Methods and apparatuses for controlling the execution of software on a digital processing system

• US 6,425,093 B1
• Filed: 01/04/1999
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sophisticated Circuits, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sophisticated Circuits, Inc.
• Inventors: Feinstein, Jonathan, Elmore, Richard, Singh, Amar
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoleil, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bonzo, Bryce P.
• Application Number:
  US09/225,172
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 714/48, 714/49, 714/55, 714/23, 714/38, 714/51
• US Class Current: 714/38.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/076 by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for controlling the operation of a digital processing system. In one example of a method of the invention, a first status indicator is received for a first software program which is executing on the digital processing system, and it is determined whether the first software program is in a first state. In response to determining that the first software program is not in the first state, then a first predetermined function is performed. In one embodiment, several additional status indicators may be received, one for each of several software programs which are executing on the system. For each additional status indicator, it is determined whether the corresponding software program is in the first state, and if it is not in the first state, then a corresponding, predetermined function is performed, such as (for example) relaunching the corresponding software. In one particular embodiment, the first status indicator, which indicates the first software program is not in a fault state, is provided by the first software program to another software program which is also executing on the system. In this particular embodiment, the first status indicator resets a counter which corresponds to the first software program and which is controlled by the another software program. The another software program determines the first software is in a fault state by examining a value of the counter.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the operation of a digital processing system, said method comprising:

receiving a first status indicator for a first software program which is executing on said digital processing system;

determining whether said first software program is in a first state;

performing a first predetermined function in response to determining that said first software program is not in said first state;

wherein said first status indicator is provided by said first software program to a third software program, and wherein said first status indicator resets a first counter controlled by said third software program, and wherein said third software program determines that said first software program is in said first state by examining a value maintained by said first counter.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein said third software program causes said digital processing system to perform said first predetermined function and wherein said first software program is not in said first state when said first software program is in a fault condition.

3. A method as in claim 2 wherein said first predetermined function comprises at least one of (a) relaunching said first software program;

(b) restarting said digital processing system;

(c) transmitting a message to a remote digital processing system;

or (d) recording information concerning said fault condition.

4. A method as in claim 1, said method further comprising:

receiving a second status indicator for a second software program which is executing on said digital processing system;

determining whether said second software program is in said first state;

performing a second predetermined function in response to determining that said second software program is not in said first state.

5. A method as in claim 4 wherein said second predetermined function is the same function as said first predetermined function.

6. A method as in claim 4 wherein said first predetermined function and said second predetermined function are separately user definable.

7. A method as in claim 4 wherein said second status indicator is provided by said second software program to said third software program, and wherein said second status indictor resets a second counter controlled by said third software program, and wherein said third software program determines that said second software program is in said first state by examining a value maintained by said second counter.

8. A method as in claim 7 wherein said first predetermined function and said second predetermined function are separately user definable and wherein at least one of said first predetermined function and said second predetermined function is capable of being specified by a user to be dependent on a state of an executing software program.

9. A method as in claim 8 wherein said first predetermined function comprises at least one of (a) relaunching said first software program;

(b) restarting said digital processing system;

(c) transmitting a message to a remote digital processing system;

or (d) recording information concerning said fault condition.

10. A method as in claim 7 wherein when said first software program quits executing on said digital processing system, said first software program causes said first counter to be disabled.

11. A method as in claim 7 further comprising transmitting a signal to a control circuit which causes said digital processing system to restart.

12. A method as in claim 1 wherein said first status indicator is provided by said first software program through a network connection to the third software program which is executing on another digital processing system.

13. A method as in claim 12 wherein said first status indicator comprises an identifier of said first software program and a network address of said digital processing system.

14. A computer readable medium containing executable computer program instructions which, when executed, cause a digital processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a first status indicator for a first software program which is executing on said digital processing system;

determining whether said first software program is in a first state;

performing a predetermined function in response to determining that said first software program is not in said first state;

wherein said first status indicator is provided by said first software program to a third software program, and wherein said first status indicator resets a first counter controlled by said third software program, and wherein said third software program determines that said first software program is in said first state by examining a value maintained by said first counter.

