Method of sharing data in a heterogeneous computer system

• US 5,758,125 A
• Filed: 12/28/1995
• Issued: 05/26/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cufer Asset Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Newframe Corporation Limited
• Inventors: Misinai, Tsvi, Kremer, Arie, Alazraki, Shmuel, Rothschild, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US08/579,721
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 395/500, 395/512, 395/183.04, 395/183.05, 395/527, 395/200.08, 395/200.09, 395/200.13, 395/200.14, 395/200.15, 395/200.16, 395/200.17 , 395/200.18, 395/200.19, 395/200.2, 395/474, 395/475, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 703/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0626 Reducing size or complexity of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105

Abstract

Heterogeneous computer systems are computer systems with different storage architectures, computer systems with different central processing units (CPUs), computer systems with different disk organization methods, computer systems with different access methods, computer systems that use different controller interfaces etc. These systems share data so that every one of the said computer systems can access the data independently, not relying on services from the others. A single copy of the data is maintained, as opposed to replicated data that is used, in some cases to overcome the same needs. Every system has direct access to the shared data, through the use of emulators that enable applications on every system to use the desired interfaces to the data, disguised as the ordinary local interfaces. An example is the accessing an IBM mainframe'"'"'s DB2 data base from a UNIX environment. A special case of the above example is accessing of an IBM mainframe'"'"'s DB2 database through an Oracle-like interface in the UNIX environment. Another use could be a fast down load program that derives an Oracle fast load compatible file from DB2.

Claims

1. A method of sharing data between a first computer system operating with at least one application running therein and having a first disk organization method DOM 1 and a second computer system operating with at least one application running therein and having a second disk organization method DOM 2 and sharing a mass storage through a mass storage controller communicating with the mass storage with a third disk organization method DOM 3, said method of sharing data comprising the steps of:

(a) in an emulator in said second computer system, translating data communicated from an application running therein into DOM 2 data compatible with said second disk organization method at an interface of said second computer system and reconstructing DOM 2 data received at said interface of said second computer system into data compatible with said application running in said second computer system;

(b) communicating DOM 2 data between said interface of said second computer system and said mass storage controller and, in an emulator of said mass storage controller, translating DOM 2 data received from said interface of said second computer system into DOM 3 data compatible with said mass storage at one interface of said mass storage controller and reconstructing DOM 3 data received at said one interface from said mass storage into DOM 2 data supplied to said interface of said second computer system;

(c) communicating DOM 3 data from said one interface to said mass storage and DOM 3 data from said mass storage to said one interface;

(d) communicating DOM 3 data from another interface of said mass storage controller to said mass storage and DOM 3 data from said mass storage to said other interface; and

(e) in another emulator of said mass storage controller, translating DOM 1 data, compatible with said first disk organization method and received from an interface of said first computer system in which said one application runs with said DOM 1 data, into DOM 3 data which is supplied to said other interface of said mass storage controller and reconstructing DOM 1 data from DOM 3 data received from said other interface into DOM 1 data which is fed to said interface of said first computer system.

3. The method defined in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said one of said computer systems is a mainframe computer system and the other of said computer systems is a Unix machine.

4. The method defined in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said shared data is a data base.

5. The method defined in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said one of said computer systems is a UNIX machine and the other of said computer systems is another UNIX machine.

6. The method defined in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising providing data locking operable from at least one of said computer systems in said mass storage.

7. The method defined in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising the step of enabling only one of said computer systems to write shared data into said mass storage.

8. The method defined in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising enabling only computers of one type to write shared data into said mass storage.

10. The architecture of claim 7 wherein said mass storage has a shared cache memory.

11. The architecture defined in claim 7 wherein said mass storage controller has a shared locking program.

12. The architecture defined in claim 7 wherein the data shared by said computer systems is a data base.

13. The architecture defined in claim 12 wherein said data base is DB2.

14. The architecture defined in claim 12 wherein said data base is IMS.

15. The architecture defined in claim 12 wherein said data base is ADABAS.

16. The architecture defined in claim 12 wherein said data base is VSAM.

2. A method of sharing data between heterogeneous computer systems in which a first computer system operating with at least one application running therein and having a first disk organization method DOM 1 and a second computer system operating with at least one application running therein and having a second disk organization method DOM 2 and sharing a mass storage through a mass storage controller communicating with the mass storage with a third disk organization method DOM 3, said method of sharing data comprising the steps of:

(a) in an emulator in one of said second computer system and said mass storage controller, translating data communicated from an application running in said second computer system from DOM 2 data compatible with said second disk organization method into DOM 3 data compatible with said mass storage and reconstructing DOM 3 data received from said mass storage into DOM 2 data for said application running in said second computer system;

(b) communicating DOM 3 data from one interface of said mass storage controller communicating with said emulator to said mass storage and DOM 3 data from said mass storage to said one interface;

(c) communicating DOM 3 data from another interface of said mass storage controller to said mass storage and DOM 3 data from said mass storage to said other interface; and

(d) in another emulator in said mass storage controller translating DOM 1 data, compatible with said first disk organization method and received from an interface of said first computer system in which said one application runs with said DOM 1 data, into DOM 3 data which is supplied to said other interface of said mass storage controller and reconstructing DOM 1 data from DOM 3 data received from said other interface into DOM 1 data which is fed to said interface of said first computer system.

9. A heterogeneous computer architecture with data sharing comprising:

a first computer system operating with at least one application running therein and having a first disk organization method DOM 1 and a first interface;

a second computer system operating with at least one application running therein and having a second disk organization method DOM 2, and a second interface;

a mass storage shared with said first and second computer systems;

a mass storage controller communicating with the mass storage and connected to said first and second interfaces and supporting a third disk organization method DOM 3 used by the secondary storage;

an emulator in said second computer system translating data communicated from an application running therein into DOM 2 data compatible with said second disk organization method at said second interface and reconstructing DOM 2 data received at said second interface compatible with said application running in said second computer system;

means for communicating DOM 2 data between said second interface and said mass storage controller;

a first emulator of said mass storage controller translating DOM 2 data received from said second interface into DOM 3 data compatible with said mass storage at a third interface of said mass storage controller and reconstructing DOM 3 data received at said third interface from said mass storage into DOM 2 data supplied to said second interface;

means for communicating DOM 3 data from said third interface to said mass storage and DOM 3 data from said mass storage to said third interface;

means for communicating DOM 3 data from a fourth interface of said mass storage controller to said mass storage and DOM 3 data from said mass storage to said fourth interface; and

in a second emulator of said mass storage controller translating DOM 1 data, compatible with said first disk organization method and received from said first interface in which said one application runs with said DOM 1 data, into DOM 3 data which is supplied to said fourth interface and reconstructing DOM 1 data from DOM 3 data received from said fourth interface into DOM 1 data which is fed to said first interface of said first computer system.