Multiple software-facility component operating system for co-operative processor control within a multiprocessor computer system

• US 6,065,037 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 05/16/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Auspex Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Schwartz, Allan, Hitz, David, Lau, James, Harris, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): TOPLU, LUCIEN
• Application Number:
  US08/473,244
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: 395/680, 395/684, 395/677, 395/200.2, 395/200.15, 709/100, 709/300, 709/107, 709/226, 709/200
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

This is achieved in a computer system employing a multiple facility operating system architecture. The computer system includes a plurality of processor units for implementing a predetermined set of peer-level facilities wherein each peer-level facility includes a plurality of related functions and a communications bus for interconnecting the processor units. Each of the processor units includes a central processor and the stored program that, upon execution, provides for the implementation of a predetermined peer-level facility of the predetermined set of peer-level facilities, and for performing a multi-tasking interface function. The multi-tasking interface function is responsive to control messages for selecting for execution functions of the predetermined peer-level facility and that is responsive to the predetermined peer-level facility for providing control messages to request or to respond to the performance of functions of another peer-level facility of the computer system. The multi-tasking interface functions of each of the plurality of processor units communicate among one another via the network bus.

Claims

1. A computer system employing a multiple facility operating system architecture, said computer system comprising:

a) a plurality of processor units provided to co-operatively execute a predetermined set of operating system peer-level facilities, wherein each said processor units is associated with a respective different one of said operating system peer-level facilities and not another of said operating system peer level facilities, and wherein each of said operating system peer-level facilities constitutes a respective separately executed software entity which includes a respective distinct set of peer-level facility related functions, each said processor unit including;

i) a processor capable of executing a control program; and

ii) a memory store capable of storing said control program, said processor being coupled to said memory store to obtain access to said control program,

said memory store providing for the storage of a first control program portion that includes a one of said respective distinct sets of operating system peer-level facility related functions and that corresponds to a one of said predetermined operating system peer-level facilities, and a second control program portion that provides for the implementation of a multi-tasking interface function, said multi-tasking interface function being responsive to control messages for selecting for execution a one of said peer-level facility related functions of said one of said predetermined operating system peer-level facilities and responsive to said one of said predetermined operating system peer-level facilities for providing control messages to request or in response to the performance of said predetermined peer-level facility related functions of another operating system peer-level facility; and

b) a communications bus that provides for the interconnection of said plurality of processor units, said communications bus transferring said control messages between the multi-tasking interface functions of said predetermined set of operating system peer-level facilities.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein a first one of said predetermined set of operating system peer-level facilities includes a network communications facility and a second one includes a filesystem facility.

3. The computer system of claim 2 wherein said network communications facility is coupled to a network to permit the receipt of network requests, said network communications facility providing for the identification of a predetermined filesystem type network request, said multi-tasking interface function of said network communications facility being responsive to said predetermined filesystem type network request to provide a predetermined control message to said filesystem facility to request the performance of a predetermined filesystem function.

4. The computer system of claim 3 further comprising a data store that provides for the storage of data, said predetermined filesystem type network request directing said network communications facility to transfer predetermined data with respect to said network, said data store being coupled to said network communications facility for storing said predetermined data.

5. The computer system of claim 3 or 4 wherein said predetermined set of peer-level facilities further includes a storage facility and wherein said filesystem facility provides for the performance of said predetermined filesystem function, said multi-tasking interface function of said filesystem facility being responsive to said filesystem facility to provide control messages to said storage facility to request the performance of a predetermined storage access function.

6. The computer system of claim 5 wherein said predetermined storage access function directs said storage facility to transfer said predetermined data, said data store being coupled to said storage facility for storing said predetermined data.

14. The computer system of claim 1, wherein one of the processor units in said plurality of processor units is provided further to execute a further operating system peer-level facility not in said predetermined set of operating system peer-level facilities.

7. A computer system implementing a co-operative facility based operating system architecture, said computer system comprising:

a) a plurality of processors, each being coupled to a respective control program store and a respective data store, said plurality of processors being interconnected by a communications bus; and

b) a multiple facility operating system having a kernel and providing for the message based co-operative operation of said plurality of processors, said multiple facility operating system providing for the operating system internal execution of a plurality of operating system peer-level facilities by execution of each of said peer-level facilities by a respective different one of said plurality of processors, each of said peer-level facilities constituting a respective software entity executed separately from said kernel, wherein each of said plurality of facilities implements a multi-tasking interface coupleable between said communications bus and a respective and unique peer-level control function set to permit message transfer between each of said plurality of facilities.

8. The computer system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of facilities includes a network facility and a filesystem utility, wherein said network facility includes a communications network peer-level control function coupled between a first multi-tasking interface and a network interface and said filesystem facility includes a data storage peer-level control function coupled between a second multi-tasking interface and a filesystem.

9. The computer system of claim 8 wherein said network facility is coupled through said network interface to a communications network, wherein said network facility is responsive to a predetermined network filesystem message received via said network interface to provide a predetermined filesystem message, and wherein said filesystem facility is responsive to said predetermined filesystem message to transfer data with respect to said filesystem.

10. The computer system of claim 9 further comprising a common data store, said network facility providing for the transfer of data between said network interface and said data store, said filesystem facility providing for the transfer of data between said data store and said filesystem, said communications network peer-level control function directing a message to said filesystem peer-level control function identifying a predetermined location of data in said data store with respect to said predetermined filesystem message.

15. The computer system of claim 7, wherein said multiple facility operating system provides further for the operating system internal execution of a further operating system peer-level facility not in said plurality of operating system peer-level facilities, by execution of said further peer level facility by one of the processors in said plurality of processors.

16. The computer system of claim 7, wherein said kernel is a Unix kernel.

11. A computer system employing a multiple facility operating system to provide for co-operative operation of a plurality of processors,

wherein said operating system includes a kernel and a plurality of additional component facilities executed separately from said kernel, each of said component facilities including a facility sub-component, that defines the execution operation of a one of said component facilities, coupled to a multi-tasking interface sub-component,

wherein said computer system comprises:

a) a plurality of processors executing said operating system, each of said processors including local memory for the storage and execution of a respective component facility;

b) a data memory accessible by each of said processors for the storage and retrieval of data blocks exchangeable between said processors; and

c) a communications bus coupling said processors and said data memory to permit the exchange of control messages between said processors and data through said data memory,

and wherein said processors each implement a respective different local sub-set of fewer than all of said component facilities that depends through the exchange of control messages on the execution of another sub-set of said componentized facilities by another of said processors to co-operatively implement said operating system.

12. The computer system of claim 11 wherein control messages communicate any of a facility sub-component function request, a facility sub-component function response, and a facility sub-component identifier of a memory space within said data memory to use in connection with said sub-component function request.

13. The computer system of claim 12 wherein said plurality of component facilities includes a network facility and a filesystem facility, wherein a network facility sub-component is executed by a first processor to process network requests and data transfers and a filesystem facility sub-component is executed by a second processor to process filesystem requests and data transfers derivative of said network requests and data transfers.

17. The computer system of claim 11, wherein said kernel is a Unix kernel.