Synchronizing stateless process across multiple instances

• US 9,626,228 B1
• Filed: 02/04/2014
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Thotakura, Prasad K., Walia, Raman, Syed, Ashraf A., Somasundaram, Vasanth Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutten, James D
• Application Number:
  US14/172,152
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 717109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores

Abstract

Synchronization stateless process execution is disclosed. In various embodiments, an indication is received that an instance of a process with respect to which stateless execution is being performed is to enter a block of the process with respect to which synchronization with one or more other instances of the process is to be provided. A current turn to perform the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided is secured on behalf of the process instance. The block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided is allowed to be performed by the process instance.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing stateless process execution, comprising:

receiving, by a stateless process execution engine, an indication that an instance of a process with respect to which stateless execution is being performed is to enter a block of the process with respect to which synchronization with one or more other instances of the process is to be provided, wherein the indication is provided according to an application process definition, wherein the application process definition identifies one or more instances of the process running on a same application user interface page to which synchronization is to be provided, wherein the block of the process with respect to which synchronization is to be provided is identified in a process definition associated with the process, wherein the process definition is received via a development tool user interface, wherein the development tool user interface includes an interface to graphically select one or more blocks of the process definition when displaying the process definition, wherein the graphical selection causes synchronization to be provided to the one or more selected blocks, wherein the development tool user interface is associated with a development platform configured to generate programmatically application code to implement the process, via execution of one or more instances of the process running on the same application user interface page in a stateless process engine;

securing, by the stateless process execution engine, on behalf of the instance of the process a current turn to perform the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided; and

allowing, by the stateless process execution engine, the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided to be performed by the instance of the process running on the same application user interface page, wherein the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided allows the instance of the process to modify an object located on a system separate from the stateless process execution engine and prevents the one or more other instances of the process running on the same application user interface page from modifying the object located on the system separate from the stateless process execution engine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the development platform is configured to include in the programmatically generated application code a synchronization code configured to ensure that synchronization is provided with respect to the block of the process with respect to which synchronization is to be provided.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein securing on behalf of the process instance a current turn to perform the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided includes attempting to access a synchronization or other control object associated with the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein securing the current turn includes obtaining a lock with respect to the synchronization or other control object.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein securing the current turn includes determining at least initially that the synchronization or other control object is locked by or on behalf of another instance of the process, and making a renewed attempt after a prescribed interval to access the synchronization or other control object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said block of the process with respect to which synchronization is to be provided is associated with accessing a resource.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the resource comprises a data object.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the resource comprises a portion of code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronization is provided among a plurality of threads running in a runtime or other environment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronization is provided among a plurality of instances running across a plurality of runtime or other environments.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the application process definition is provided by an application developer using a development tool.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting a stateless process execution engine to perform stateless processing with respect to at least a part of the process; and

in response to receiving the request to perform stateless processing with respect to at least at part of the process, determining, by a stateless process execution engine, whether a synchronization is defined with respect to the process.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting a stateless process execution engine to perform stateless processing with respect to at least a part of the process; and

in response to receiving the request to perform stateless processing with respect to at least at part of the process, determining, by a stateless process execution engine, one or more blocks of the process with respect to which process synchronization is to be performed.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the process definition includes depicting the process definition sequentially.

15. A system to synchronize stateless process execution, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive, by a stateless process execution engine, an indication that an instance of a process with respect to which stateless execution is being performed is to enter a block of the process with respect to which synchronization with one or more other instances of the process is to be provided, wherein the indication is provided according to an application process definition, wherein the application process definition identifies one or more instances of the process running on a same application user interface page to which synchronization is to be provided, wherein the block of the process with respect to which synchronization is to be provided is identified in a process definition associated with the process, wherein the process definition is associated with a development tool user interface, wherein the development tool user interface includes an interface to graphically select one or more blocks of the process definition when displaying the process definition, wherein the graphical selection causes synchronization to be provided to the one or more selected blocks, wherein the development tool user interface is associated with a development platform configured to generate programmatically application code to implement the process, via execution of one or more instances of the process running on the same application user interface page in a stateless process engine;

secure, by the stateless process execution engine, on behalf of the instance of the process a current turn to perform the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided; and

allow, by the stateless process execution engine, the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided to be performed by the instance of the process, wherein the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided allows the instance of the process running on the same application user interface page to modify an object located on a system separate from the stateless process execution engine and prevents the one or more other instances of the process running on the same application user interface page from modifying the object located on the system separate from the stateless process execution engine; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said block of the process with respect to which synchronization is to be provided is associated with accessing a resource.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein displaying the process definition includes depicting the process definition sequentially.

18. A computer program product to synchronize stateless process execution, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving, by a stateless process execution engine, an indication that an instance of a process with respect to which stateless execution is being performed is to enter a block of the process with respect to which synchronization with one or more other instances of the process is to be provided, wherein the indication is provided according to an application process definition, wherein the application process definition identifies one or more instances of the process running on the same application user interface page to which synchronization is to be provided, wherein the block of the process with respect to which synchronization is to be provided is identified in a process definition associated with the process, wherein the process definition is received via a development tool user interface, wherein the development tool user interface includes an interface to graphically select one or more blocks of the process definition when displaying the process definition, wherein the graphical selection causes synchronization to be provided to the one or more selected blocks, wherein the development tool user interface is associated with a development platform configured to generate programmatically application code to implement the process, via execution of one or more instances of the process running on the same application user interface page in a stateless process engine;

securing, by the stateless process execution engine, on behalf of the instance of the process a current turn to perform the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided; and

allowing, by the stateless process execution engine, the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided to be performed by the instance of the process running on the same application user interface page, wherein the block with respect to which synchronization is to be provided allows the instance of the process to modify an object located on a system separate from the stateless process execution engine and prevents the one or more other instances of the process running on the same application user interface page from modifying the object located on the system separate from the stateless process execution engine.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein displaying the process definition includes depicting the process definition sequentially.