Context management system for modular software architecture

• US 6,691,118 B1
• Filed: 10/31/1997
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Carey, James E., Gongwer, R. Scott, Larson, Kurt, Venezia, Charles P. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi, Hani M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US08/961,743
• Time in Patent Office: 2,293 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/104, 707/100, 705/37, 710/260, 395/676, 395/677, 711/118, 711/141, 711/147, 711/148, 711/153, 711/156, 711/173, 711/205, 711/206, 711/209
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A context management system manages both thread-local data and free-thread data in a flexible modular architecture. Thread data is segmented into an ordinal workspace structure. In a free thread architecture, each module can have its own private and public segments. The context management system allows many threadable, session contexts to share a lesser number of real operating system threads, maintained as a thread pool within the server process.

Claims

1. In a multi-session computing system, a system for managing a session context for a session comprising:

a computer program concurrently executable by a plurality of sessions, the computer program comprising a plurality of modules;

a workspace including a plurality of workspace segments accessible to the computer program for storing session data;

a database structure relating each session with at least one workspace segment to provide each session access to the stored session data; and

a thread manager assigning computing threads to sessions.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the database structure binds a module with a workspace segments.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the modules are coupled in a preassigned order to yield the computer program.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the sessions are initiated by a plurality of clients, a module providing an interface between the computer program and a client.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a free thread pool of computing threads managed by the thread manager.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein a workspace segment includes a private subset of data and a public subset of data.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the database structure includes an array of pointers to all workspace segments.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a workspace database manager module for associating the database structure between the session data, the modules and the workspace segments.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the association includes ordering pointers to a workspace segment with a pointer array, dependent on a module index value.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the pointer array is indexed by a session value.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the pointer array is indexed by a data segment value.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the computing threads are pre-instantiated.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein there are fewer computing threads than sessions.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein each module includes an entry point referenceable by another module, the modules coupled together by a database of pointers to the entry points.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein each module having an entry point referenceable by another module, the modules coupled together by a database of pointers to the entry points.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the modules are coupled without linking machine-code object files for the modules.

26. The system of claim 5 wherein the pointer array is indexed by a session value.

27. The system of claim 5 wherein the pointer array is indexed by a data segment value.

17. In a multi-session computing system, a method for managing a session context for a session, comprising:

building a computer program concurrently executable by a plurality of sessions, the computer program comprising a plurality of modules;

generating a workspace including a plurality of workspace segments accessible to the computer program for storing session data;

generating a database structure for relating each session with at least one workspace segment to provide each session access to the stored session data; and

assigning computing threads to sessions from a thread manager.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising binding a module with a workspace segment using the database structure.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein building a computer program comprises coupling the modules in a preassigned order to yield the computer program.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising initiating the sessions by a plurality of clients, a module providing an interface between the computer program and a respective client.

21. The method of claim 17 further comprising managing a free thread pool of computing threads from the thread manager.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein a workspace segment includes a private subset of data and a public subset of data.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein the database structure includes an array of pointers to all workspace segments.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising programming a workspace database manager module to associate the database structure between the session data, the modules and the workspace segments.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the association includes ordering a plurality of pointers to workspace segments with a pointer array, dependent on a module index value.

28. The method of claim 17 wherein the computing threads are pre-instantiated.

29. The method of claim 17 wherein there are fewer computing threads than sessions.

30. The method of claim 17 wherein each module includes an entry pointer referenceable by another module, the modules coupled together by a database of pointers to the entry points.

31. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer-readable medium;

a computer-implemented method embodied in the computer readable medium to manage a session context for a session in a multi-session computing system, the method comprising;

building a computer program concurrently executable by a plurality of sessions, the computer program comprising a plurality of modules;

generating a workspace including a plurality of workspace segments accessible to the computer program for storing session data;

generating a data base structure for relating each session with at least one workspace segment to provide each session access to the stored session data; and

assigning computing threads to sessions from a thread manager.

32. The article of claim 31 wherein the method further comprises binding a module with a workspace segment using the database structure.

33. The article of claim 31 wherein building a computer program comprises coupling the modules in a preassigned order to yield the computer program.

34. The article of claim 31 wherein the method further comprises initiating the sessions by a plurality of clients, a module providing an interface between the computer program and a respective client.

35. The article of claim 31 wherein the method further comprises managing a free thread pool of computing threads from the thread manager.

36. The article of claim 31 wherein a workspace segment includes a private subset of data and a public subset of data.

37. The article of claim 31 wherein the database structure includes an array of pointers to all workspace segments.

38. The article of claim 31 wherein the method further comprises programming a workspace database manager module to associate the database structure between the session data, the modules and the workspace segments.

39. The article of claim 38 wherein the association includes ordering a plurality of pointers to workspace segments on a pointer array, dependent on a modules index value.

40. The system of claim 33 wherein the pointer array is indexed by a session value.

41. The system of claim 33 wherein the pointer array is indexed by a data segment value.

42. The article of claim 31 wherein the computing threads are pre-instantiated.

43. The article of claim 31 wherein there are fewer computing threads than sessions.

44. The article of claim 31 wherein each module includes an entry point referenceable by another module, the modules coupled together by a database of pointers to the entry points.

