Automatic client/server translation and execution of non-native applications

• US 6,363,409 B1
• Filed: 04/24/1995
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hart, David L., Ramakrishna, Nanduri R. V.
• Primary Examiner(s): COURTENAY III, ST JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/427,949
• Time in Patent Office: 2,528 Days
• Field of Search: 395/700, 395/375, 709/300-305, 709/1, 709/310-332, 709/100-108
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

A system for client/server translation and execution of non-native applications. Service requests within non-native (e.g. 16-bit) applications are translated to call 32-bit equivalents within a native (e.g 32-bit) operating system. Both non-native and native server process share a library providing native program services. As a result of this translation, non-native applications are integrated into the native operating system, and can communicate and pass data to other non-native applications, and other native applications executing within the native client/server operating system.

Claims

1. In a computer system that includes a processor, an M-bit operating system, and a memory device coupled to the processor and accessible by said operating system, the operating system including an operating system sublayer, a method of running plural windowed N-bit application programs, each such windowed N-bit application program running in a separate virtual machine, N being less than M, the method comprising:

providing in the operating system sublayer of the M-bit operating system a shared M-bit application program services library; and

providing N-bit to M-bit application program services stubs located in each of the virtual machines running an N-bit application, each N-bit to M-bit application program services stub communicating application program service requests and returns between said N-bit application and the shared M-bit application program services library;

wherein a plurality of N-bit applications, each running in a separate virtual machine containing separate N-bit to M-bit application program services stubs, can be provided application program services through the shared M-bit application program services library in the sublayer of the operating system.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the shared M-bit application program services library is a library of graphics device interface functions, wherein use of said shared library facilitates simultaneous display of data from a plurality of applications.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the shared M-bit application program services library is a library of functions supporting object linking and embedding between applications, wherein use of said shared library facilitates object linking and embedding between pairs of applications, at least one of which is an N-bit application.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the shared M-bit application program services library is a library of user interface functions.

5. The method of claim 1 which includes, for each of plural of said virtual machines:

loading, onto a stack, data relating to a service requested by the N-bit application program;

invoking an operating system service to identify an M-bit counterpart of said requested service by reference to the data loaded onto the stack; and

performing the identified M-bit counterpart service.

6. The method of claim 1 which further includes providing in each virtual machine running an N-bit application, a limited library of N-bit operating system services that can be invoked independently of the shared M-bit application program services library.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the services in said limited library of N-bit operating system services has a counterpart service in the shared M-bit application program services library, and wherein requests by an N-bit application program for any of these services in said limited library is trapped by the handler corresponding thereto and is not communicated to the shared M-bit application program services library.

8. The method of claim 6 which includes compiling M-bit code for each of the services in said limited library of services, providing an assembly language output, and transforming the assembly language output to obtain N-bit code corresponding thereto.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said sharing of the M-bit application program services library avoids the need to emulate an operating system in each virtual machine.

10. In a computer system that includes at least one processor and an M-bit operating system, a method of concurrently running plural N-bit programs, N being less than M, comprising:

providing plural virtual machines;

providing plural first subsets of N-bit fully emulated operating system functions that do not access M-bit operating system functions in a library, one subset contained in each of the virtual machines;

providing a single second subset of N-bit to M-bit operating system function invoking stubs that access shared M-bit operating system functions in a library;

providing shared access to the single second subset of operating system functions from each of said plural virtual machines;

running a first N-bit program in a first virtual machine associated therewith; and

running a second N-bit program in a second virtual machine associated therewith;

wherein each N-bit program running in a separate associated virtual machine obtains some operating system services from the first subset of N-bit functions contained in the associated virtual machine, and obtains other operating system services from the single second subset of N-bit to M-bit operating system function invoking stubs that access the shared M-bit functions in the library.

11. The method of claim 10 in which the second subset of functions includes user interface services not included in the first subsets.

12. The method of claim 10 in which the second subset of functions includes graphics device interface functions not included in the first subsets.

13. The method of claim 10 in which the second subset of functions includes dynamic data exchange functions not included in the first subsets.

14. The method of claim 10 in which the second subset of functions includes object linking and embedding functions not included in the first subsets.

15. A computer storage medium having stored thereon an operating system for performing the method of claim 10.

16. In a computer system that includes at least one processor and an M-bit operating system, a method of concurrently running plural N-bit programs, N being less than M, comprising:

providing plural virtual machines;

in each of said virtual machines, running an associated N-bit program; and

translating at least certain service requests from said N-bit programs for fulfillment by a counterpart M-bit service in an M-bit library to which said N-bit programs have shared access;

wherein translating includes loading onto a runtime stack, an N-bit service request from an N-bit program located in a virtual machine;

identifying a counterpart M-bit service therefor, and performing the counterpart services.

17. The method of claim 16 including translating user interface service requests.

18. The method of claim 16 including translating graphics device interface service requests.

19. The method of claim 16 including translating dynamic data exchange service requests.

20. The method of claim 16 including translating object linking and embedding service requests.

21. A computer storage medium having stored thereon an operating system for performing the method of claim 16.

22. A method of concurrently running plural N-bit programs in a computer, the computer running an M-bit operating system, where M is greater than N, the method including:

running first and second N-bit programs in first and second virtual machines, respectively;

providing in each virtual machine, a set of N-bit to M-bit service requesting interfaces;

receiving from the first N-bit program, multiple service requests at the N-bit to M-bit service requesting interfaces;

translating at least certain service requests received at the N-bit to M-bit service requesting interfaces from said first N-bit program for fulfillment by M-bit OLE functions; and

performing an OLE function between the first and second N-bit programs.

23. A computer storage medium having stored thereon an operating system for performing the method of claim 22.

24. In a computer system that includes at least one processor and an M-bit operating system, the M-bit operating system providing a set of M-bit functions to perform program service requests, a method of concurrently running plural N-bit programs, N being less than M, comprising:

providing plural virtual machines, each running an associated N-bit program;

in each of said virtual machines, providing a first set of N-bit functions;

intercepting a first service request from an N-bit program, said first service request having no counterpart in the M-bit operating system, and servicing the first service request from an N-bit function included in said first set;

intercepting a second service request from an N-bit program, said second service request having a counterpart in the M-bit operating system, and servicing the second service request from the counterpart in the M-bit operating system through an N-bit application program services stub; and

intercepting a third service request from an N-bit program, said third service request having a counterpart in the M-bit operating system, and servicing the third service request from an N-bit function included in said first set notwithstanding the existence of the counterpart in the M-bit operating system.

25. A computer storage medium having stored thereon an operating system for performing the method of claim 24.

26. A computer storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing a method on a computer system that includes a processor, an M-bit operating system, the operating system including an operating system sublayer, a method of running plural windowed N-bit application programs, each such windowed N-bit application program running in a separate virtual machine, N being less than M, the method comprising:

providing in the operating system sublayer of the M-bit operating system a shared M-bit application program services library; and

providing N-bit to M-bit application program services stubs located in each of the virtual machines running an N-bit application, each N-bit to M-bit application program services stub communicating application program service requests and returns between said N-bit application and the shared M-bit application program services library;

wherein a plurality of N-bit applications, each running in a separate virtual machine containing separate N-bit to M-bit application program services stubs, can be provided application program services through the shared M-bit application program services library in the sublayer of the operating system.