System and method for formatting data for transmission between an embedded computer and a host computer having different machine characteristics

• US 20020198893A1
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S2 Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: S2 Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Underseth, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,111,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/542 Intercept
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/546 Xcast
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/547 Messaging middleware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for providing seamless communication with threads executing on an embedded computer. Using a DAT system, a programmer can test the communication interfaces of a thread via either a scripting program, any COM-compliant program, or a graphical test utility. The DAT system automatically formats a block of data that is transmitted between the embedded computer and a host computer and accounts for machine specific enumeration sizes, machine specific pointer sizes, machine specific structure alignment boundaries, machine specific integer sizes, and machine specific byte ordering.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting data, the system comprising:

a host computer;

a first application executing on the host computer;

an embedded computer;

a second application executing on the embedded computer;

a database that identifies at least one interface characteristic of a plurality of interfaces of the first application and the second application, wherein the database is automatically generated in response to a user request and is based, at least in part, upon an interface description file that is provided by the user;

a communication module that defines an interface for communication with the embedded computer, wherein the first application communicates with the second application via the communication module;

wherein the host computer stores host computer machine characteristic information for the embedded computer, wherein the host machine characteristic information includes information selected from the group comprising;

an enumeration size, an adaptive enumeration indicator, a short size, a long size, a float size, a double size, a double long size, a pointer size, a structure alignment boundary, an integer size, a byte ordering, a Boolean size, and a character size;

wherein the host computer stores embedded computer machine characteristic information for the host computer, wherein the embedded computer machine characteristic information includes information selected from the group comprising;

an enumeration size, a pointer size, a structure alignment boundary, an integer size, and a byte ordering; and

wherein in response to receiving a communication from the second application that is targeted for the first application, the communication module modifies the communication prior to transmitting the communication to the first application, and wherein the modification is based, at least in part, upon the host computer machine characteristic information, the embedded computer machine characteristic information, and the interface characteristic.

2. A system for transmitting data, the system comprising:

a host computer;

a first application executing on the host computer;

an embedded computer;

a second application executing on the embedded computer; and

interface information describing characteristics of a plurality of communication interfaces of the first application and the second application, wherein the host computer receives machine characteristic information for the embedded computer, and wherein in response to receiving a communication from the second application that is targeted for the first application, the host computer modifies the communication prior to transmitting the communication to the first application, wherein the modification is based, at least in part, upon the machine characteristic information and the interface information.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the machine characteristic information includes information that is selected from the group comprising:

an enumeration size, a pointer size, a structure alignment boundary, an integer size, and a byte ordering.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein modification includes reversing a byte order of at least one element of data in the communication.

5. A system for transmitting data, the system comprising:

a host computer;

a first application executing on the host computer;

an embedded computer;

a second application executing on the embedded computer; and

interface information describing characteristics of a plurality of communication interfaces of the first application and the second application, wherein the host computer receives machine characteristic information for the embedded computer, wherein in response to receiving a communication from the first application that is targeted for the second application, the host computer modifies the communication prior to transmitting the communication to the first application, and wherein the modification is based, at least in part, upon the machine characteristic information and the interface information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the machine characteristic information includes information selected from the group comprising:

an enumeration size, a pointer size, a structure alignment boundary, an integer size, and a byte ordering.

7. A system for transmitting data, the system comprising:

a host computer;

a first application executing on the host computer;

an embedded computer;

a second application executing on the embedded computer; and

interface information describing characteristics of a plurality of predefined interfaces of the first application and the second application, wherein the embedded computer transmits to the host computer a connection message that includes machine characteristic information for the embedded computer, wherein in response to receiving a communication from the second application that is targeted for the first application, the host computer modifies the communication prior to transmitting the communication to the first application, and wherein the modification is based, at least in part, upon the machine characteristic information and the interface information.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the machine characteristic information includes information selected from the group comprising:

an enumeration size, a pointer size, a structure alignment boundary, an integer size, and a byte ordering.

9. A system for transmitting data, the system comprising:

a host computer for executing a first application;

an embedded computer for executing a second application; and

machine characteristic information;

wherein in response to receiving a communication from the second application that is targeted for the first application, the host computer modifies the communication prior to transmitting the communication to the first application, wherein the modification is based, at least in part, upon the machine characteristic information.

10. A method of transmitting data, the method comprising:

automatically generating a database wherein the database includes interface information that describes a plurality of interfaces;

receiving a communication from an embedded computer; and

formatting the communication, based at least upon the interface information and machine characteristic information that describes at least one characteristic of the embedded computer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein formatting the communication comprises reversing the byte order of at least one data field in the communication.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein formatting the communication comprises modifying a number of bits of a data structure in the communication.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein formatting the communication comprises modifying a structure alignment boundary.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein automatically generating a database comprises parsing at least one interface description file.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for formatting the communication comprises means for reversing the byte order of at least one element in the communication.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for formatting the communication comprises means for modifying a number of bits of a data structure in the communication.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for formatting the communication comprises means for modifying a structure alignment boundary.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for automatically generating a database comprises means for parsing at least one interface description file.

15. A system for transmitting data, the system comprising:

means for automatically generating a database, wherein the database includes interface information that describes at least one characteristic of a communication interface that is provided by an application thread;

means for receiving at least one communication from an embedded computer; and

means for formatting the received communication, wherein the formatting is based, at least in part, upon the characteristic of the communication interface and machine characteristic information that describes at least one characteristic of the embedded computer.

20. A method of transmitting data, the method comprising:

receiving a communication from an embedded computer; and

formatting the received communication, wherein the formatting is based at least in part upon interface information that describes at least one characteristic of the communication and information that describes at least one characteristic of the embedded computer.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein formatting the communication comprises reversing the byte order of at least one data field in the communication.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein formatting the communication comprises modifying a number of bits of a data structure in the communication.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein formatting the communication comprises modifying a structure alignment boundary.