System and method for dynamic resource access in an asymmetric resource multiple processor computer system

• US 6,058,414 A
• Filed: 01/07/1998
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ramanathan, Jayashree, Manikundalam, Ravindranath Kasinath
• Primary Examiner(s): Banankhah, Majid A.
• Application Number:
  US09/004,135
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 709/100, 709/101, 709/103, 709/104, 709/107
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities

Abstract

A system, method and program product enabling applications to be dynamically bound to resources as required by an application. Resource access exceptions are intercepted and, where access is authorized, cause the application to be bound to one of a plurality of processors linked in an asymmetric multiple processor configuration which has access to the resource required. If access is not permitted, an error is generated. Applications may invoke operating system application programming interfaces to register requirements for access to particular resources and to receive operating system feedback on resource assignment conflicts and potential processor thrashing situations. The operating system maintains a list of mapping processors to resources and manages the authorization of resource access by applications. Application processes are dynamically bound to a particular processor as necessary to meet resource requirements. Upon completion of access, the application process is unbound from the processor enabling it to bind to other processors as required for resource access or processor work load balancing.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically binding an executable process to a processor that has physical access to a resource in a computer system having two or more processors and a plurality of resources physically accessible from less than all of said processors, the system including a memory area for storing a mapping of resources to processors having access to those resources;

means for intercepting an executable application process request for access to a resource;

means for dynamically binding said executable application process to a processor having access to a resource according to said stored mapping.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the resource is an input/output device.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for receiving an executable application process request for access to a resource.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising:

means for verifying access authority before dynamically binding said executable application process to a processor.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second memory area for storing application resource registrations;

means for registering in said second memory area, a list of resources required by an executable application;

means for deregistering in said second memory area when said application no longer requires access to a resource.

6. A method for dynamically assigning an executable application process to a computer processor in an asymmetric multiple processor computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining an association of resources with processors having access to those resources;

intercepting unsuccessful resource access attempts by an executable application process;

testing to determine whether said application process is permitted access to said resource;

binding said application process to a processor identified by the processor to resource association to enable continued execution if said process is permitted access.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

removing the binding of the application process to the processor when application access is terminated.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

registering a set of application process resource requirements with an operating system.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising notifying an application program when application process resource conflicts exist.

10. A computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for dynamically assigning an executable application process to a processor in an asymmetric multiple processor system, the computer program product comprising:

computer program product means for storing a mapping of resources to processors having access to those resources;

computer program product means for intercepting an executable application process request for access to a resource; and

computer program product means for dynamically binding said executable application process to a processor having access to said resource according to said stored mapping.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the resource requested is an input/output device.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

computer program product means for receiving an executable application process request for access to a resource.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

computer program product means for verifying access authority before dynamically binding said executable application process to a processor.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

computer program product means for registering in a second memory area, a list of resources required by an executable application;

computer program product means for deregistering in said second memory area when said application no longer requires access to a resource.