15. A computer readable medium as in claim 14 wherein said third software program causes said digital processing system to perform said first predetermined function and wherein said first software program is not in said first state when said first software program is in a fault condition.

16. A computer readable medium as in claim 15 wherein said first predetermined function comprises at least one of (a) relaunching said first software program;

(b) restarting said digital processing system;

(c) transmitting a message to a remote digital processing system;

or (d) recording information concerning said fault condition.

17. A computer readable medium as in claim 14, said method further comprising:

receiving a second status indicator for a second software program which is executing on said digital processing system;

determining whether said second software program is in said first state;

performing a second predetermined function in response to determining that said second software program is not in said first state.

18. A computer readable medium as in claim 17 wherein said second predetermined function is the same function as said first predetermined function.

19. A computer readable medium as in claim 17 wherein said first predetermined function and said second predetermined function are separately user definable.

20. A computer readable medium as in claim 17 wherein said second status indicator is provided by said second software program to said third software program, and wherein said second status indicator resets a second counter controlled by said third software program, and wherein said third software program determines that said second software program is in said first state by examining a value maintained by said second counter.

21. A computer readable medium as in claim 20 wherein said first predetermined function and said second predetermined function are separately user definable.

22. A computer readable medium as in claim 21 wherein said first predetermined function comprises at least one of (a) relaunching said first software program;

(b) restarting said digital processing system;

(c) transmitting a message to a remote digital processing system;

or (d) recording information concerning said fault condition.

23. A computer readable medium as in claim 20 wherein when said first software program quits executing on said digital processing system, said first software program causes said first counter to be disabled.

24. A computer readable medium as in claim 20 wherein said method further comprises transmitting a signal to a control circuit which causes said digital processing system to restart.

25. An apparatus for controlling the operation of a digital processing system, said apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a first status indicator for a first software program which is executing on said digital processing system;

means for determining whether said first software program is in a first state;

means for performing a first predetermined function in response to determining that said first software program is not in said first state;

wherein said first status indicator is provided by said first software program to a third software program, and wherein said first status indicator resets a first counter controlled by said third software program, and wherein said third software program determines that said first software program is in said first state by examining a value maintained by said first counter.

26. An apparatus as in claim 25 wherein said third software program causes said digital processing system to perform said first predetermined function and wherein said first software program is not in said first state when said first software program is in a fault condition.

27. An apparatus as in claim 26 wherein said first predetermined function comprises at least one of (a) relaunching said first software program;

(b) restarting said digital processing system;

(c) transmitting a message to a remote digital processing system;

or (d) recording information concerning said fault condition.

28. An apparatus as in claim 25, said apparatus further comprising:

means for receiving a second status indicator for a second software program which is executing on said digital processing system;

means for determining whether said second software program is in said first state;

means for performing a second predetermined function in response to determining that said second software program is not in said first state.

29. An apparatus as in claim 28 wherein said first predetermined function and said second predetermined function are separately user definable.

30. An apparatus as in claim 28 wherein said second status indicator is provided by said second software program to said third software program, and wherein said second status indictor resets a second counter controlled by said third software program, and wherein said third software program determines that said second software program is in said first state by examining a value maintained by said second counter.

31. An apparatus as in claim 30 wherein said first predetermined function is user definable and comprises at least one of (a) relaunching said first software program;

(b) restarting said digital processing system;

(c) transmitting a message to a remote digital processing system;

or (d) recording information concerning said fault condition.

32. An apparatus as in claim 29 wherein when said first software program quits executing on said digital processing system, said first software program causes said first counter to be disabled.

33. An apparatus as in claim 29, said apparatus further comprising means for transmitting a signal to a control circuit which causes said digital processing system to restart.