System and method for transferring data between virtual machines or other computer entities

• US 7,181,744 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2002
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Shultz, Steven S., Tkatschow, Xenia
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Meng-Ai T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong; Camquy
• Application Number:
  US10/280,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20040083481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: 718/1, 718/104, 718/319, 709/319, 711/153, 710/47
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/509 Offload
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/526 Mutual exclusion algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

A method for communication between first and second computer programs having a shared memory. The first computer program has a first work dispatcher for a first work queue. The second computer program has a second work dispatcher for a second work queue. Without causing an interrupt, a message or data is written for the second program from the first program to the shared memory and the second work queue is updated with a work item indicating a message or data for the second program. In association with the updating step, it is determined if the second program is currently busy. If so, the second program is not interrupted regarding the message or data. When the second program subsequently becomes not busy, the second program receives, without an interrupt, and executes the work item to receive the message or data. If the second program was not currently busy, the second program is interrupted to process the message or data on its work queue. This imposes a minimal burden on the second program.

Claims

1. A system for communication between a first computer program in a first virtual machine and a second computer program in a second virtual machine, said system comprising:

a real computer;

a base operating system executing in said real computer and defining said first and second virtual machines from said real computer, said first and second virtual machines having a shared memory, said first virtual machine including a first work dispatcher for a first work queue in said shared memory, said second virtual machine including a second work dispatcher for a second work queue in said shared memory;

said first computer program including means for writing a message or data from said first virtual machine to said shared memory for said second computer program, said first virtual machine including means, responsive to said message or data being written to said shared memory, for updating said second work queue with a first work item indicating said message or data for said second computer program, determining if said second virtual machine is currently busy with another work item, and

if so, not interrupting said base operating system or said second virtual machine regarding said message or data while said second virtual machine is busy with said other work item, and in response to said second virtual machine subsequently becoming available to process said message or data, said second work dispatcher including means for detecting said first work item on said second work queue and notifying said second computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory,

if not, interrupting said base operating system to invoke said second work dispatcher to detect said first work item on said second work queue and notify said second computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for writing and said means for updating do not invoke said base operating system.

3. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for detecting do not invoke said base operating system.

4. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said message or data is written only once, into said shared memory, when being communicated from said first computer program to said second computer program.

5. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said first computer program is a first application program in said first virtual machine; and

said second computer program is a second application program in said second virtual machine.

6. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said first computer program includes means for writing said message or data to said shared memory for both said second computer program in said second virtual machine and a third computer program in a third virtual machine defined by said base operating system in said real computer;

said first virtual machine includes means, responsive to said message or data being written to said shared memory for said third computer program, for updating a third work queue in said shared memory for said third virtual machine with a third work item indicating said message or data for said third computer program, determining if said third virtual machine is currently busy with another work item, and

if so, not interrupting said base operating system or said third virtual machine regarding said message or data while said third virtual machine is busy with another work item, and in response to said third virtual machine subsequently becoming available to process said message or data, said third work dispatcher including means for detecting said third work item on said third work queue and notifying said third computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory,

if not, interrupting said base operating system to invoke said third work dispatcher to detect said third work item on said third work queue and notify said third computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory.

7. A computer program product for communication between a first computer program in a first virtual machine and a second computer program in a second virtual machine, a base operating system executing in a real computer and defining said first and second virtual machines from said real computer, said first and second virtual machines having a shared memory, said first virtual machine including a first work dispatcher for a first work queue in said shared memory, said second virtual machine including a second work dispatcher for a second work queue in said shared memory, said first computer program including means for writing a message or data from said first virtual machine to said shared memory for said second computer program said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage media;

program instructions, for execution within said first virtual machine, responsive to said message or data being written to said shared memory, to update said second work queue with a first work item indicating said message or data for said second computer program, determine if said second virtual machine is currently busy with another work item, and

if so, not interrupt said base operating system or said second virtual machine regarding said message or data while said second virtual machine is busy with said other work item, and in response to said second virtual machine subsequently becoming available to process said message or data, said second work dispatcher including means for detecting said first work item on said second work queue and notifying said second computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory,

if not, interrupt said base operating system to invoke said second work dispatcher to detect said first work item on said second work queue and notify said second computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory; and

wherein

said program instructions are stored on said storage media in functional form.

8. A computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein said program instructions to write and update do not invoke said base operating system.

9. A computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein said program instructions to detect do not invoke said base operating system.

10. A computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein said message or data is written only once, into said shared memory, when being communicated from said first computer program to said second computer program.

11. A computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein:

said first computer program is a first application program in said first virtual machine; and

said second computer program is a second application program in said second virtual machine.

12. A computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein:

said first computer program includes means for writing said message or data to said shared memory for both said second computer program in said second virtual machine and a third computer program in a third virtual machine defined by said base operating system in said real computer; and

said program instructions for execution in said first virtual machine are responsive to said message or data being written to said shared memory for said third computer program, to update a third work queue in said shared memory for said third virtual machine with a third work item indicating said message or data for said third computer program, determine if said third virtual machine is currently busy wit another work item, and

if so, not interrupt said base operating system or said third virtual machine regarding said message or data while said third virtual machine is busy with another work item, and in response to said third virtual machine subsequently becoming available to process said message or data, said third work dispatcher including means for detecting said third work item on said third work queue arid notifying said third computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory,

if not, interrupt said base operating system to invoke said third work dispatcher to detect said third work item on said third work queue and notify said third computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory.

13. A system for communication between a first computer program in a first logical partition and a second computer program in a second logical partition, said system comprising:

a real computer;

a base operating system executing in said real computer and defining said first and second logical partitions from said real computer, said first and second logical partitions having a shared memory, said first logical partition including a first work dispatcher for a first work queue in said shared memory, said second logical partition including a second work dispatcher far a second work queue in said shared memory;

said first computer program including means for writing a message or data from said first logical partition to said shared memory for said second computer program, said first logical partition including means, responsive to said message or data being written to said shared memory, for updating said second work queue with a first work item indicating said message or data for said second computer program, determining if said second logical partition is currently busy with another work item, and

if so, not interrupting said base operating system or said second logical partition regarding said message or data while said second logical partition is busy with said other work item, and in response to said second logical partition subsequently becoming available to process said message or data, said second work dispatcher including means for detecting said first work item on said second work queue and notifying said second computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory,

if not, interrupting said base operating system to invoke said second work dispatcher to detect said first work item on said second work queue and notify said second computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory.

14. A system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said means for writing and said means for updating do not invoke said base operating system.

15. A system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said means for detecting do not invoke said base operating system.

16. A system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said message or data is written only once, into said shared memory, when being communicated from said first computer program to said second computer program.

17. A system as set forth in claim 13 wherein:

said first computer program is a first application program in said first logical partition; and

said second computer program is a second application program in said second logical partition.

18. A system as set forth in claim 13 wherein:

said first computer program includes means for writing said message or data to said shared memory for both said second computer program in said second logical partition and a third computer program in a third logical partition defined by said base operating system in said real computer;

said first logical partition includes means, responsive to said message or data being written to said shared memory for said third computer program, for updating a third work queue in said shared memory for said third logical partition with a third work item indicating said message or data for said third computer program, determining if said third logical partition is currently busy with another work item, and

if so, not interrupting said base operating system or said third logical partition regarding said message or data while said third logical partition is busy with another work item, and in response to said third logical partition subsequently becoming available to process said message or data, said third work dispatcher including means for detecting said third work item on said third work queue and notifying said third computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory,

if not, interrupting said base operating system to invoke said third work dispatcher to detect said third work item on said third work queue and notify said third computer program to read said message or data from said shared memory.