Method and apparatus for providing portable kernel-mode support for fast interprocess communication

• US 6,157,959 A
• Filed: 07/03/1997
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tantau Software, Inc. (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Tandem Computers Incorporated (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Klein, Ulrich, Mauria, Harri, Bonham, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/887,758
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 395/712, 395/527, 709/1, 709/100, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/226, 709/250, 709/300, 709/301, 709/303, 709/304, 709/230, 709/236, 709/237, 709/302
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing kernel mode support for fast IPC between a client process and a server process. A client application accesses a kernel mode of an operating system via a device driver or similar method. The client creates an abstract "resource" data type and derives a client port therefrom. The client port references a call structure containing object call data. The call is transported via a transport agent to the server. The server accesses the kernel mode of the operating system and creates a resource data type and a server port derived from the resource type. The server awaits calls from the clients using the server port. When a call arrives, the server port extracts the data from the call structure and performs the requested service. The server port then transmits a response back to the client. The use of the abstract resource data type permits portability across different operating systems and platforms.

Claims

1. A method for performing an interprocess object call between a client process residing in a memory of a client computer and a server process residing in a memory of a server computer, the method comprising the steps of:

accessing a kernel mode of a client operating system of a first type residing in the client computer memory;

creating a resource within the kernel mode of the client operating system of the first type;

creating a client port derived from the resource;

creating a call referenced by the client port; and

sending the call to the server computer;

accessing a kernel mode of a server operating system of a second type residing in the server computer memory, wherein the first type is different from the second type;

creating a resource within the kernel mode of the server operating system of the second type;

creating a server port derived from the resource;

receiving data stored in the call using the server port.

3. The method for performing an interprocess object call, as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

accessing a kernel mode of a server operating system of a second type residing in the server computer memory;

creating a resource within the kernel mode of the server operating system of the second type;

creating a server port queue derived from a data structure of the resource;

creating at least one server port derived from the resource;

attaching the at least one server port to the server port queue; and

receiving data stored in the call using the at least one server port.

4. The method for performing an interprocess object call, as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of accessing the kernel mode of the client operating system of the first type further comprises the step of translating user mode functions into kernel mode functions.

5. The method for performing an interprocess object call, as recited in claim 4, wherein the step of translating user mode functions into kernel mode functions is performed by a device driver.

6. The method for performing an interprocess object call, as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing a capsule table in the client memory for holding a list of client capsules;

storing a resource table in the client memory for holding a list of client ports.

7. The method for performing an interprocess object call, as recited in claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

storing a capsule table in the server memory for holding a list of server capsules; and

storing a resource table in the server memory for holding a list of server ports.

8. The method for performing an interprocess object call, as recited in claim 3, further comprising the step of responding to the client process.

2. A method for performing an interprocess object call between a client process residing in a memory of a client computer and a server process residing in a memory of a server computer, the method comprising the steps of:

accessing a kernel mode of a client operating system of a first type residing in the client computer memory;

creating a resource within the kernel mode;

creating a client port derived from the resource;

creating a datagram message requesting data, the datagram message including a site identifier;

sending the datagram to the server computer;

accessing a kernel mode of a server operating system of a second type residing in the server computer memory;

creating a resource within the kernel mode;

creating a server port derived from the resource; and

sending the requested data to the client based upon the site identifier.

9. An apparatus for performing an interprocess object call between a client process residing in a memory of a client computer and a server process residing in a memory of a server computer, the apparatus comprising:

means for accessing a kernel mode of a client operating system of a first type residing in the client computer memory;

means for creating a resource within the kernel mode;

means for creating a client port derived from the resource;

means for creating a call referenced by the client port;

means for sending the call to the server computer;

means for accessing a kernel mode of a server operating system of a second type residing in the server computer memory;

means for creating a resource within the kernel mode of the server operating system;

means for creating a server port derived from the resource; and

means for receiving data stored in the call using the server port.

10. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon instructions which when executed, cause at least one computer to perform interprocess object calls between processes of heterogeneous operating systems, the interprocess object calls comprising:

causing the client computer to access a kernel mode of a client operating system of a first type residing in the client computer;

causing the client computer to create a resource within the kernel mode;

causing the client computer to create a client port derived from the resource;

causing the client computer to create a cal referenced by the client port; and

causing the client computer to send the call to the server computer.

11. The computer program product, as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

causing the client computer to access a kernel mode of a server operating system of a second type residing in the server computer memory;

causing the client computer to create a resource within the kernel mode of the server operating system of the second type;

causing the client computer to create a server port derived from the resource; and

causing the client computer to receive data stored in the call using the server port.