Message control apparatus

• US 6,848,107 B1
• Filed: 06/09/1999
• Issued: 01/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Komine, Hiroaki, Yokoshi, Noriyuki, Karaki, Kazuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHEN, LI B
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZHEN, LI B
• Application Number:
  US09/328,369
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 709 1- 8, 709200-253, 719311-318, 718100-108
• US Class Current: 719/314
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/548 Queue
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

In a message control apparatus for transferring messages between objects which belong to different processes, a message distributor distributes messages to queue buffers provided for each of target objects, and a thread controller simultaneously prepares a plurality of threads less than a maximum thread allocation number predetermined for each of processes and the target objects and takes out the messages to be given to a corresponding target object. Also, the maximum thread allocation number corresponding to a CPU serviceability ratio in the processes can be designated, and a part of the thread allocation number of the target objects with few thread number used is allotted to the maximum thread allocation number of the target objects with many thread number used.

Claims

1. A message control apparatus for transferring messages between objects which belong to different processes comprises:

a plurality of queue buffers, each of the plurality of queue buffers being provided for one of a plurality of target objects;

a message distributor for distributing the messages to the queue buffers corresponding to the target objects; and

a thread controller for taking out the messages from the queue buffers to simultaneously prepare a plurality of threads to be given to a corresponding target object, the thread controller including a thread managing table for managing;

a maximum thread allocation number of the messages that all of the threads inside each process can process; and

a present process message number, and

the thread controller assuming a standby state without taking out the messages when the present process message number exceeds the maximum thread allocation number.

3. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a thread allocation controller including a thread allocation managing table for holding the maximum thread allocation number corresponding to a CPU serviceability ratio in the process, and

the thread allocation controller monitoring the CPU serviceability ratio at predetermined time intervals and designating the maximum thread allocation number corresponding to the CPU serviceability ratio in the thread allocation managing table as the maximum thread allocation number for the thread managing table.

5. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein priority levels are respectively set for transmitting source processes, the queue buffer is provided for each priority level, the thread controller includes a first thread portion allotted only to the messages with a high priority level and a second thread portion allotted to the other messages, and when the second thread portion is occupied only the messages with the high priority level are allotted to the first thread portion.

6. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein priority levels are respectively set for transmitting source processes, the queue buffer is provided for each priority level, and the thread controller preferentially takes out the messages from the queue buffer with the high priority level.

7. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the queue buffer is further provided for each transmitting source process.

8. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein priority levels are respectively set for operations included in the messages, and a message sort controller is further provided for arranging the messages in the order of the priority level.

9. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein time stamps are allotted to the messages and the thread controller preferentially takes out the messages whose time stamps indicate that a fixed time has elapsed.

10. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein an exclusive control flag is allotted to each process, the messages include exclusive control information, the thread controller sets the exclusive control flag when the control information is set, and all of the thread controllers take out only the messages to which the exclusive control information is set.

11. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the messages comprise request messages.

12. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the transmitting source process comprises a transmitting source object.

22. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the transmitting source process comprises a transmitting source object.

23. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the transmitting source process comprises a transmitting source object.

2. A message control apparatus for transferring messages between objects which belong to different processes comprises:

a plurality of queue buffers, each of the plurality of queue buffers being provided for one of a plurality of target objects;

a message distributor for distributing the messages to the queue buffers corresponding to the target object; and

a thread controller for taking out the messages from the queue buffers to simultaneously prepare a plurality of threads to be given to a corresponding target object,

the thread controller including a thread managing table for managing per target object;

a maximum thread allocation number that allows the messages to be given to the target objects, and

a present process message number, and

the thread controller assuming a standby state without taking out the messages of the corresponding target object when the present process message number exceeds the maximum thread allocation number.

4. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a message managing portion, that manages the queue buffer and the thread controller, for checking the present process message number at predetermined time intervals and for allotting a part of the maximum thread allocation number of the thread managing table having a smaller present process message number to the maximum thread allocation number of the thread managing table of another target object having a larger present process message number.

13. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a thread allocation controller including a thread allocation managing table for holding the maximum thread allocation number corresponding to a CPU serviceability ratio in the process, and

the thread allocation controller monitoring the CPU serviceability ratio at predetermined time intervals and designating the maximum thread allocation number corresponding to the CPU serviceability ratio in the thread allocation managing table as the maximum thread allocation number for the thread managing table.

14. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein priority levels are respectively set for transmitting source processes, the queue buffer is provided for each priority level, the thread controller includes a first thread portion allotted only to the messages with a high priority level and a second thread portion allotted to the other messages, and when the second thread portion is occupied only the messages with the high priority level are allotted to the first thread portion.

15. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 2 priority levels are respectively set for transmitting source processes, the queue buffer is provided for each priority level, and the thread controller preferentially takes out the messages from the queue buffer with the high priority level.

16. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the queue buffer is further provided for each transmitting source process.

17. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein priority levels are respectively set for operations included in the messages, and a message sort controller is further provided for arranging the messages in the order of the priority level.

18. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein time stamps are allotted to the messages and the thread controller preferentially takes out the messages whose time stamps indicate that a fixed time has elapsed.

19. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein an exclusive control flag is allotted to each process, the messages include exclusive control information, the thread controller sets the exclusive control flag when the control information is set to the messages as taken out, and all of the thread controllers take out only the messages to which the exclusive control information is set when the exclusive control flag is set.

20. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the messages comprise request messages.

21. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein the transmitting source process comprises a transmitting source object.

24. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 15 wherein the transmitting source process comprises a transmitting source object.

25. The message control apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the transmitting source process comprises a transmitting source object.