System and method for asynchronous processing in COBOL

• US 8,127,308 B1
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Laura, Joseph G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): SEYE, ABDOU K
• Application Number:
  US12/180,264
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 719/318, 718/100
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method for enabling events in a COBOL program, including maintaining, in a COBOL program, a index including a process identifier and an event associated with a child process. The method includes placing the child process in a wait state and signaling, by the COBOL program, the child process to run using the process identifier and the event associated with the child process. A system for coordinating processing in COBOL programs is also provided. The system includes a first COBOL program having a first routine for processing, a second COBOL program having a second routine for processing, and a module callable by the first and second COBOL programs. The module maintains a state sharable between the first and second COBOL programs to coordinate the processing of the first and second routines.

Claims

1. A system for employing semaphores or mutexes to coordinate processing in COBOL programs, comprising:

a first COBOL program recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a first routine for processing;

a second COBOL program recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a second routine for processing; and

a COBOL technical layer recorded on a non-transitory computer readable medium callable by the first and second COBOL programs, the COBOL technical layer maintaining a state sharable between the first and second COBOL programs to coordinate the processing of the first and second routines, wherein the COBOL technical layer coordinates the processing of the first and second routines through a bit level call to an operating system, and wherein the COBOL technical layer further creates a semaphore, obtains an identifier identifying the semaphore, queries to determine whether the state indicates that the semaphore is locked, changes the state to indicate that the semaphore is locked, changes the state to indicate that the semaphore is unlocked, obtains a process identification number to determine a process associated with the semaphore, and removes the semaphore from a computer system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the COBOL technical layer is further defined as a COBOL library having routines callable from the first and second COBOL programs.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the COBOL technical layer is further defined as a COBOL callable routine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the COBOL technical layer is integral to the first and second COBOL programs.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the COBOL technical layer is further defined as COBOL compiler enabled.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the COBOL technical layer is further defined as a COBOL pre-compiler program used by the first and second COBOL programs.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second routines are further defined as a first and second jobs and wherein the first and second COBOL programs analyze the state maintained by the COBOL technical layer to resolve the processing of the first and second jobs.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the COBOL technical layer initiates a first state when the first routine is processing such that the second routine postpones processing in response to the first state of the COBOL technical layer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the COBOL technical layer is operable to maintain a plurality of states based upon a task of the first and second routines.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third COBOL program recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a third routine for processing;

a fourth COBOL program recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a fourth routine for processing, wherein the third and fourth routines are further defined as a third and fourth threads; and

a second COBOL technical layer recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium callable by the third and fourth COBOL programs, wherein the second COBOL technical layer maintains a state sharable between the third and fourth COBOL programs to coordinate the processing of the third and fourth threads.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the third and fourth threads process in a same address space in a computer system.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second routines are further defined as a first and second jobs and wherein the COBOL technical layer maintains the state sharable between the first and second COBOL programs to coordinate the processing of the first and second jobs.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first and second jobs process in separate address space in a computer system.

14. A method for employing semaphores or mutexes to coordinate processing in COBOL programs, comprising:

processing by a first COBOL program to a shared resource;

processing by a second COBOL program to the shared resource;

maintaining, by a COBOL technical layer, a state sharable between the first and second COBOL programs to coordinate the processing by the first and second COBOL programs to the shared resource, wherein the COBOL technical layer coordinates the processing by the first and second COBOL programs through a bit level call to an operating system;

creating a semaphore, by the COBOL technical layer;

obtaining an identifier identifying the semaphore;

querying to determine whether the state indicates that the semaphore is locked;

changing the state to indicate that the semaphore is locked;

changing the state to indicate that the semaphore is unlocked;

obtaining a process identification number to determine a process associated with the semaphore; and

removing the semaphore from a computer system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the state is further defined as a flag.