Method and system for event publication and subscription with an event channel from user level and kernel level

• US 7,107,497 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2003
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Mueller, Frank, Hoffman, Hans-Josef, McGuire, Cynthia A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lohn, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US10/448,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20040153998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/543 Local
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space

Abstract

A method and system for event publication and subscription with an event channel from user level and kernel level are disclosed. The system comprises an event channel. The event channel includes an event queue for an event sent by a publisher. Additionally, the event channel has a plurality of subscriber-based queues each corresponding to a subscriber. If the corresponding subscriber has subscribed to receive delivery of the event, the subscriber-based queue includes the event. Moreover, the event channel further comprises a dispatcher for dispatching based on filtering criteria the event to the subscriber-based queue if the corresponding subscriber has subscribed to receive delivery of the event, and a delivery mechanism for delivering the event from the subscriber-based queue to the corresponding subscriber. The publisher can be a user level publisher or a kernel level publisher. The subscriber can be a user level subscriber or a kernel level subscriber.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an event channel for delivering events to subscribers in the user level and the kernel level comprising

an event queue for an event sent by a publisher,

a plurality of subscriber-based queues each corresponding to a subscriber,

wherein if said corresponding subscriber has subscribed to receive delivery of said event said subscriber-based queue includes said event,

a dispatcher for dispatching based on filtering criteria said event to said subscriber-based queue if said corresponding subscriber has subscribed to receive delivery of said event, wherein said dispatcher filters said event based on filtering criteria prior to dispatching said event to said subscriber-based queue, and

a delivery mechanism in the subscriber-based queue for delivering said event from said subscriber-based queue to said corresponding subscriber.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said publisher is a user level publisher.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said publisher is a kernel level publisher.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said subscriber is a user level subscriber.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said subscriber is a kernel level subscriber.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said event is a user level event.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said event is a kernel level event.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said delivery mechanism for delivering said event from said subscriber-based queue to said corresponding subscriber is performed asynchronously with respect to addition of an event to the event queue.

9. A computer system comprising:

a user level environment;

a kernel level environment; and

a plurality of event channels operating in said kernel level environment to communicate with said user level environment each event channel comprising

an event queue far an event sent by a publisher,

a plurality of subscriber-based queues each corresponding to a subscriber,

wherein if said corresponding subscriber has subscribed to receive delivery of said event said subscriber-based queue includes said event,

a dispatcher for dispatching based on filtering criteria said event to said subscriber-based queue if said corresponding subscriber has subscribed to receive delivery of said event, wherein said dispatcher filters said event based on filtering criteria prior to dispatching said event to said subscriber-based queue, and

a delivery mechanism in the subscriber-based queue for delivering said event from said subscriber-based queue to said corresponding subscriber.

10. The computer system as recited in claim 9 wherein said publisher is a user level publisher.

11. The computer system as recited in claim 9 wherein said publisher is a kernel level publisher.

12. The computer system as recited in claim 9 wherein said subscriber is a user level subscriber.

13. The computer system as recited in claim 9 wherein said subscriber is a kernel level subscriber.

14. The computer system as recited in claim 9 wherein said event is a user level event.

15. The computer system as recited in claim 9 wherein said event is a kernel level event.

16. The computer system as recited in claim 9 wherein said delivery mechanism for delivering said event from said subscriber-based queue to said corresponding subscriber is performed asynchronously with respect to addition of an event to the event queue.

17. A method of managing an event from a publisher to a subscriber, comprising:

sending said event to an event queue of an event channel from said publisher;

dispatching based on filtering criteria said event to a subscriber-based queue corresponding to said subscriber, wherein said subscriber has subscribed to receive delivery of said event and said event is filtered based on filtering criteria prior to dispatching said event to said subscriber-based queue; and

delivering said event to said subscriber from said subscriber-based queue using a delivery mechanism in the subscriber-based queue;

wherein the event channel is configured to perform the delivering of said event to subscribers in one of either the user level or the kernel level.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said publisher is a user level publisher.

19. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said publisher is a kernel level publisher.

20. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said subscriber is a user level subscriber.

21. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said subscriber is a kernel level subscriber.

22. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said event is a user level event.

23. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said event is a kernel level event.

24. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said delivering said event to said subscriber from said subscriber-based queue is performed asynchronously with respect to addition of an event to the event queue.