Multiprocess computer system

• US 7,039,718 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Airsys ATM SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Airsys ATM SA (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Vertes, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): PWU, JEFFREY C
• Application Number:
  US09/943,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20020062389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/227, 709/249, 709/204, 709/238, 709/224, 709/236, 709/250, 711/110, 370/392, 712/208
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

A multiprocess computer system comprises at least two processes (P1, P2, . . . Pi, . . . PN) connected by a network. Each process is executed by a piece of hardware equipped with an operating system. A process comprises at least a library software layer by which this operating system can access the programs for the activation of the communications protocols associated with the inputs/outputs; an intermediate layer comprising an inter-process communications process associated with a communications channel; a multiplexer encapsulated in the library multiplexing the communications channel of a process Pi with the communications channels of the other processes P1, P2, . . . PN, the communications channel between two processes Pi, Pk being activated by the multiplexers of the two processes, upon a request by one of them. It can be used especially for extensive communications among various computer processes through standard inputs/outputs. More particularly, it can be used for the applications-transparent implementation of complex services such as services pertaining to client/server mode, distributed and concurrent processing, data flow control, malfunction tolerance, supervision, reconfiguration and dynamic extension as well as the modeling of the systems architecture.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising at least two processes P1, P2, . . . Pi, . . . PN connected by a network, wherein each process is executed by a piece of hardware equipped with an operating system, wherein a process comprises:

a library software layer used by the operating system to access a program for activation of a communications protocol associated with an input/output of the hardware;

an intermediate software layer comprising an inter-process communications process associated with a communications channel; and

a multiplexer encapsulated in the library software layer and configured to multiplex a communication channel of a process Pi with communication channels of the other processes P1, P2, . . . PN, data exchanges between processes being made in a form of data flows, a communication channel between two processes Pi, Pk being activated by the multiplexers of the two processes Pi, Pk, upon a request to activate the communication channel between the two processes Pi, Pk transmitted by one of the two processes Pi, Pk.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the library software layer is interposed between an applications software layer and the operating system.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a communication channel carries out a one-way transfer of data between two processes.

4. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an inter-process communications service is activated by the multiplexer intercepting calls pertaining to inputs/outputs of the hardware according to a protocol made up of requests and responses, this protocol being defined at a level of the multiplexer in a table indicating a type of data, wherein data exchanges are made in a form of data flows.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein, in addition to the inter-process communications service, other services activated by the multiplexer are associated with the process, the services being activated according to a protocol consisting of requests and responses.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the table indicates whether the data is a request or a response, an associated service, and sizing attributes for data processing.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein, when a service is a master-slave redundancy, a first instance of the slave being a master and the following instances being slaves, a process Pi sends out a request, this request is processed by all other processes P1, P2, . . . PN, the multiplexer of these processes filtering the responses of the slaves, and in the event of a loss of a master, a slave is promoted to master in its turn.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein, in a selective concurrent mode of access to a process, to enable a distribution of a processing load among several instances of the process, the multiplexer of the process is configured to make a selection, at each request, of the instance that carries out the processing.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein, in a mode of non-selective concurrent access to a process, at least two instances of a process make a same request, their responses being returned to a client process which decides on a validity of a response.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the multiplexer collects supervision data at two boundaries that it faces, an interface with the process P1, P2, . . . PN and an interface with the transport medium for all these data, the process recording a number of measurements, a minimum, maximum and mean values, for each of these values, thresholds being configured, a crossing of these thresholds being used to activate an alarm or to carry out another action.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein, for the interface with the process, the multiplexer collects data pertaining to a size of the requests or responses, a frequency and a processing time taken by the process, and for an interface with the transport medium, the multiplexer collects data pertaining to a latency time and to a quality of transmission.