45. In a multi-session computing system, a system for managing a session context for a session comprising:

a computer program concurrently executable by a plurality of sessions;

a workspace including plurality of workspace segments accessible to the computer program for storing session data;

a database structure relating each session with at least one workspace segment to provide each session access to the stored session data; and

a thread manager assigning computing threads to sessions from a free thread pool of computing threads.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein the computer program comprises a plurality of coupled modules, each module programmed with a subset of the computer program.

47. The system of claim 46 wherein the data base structure binds a module with a data segment.

48. The system of claim 46 wherein the modules are linked in a preassigned order to yield the computer program.

49. The system of claim 45 wherein the sessions are initiated by a plurality of clients, a module providing an interface between the computer program and a client.

50. The system of claim 45 wherein the computing threads are pre-instantiated in the free thread pool.

51. The system of claim 45 wherein a data segment includes a private subset of data and a public subset of data.

52. The system of claim 45 wherein the database structure includes an array of pointers to all workspace segments.

53. The system of claim 45 further comprising a workspace database manager module for associating the database structure between the session data, the modules the workspace segments.

54. The system of claim 53 wherein the association is provided by a computed index into a pointer array.

55. The system of claim 45 wherein there are fewer computing threads than sessions.

56. In a multi-session computing system, a method for managing a session context for a session, comprising:

building a computer program concurrently executable by a plurality of sessions;

generating a workspace including a plurality of workspace segments accessible to the computer program for storing session data;

generating a database structure for relating each session with at least one workspace segment to provide each session access to the stored session data; and

in a thread manager, assigning computing threads from a free thread pool of computing threads to sessions.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein building a computer program comprises coupling a plurality of modules together, each module programmed with a subset of the computer program.

58. The method of claim 57 further comprising binding a module with a workspace using the database structure.

59. The method of claim 57 wherein building a computer program comprises coupling the modules in a preassigned order to yield the computer program.

60. The method of claim 56 further comprising initiating the sessions by a plurality of clients, a module providing an interface between the computer program and a respective client.

61. The method of claim 56 further wherein the comprising threads are pre-instantiated in the free-thread pool.

62. The method of claim 56 wherein a data segment includes a private subset of data and a public subset of data.

63. The method of claim 56 wherein the database structure includes an array of pointers to all workspace segments.

64. The method of claim 56 further comprising programming a workspace database manager module to associate the database structure between the session data, the modules and the workspace segments.

65. The method of claim 64 wherein the association is provided by a computed index into a pointer array.

66. The method of claim 56 wherein there are fewer computing threads than sessions.

67. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer-readable medium;

a computer-implemented method embodied in the computer readable medium to manage a session context for a session in a multi-session computing system, the method comprising;

building a computer program concurrently executable by a plurality of sessions;

generating a workspace including a plurality of workspace segments accessible to the computer program for storing session data;

generating a database structure for relating each session with at least oneworkspace segment to provide each session access to the stored session data; and

in a thread manager, assigning computing threads from a thread pool of computing threads to sessions.

68. The article of claim 67 wherein building a computer program comprises coupling a plurality of modules together, each module programmed with a subset of the computer program.

69. The article of claim 68 wherein the method further comprises binding a module with a workspace segment using the database structure.

70. The article of claim 68 wherein building a computer program comprises coupling the modules in a preassigned order to yield the computer program.

71. The article of claim 67 wherein the method further comprises initiating the sessions by a plurality of clients a module providing an interface between the computer program and a respective client.

72. The article of claim 67 wherein the computing threads are pre-instantiated in the free thread pool.

73. The article of claim 67 wherein a workspace segment includes a private subset of data and public subset of data.

74. The article of claim 67 wherein the database structure includes an array of pointers to all workspace segments.

75. The article of claim 67 wherein the method further comprises programming a workspace database manager module to associate the database structure between the session data, the modules and the workspace segments.

76. The article of claim 75 wherein the association is provided by a computed index into a pointer array.

77. The article of claim 67 wherein there are fewer computing threads than sessions.

78. In a multi-session computing system, a system for managing a session context for a session comprising:

a computer program concurrently executable by a plurality of sessions, the computer program comprising a plurality of modules coupled in a preassigned order, without linking machine-code object files for the modules, to yield the computer program, one of the plurality of modules providing an interface between the computer program and a client;

a plurality of workspace segments accessible to the computer program for storing session data, each workspace segment including a private subset of data and a public subset of data;

a database structure relating each session with at least one workspace segment to provide each session access to the stored session data and binding a module with a workspace segment, the database structure including an array of pointers to all workspace segments;

a thread manager assigning computing threads to sessions initiated by a plurality of clients;

a free thread pool of computing threads managed by the thread manager; and

a workspace database manager module for associating the database structure between the session data, the modules and the workspace segments, the association including ordering pointers to a workspace segment with a pointer array, dependent on a module index value.