least one of said processors, the method of control of said machine including the steps of

(1) involing a task for execution,

(2) allocating operating system memory locations for said task,

(3) inserting in said memory locations information related to said task,

(4) determining the processor in which the task resides,

(5) sending a request to the processor wherein the invoked task resides, and

(6) initiating task execution in response to a Directive, said Directive in turn invoking an Instruction Module.

2. The method of claim 1 including the steps of invoking another task for execution, determining the processor in which said another task resides, and initiating the execution of said another task.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said task has a last instruction and including the step of executing a portion of said another task before the execution of the last instruction of said task.

3. In a multiprocessor control for controlling a machine, the control comprising an operating system having

a first operating portion and a second operating portion,

a first processor communicating with the first operating portion, and

a second processor communicating with the second operating portion,

the control executing a plurality of tasks, each of said tasks residing in at least one of the processors, and each of the tasks being executed in at least one of the processors, each of the tasks comprising instructions for performing a portion of the control if said machine, one of said instructions being a start instruction, the method of executing said plurality of tasks comprising the steps of

(1) decoding a first start instruction,

(2) identifying a first task to be started in response to said first start instruction,

(3) initiating the execution of the first task,

(4) identifying a second task to be started in response to decoding a second start instruction, and

(5) initiating the execution of the second task before the execution of all of the instructions of the first task.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a given instruction of the first task is being responded to and including the step of suspending the initiation of the execution of the second task until said given instruction of the first task being responded to is completed.

5. The method of claim 3 including the steps of alternately suspending the execution of the first task to execute a portion of the second tasks and suspending the execution of the second task to execute a portion of the first task, whereby the tasks are executed in a concurrent manner.