Techniques for inter-user-space communication

• US 8,359,603 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: McCann, Peter J., Gould, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Charles E
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, PAUL MANHOE
• Application Number:
  US12/079,759
• Time in Patent Office: 1,761 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 719/312
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

Described are techniques for intermodule communication between a first code module and a second code module each executing in user space. A shared memory portion includes storage for one or more commands and is accessible to the first and the second code modules. A first first-in-first-out (FIFO) structure is used for sending a location in the shared memory portion from the first code module to the second code module. A second FIFO structure is used for sending a location in the shared memory portion from the second code module to the first code module. The first code module stores command data for a command at a first location in the shared memory portion. A command is issued from the first code module to the second code module by sending the first location from the first code module to the second code module using the first FIFO structure.

Claims

1. A method of intermodule communication between a first code module and a second code module comprising:

providing said first code module and said second code module each executing in user space;

providing a shared memory portion including storage for one or more commands and which is accessible to said first and said second code modules;

providing a first first-in-first-out (FIFO) structure for sending a location in said shared memory portion from said first code module to said second code module;

providing a second FIFO structure for sending a location in said shared memory portion from said second code module to said first code module;

performing, by said first code module, a first call to code of an application programming interface, said first call having a defined client interface including a first portion of one or more input parameters identifying one or more callback routines of the first code module and a second portion of one or more input parameters identifying other input, said one or more callback routines each being invoked in subsequent processing by said code of the application programming interface;

storing, by said first code module, command data for a command at a first location in said shared memory portion, said storing being performed by a first of said one or more callbacks invoked by said code of the application programming interface; and

issuing a command from said first code module to said second code module by sending said first location from said first code module to said second code module using said first FIFO structure, wherein said issuing is performed by said code of the application programming interface as a result of performing said first call, wherein a completion callback is an optional one of the callback routines of the defined client interface which, if specified in the first call, is invoked by said code of the application programming interface after performing said issuing and causes said first call by the first code module to be performed asynchronously whereby the first code module continues execution while also performing processing for the first call, and wherein if the completion callback is omitted from the first call, said first call is performed synchronously whereby execution of the first code module waits inline at a point of invocation of the first call until processing of the first call completes prior to continuing execution of code of the first code module subsequent to the first call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said command is a request from said first code module for said second code module to perform processing in accordance with said command data stored at said first location in shared memory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first FIFO structure and said second FIFO structure are implemented using another portion of shared memory accessible to said first code module and said second code module.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

invoking, by said code of said application programming interface, said first callback routine prior to performing said issuing, said first callback routine performing processing in connection with input data included in said command data stored at said first location in said shared memory portion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said command data includes a header portion, an input data area, and an output data area, said header portion including metadata for said command and storage for one or more command input parameters and one or more command output parameters.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said one or more command input parameters and input data in said input data area are sent to said second code module from said first code module, and said one or more command output parameters and output data in said output data area are sent from said second code module to said first code, module.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

performing, by said second code module, processing in accordance with said command data;

storing output data in said output data area in accordance with said performing;

storing values for said one or more command output parameters in accordance with said performing; and

sending a message from said second code module to said first code module as a response to said command by sending said first location from said second code module to said first code module using said second FIFO structure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said performing processing by said second code module includes invoking one or more callback routines in said second code module, said one or more callback routines in said second code module being identified in a first call of said second code module to said code of said application programming interface, said first call of said second code module occurring prior to execution of said step of performing processing by said second code module.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising performing additional processing by said first code module upon receiving said message from said second code module, said additional processing including:

invoking a second of said one or more callback routines in said first code module to perform post processing on one or more of said input data area and said output data area.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said first call specifies said completion callback and said issuing of said command is performed asynchronously with respect to said first code module, and the method further comprising:

invoking said completion callback as a third of said one or more callback routines of said first code module after invoking said second callback routine to indicate completion of said command.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a pipe representing a logical bidirectional communication connection between said first code module and said second code module, said pipe being used to determine when a first of said first code module and said second code module terminates execution and provides notification to the other of said first and second code modules.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, if said first code module is unable to use said shared memory portion for storing command data, said first code module sends said command data to said second code module using said pipe, and said second code module uses said pipe to return said command data to said first code module after said second code module performs processing in accordance with said command data.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable code stored thereon for intermodule communication between a first code module and a second code module, the computer readable medium comprising executable code for:

providing said first code module and said second code module each executing in user space;

providing a shared memory portion including storage for one or more commands and which is accessible to said first and said second code modules;

providing a first first-in-first-out (FIFO) structure for sending a location in said shared memory portion from said first code module to said second code module;

providing a second FIFO structure for sending a location in said shared memory portion from said second code module to said first code module;

performing, by said first code module, a first call to code of an application programming interface, said first call having a defined client interface including a first portion of one or more input parameters identifying one or more callback routines of the first code module and a second portion of one or more input parameters identifying other input, said one or more callback routines each being invoked in subsequent processing by said code of the application programming interface;

storing, by said first code module, command data for a command at a first location in said shared memory portion, said storing being performed by a first of said one or more callbacks invoked by said code of the application programming interface; and

issuing a command from said first code module to said second code module by sending said first location from said first code module to said second code module using said first FIFO structure, wherein said issuing is performed by said code of the application programming interface as a result of performing said first call, wherein a completion callback is an optional one of the callback routines of the defined client interface which, if specified in the first call, is invoked by said code of the application programming interface after performing said issuing and causes said first call by the first code module to be performed asynchronously whereby the first code module continues execution while also performing processing for the first call, and wherein if the completion callback is omitted from the first call, said first call is performed synchronously whereby execution of the first code module waits inline at a point of invocation of the first call until processing of the first call completes prior to continuing execution of code of the first code module subsequent to the first call.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein said command is a request from said first code module for said second code module to perform processing in accordance with said command data stored at said first location in shared memory.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein said first FIFO structure and said second FIFO structure are implemented using another portion of shared memory accessible to said first code module and said second code module.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising executable code for:

invoking, by said code of said application programming interface, said first callback routine prior to performing said issuing, said first callback routine performing processing in connection with input data included in said command data stored at said first location in said shared memory portion.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein said command data includes a header portion, an input data area, and an output data area, said header portion including metadata for said command and storage for one or more command input parameters and one or more command output parameters.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein said one or more command input parameters and input data in said input data area are sent to said second code module from said first code module, and said one or more command output parameters and output data in said output data area are sent from said second code module to said first code module.