Distributed kernel operating system

• US 8,078,716 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limited (Canada) (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Boyd, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN GILLES, JUDE
• Application Number:
  US12/911,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20110035502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 709222-229, 709/206, 709/246, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

An improved distributed operating system over a network of computer systems is described. Existing distributed operating systems have transmission performance limitations dictated by their inability to (1) reliably handle transient communication failures and rapid node reboots, (2) provide a transmission protocol that adapts to link reliability, and (3) allow transmissions to occur over an arbitrary combinations of communication links. The systems and methods described herein solve these problems by providing a reliable node-to-node session protocol that offers high performance message delivery and multi-interface management and support. This is done by transmitting all data between two nodes of the operating system over a single connection that may dynamically exploit multiple interfaces between the nodes.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a connection between nodes of a distributed operating system, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission request from a local thread of a local node;

establishing a node-to-node connection with the local node in response to receiving the transmission request;

receiving an initial packet from the local node, the initial packet comprising;

a local node descriptor indicative of a remote node; and

a local connection identifier; and

transmitting, in response to receiving the initial packet, a confirmation packet to the local node to establish a transmission connection, the confirmation packet comprising;

the local node descriptor;

the local connection identifier;

a remote node descriptor indicative of the local node; and

a remote connection identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a receive connection structure associated with the local node descriptor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the local connection identifier and the remote connection identifier comprise monotonically increasing counters.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the transmission request at the local node including the local thread;

transmitting the initial packet to the remote node; and

receiving the confirmation packet at the local node.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

polling the remote node after an expiration of a period of time; and

destroying the transmission connection in response to failing to receive a response to the polling.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating, at the local node, a plurality of transmission requests for the remote node; and

servicing the plurality of transmission requests in order.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating, at the local node, a transmit connection structure capable of storing the local node descriptor and the local connection identifier.

8. A method for establishing a connection between nodes of a distributed operating system, the method comprising:

generating a transmission request at a local node including a local thread;

transmitting the transmission request to a remote node;

establishing a node-to-node connection with the remote node after transmitting the transmission request;

transmitting an initial packet to the remote node, the initial packet comprising;

a local node descriptor indicative of the remote node; and

a local connection identifier; and

receiving a confirmation packet from the remote node to establish a transmission connection, the confirmation packet comprising;

the local node descriptor;

the local connection identifier;

a remote node descriptor indicative of the local node; and

a remote connection identifier.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

polling the remote node after an expiration of a threshold period of time;

failing to receive a response to the polling; and

destroying the transmission connection after failing to receive a response to the polling.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating a plurality of transmission requests for the remote node; and

servicing the plurality of transmission requests in order.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating, at the local node, a transit connection structure capable of storing the local node descriptor and the local connection identifier.

12. A distributed operating system embodied on a computer readable medium comprising:

a local node including a local thread running on a local processor, the local node operable to pass messages and receive messages;

where the local node is further operable to;

establish, in response to receiving a transmission request from the local thread, a node-to-node connection with a remote node, the node-to-node-connection associated with a local connection identifier and a remote connection identifier, the local connection identifier associated with the local node and the remote connection identifier associated with the remote node;

manage message passing from the local node to the remote node over a plurality of network interfaces, and

receive messages from the remote node and forward the messages to the local thread.

13. The distributed operating system of claim 12, further comprising:

the remote node in communication with the local node via a plurality of networks, the remote node including a remote thread running on a remote processor the remote node operable to pass messages and receive messages.

14. The operating system of claim 12, wherein the local connection identifier and the remote connection identifier comprise monotonically increasing counters.

15. The operating system of claim 12, where the local node is further operable to:

generate a plurality of transmit requests for the remote node; and

service the plurality of transmission requests in order.

16. The operating system of claim 15, where the local node is further operable to:

generate a queue of the plurality of transmission requests; and

store the queue of transmission requests in a transmit connection structure.

17. The operating system of claim 12, where the local node is further operable to:

generate a transmit connection structure capable of storing the local connection identifier.

18. The operating system of claim 12, where the local node is further operable to:

poll the remote node after an expiration of a period of time.

19. The operating system of claim 18, where the local node is further operable to:

destroy the node-to-node connection if no response to the polling is received.

20. The operating system of claim 12, where the node-to-node connection is established by transmitting an initial packet from the local node to the remote node, the initial packet including the local connection identifier.